Meek Mill celebrates the release of his long awaited debut album next week, but it wasn't long ago that the Maybach Music Group signee was awaiting a different kind of release. In a new interview with Shaheem Reid of XXL, Meek explains how the time he spent in prison helped make him the man that he is today.
"Before I went to jail, I used to be a slouch. I used to smoke weed, get high, hang on corners, play with guns, do a lot of dumb stuff," Mill said. "It took me going to jail to sit down and use my brain and think. That's the best thing that going to jail did for me."
The 25-year-old rapper from Philadelphia was arrested in 2008 on a gun charge and sentenced to eight months in prison. While incarcerated, Mill said he learned to talk to God.
"I used to pray. I had my own little conversation with God and I feel as though the message that I was sent was 'If you want to go into the streets, this is where you could go. But if you put your whole life into this rap thing, you could go somewhere," he said.
Mill's solo debut, Dreams and Nightmares, hits stores October 30.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. 

(Photo: Johnny Nunez/WireImage)