After Serving Jail Time & Parole, Tempo Is a Free Man

Puerto Rican rapper Tempo (real name David Sánchez Badillo) is a free man, according to a spokesperson for the wordsmith.

After a 22-year stint of incarceration and parole, the hip-hop, reggaetón and trap artist “returns to full freedom,” stated a press release shared with Billboard on Friday (April 5). In 2014, he concluded an 11-year prison sentence on a drug trafficking charge after being arrested in 2002. He was initially sentenced to 292 months (24 years and 4 months), but after a third appeal where he pleaded guilty, his sentence was reduced to 15 years, of which he served 11 years and six months in prison, and 10 years on probation.

According to a statement, “this is not only the end of a stage for Tempo, but also the beginning of a new chapter in his life and career.” He’s set to announce dates for an upcoming tour “soon.”

Tempo — who landed at No. 17 on Billboard‘s 50 Best Spanish-Language Rappers of All Time list — began writing his first rap lyrics as a child. In 1994, he officially kicked off his music career, and in 1999 he released his debut studio album, Game Over. As one of the leading figures of the ‘90s and ‘00s rap movement in Puerto Rico, Tempo gained notoriety with his raw rap bars and tiraeras, and later became one of the first Latin rappers to sign a record deal with Sony Music Latin.

While in prison, he released his album Free Tempo (2009), which reached No. 6 on the Top Latin Albums chart, and included collabs with artists like Wisin y Yandel, Tego Calderón, Jowell y Randy and Daddy Yankee. Last year, Tempo released “Me Rendí,” a song that reflects his connection with God, and “Perdóname Madre,” an ultra-personal track dedicated to his mother.