Former Bad Boy rapper G-Dep was temporarily allowed to leave prison this week to attend his father’s funeral. Dep, born Trevell Coleman, is serving 15 years to life for the 1993 shooting death of a Queens man during a robbery attempt. He lived with the fatal mugging story up until his confession five years ago, and was sentenced in 2011. 

His ex-wife, Crystal Sutton, spoke with AllHipHop.com about Dep reuniting with their twin sons at his dad's funeral, and life as a single parent. “Dep’s father’s passing was sadly over shadowed by the excitement we felt,” she said. “Dep has not seen his sons in a little over 4 years. Yes he calls regularly and he sees pictures of them growing, but being in their presence, the same room, next to each other is such a different feel.”

                                | CLICK TO READ LOCKED UP: RAPPERS BEHIND BARS |

Sutton had prepared her sons for the meeting, talking to them about the crime, and their father’s decision to turn himself in to police. But once the boys actually saw Dep, they reacted just like any child with a parent. “All I could do was hope and pray that seeing him in shackles, hands held close to his waist, that those memories would not fade from their minds,” Sutton recalled. “They finally had the chance to sit down with their father, shackled or not I could see that they were determined. All that nervous energy seemed to melt away. They both showed him video after video of animations they had made. Visitors gained Trevell’s attention for a moment, but the boys made sure that their father stayed close.”

The reunion lasted an hour, and the boys got emotional as Dep was being escorted into the prison van. They wanted to leave. “I tried to convince them to stay for the funeral, but nothing was changing their mind. Tears now running down their checks, the first tears I’ve ever seen them shed for their father. At this moment I knew they fully understood, the chains that seemed to be invisible to them during their visit became visible to them. I believe that they understood that their life would not and could not be a normal life. Their father is incarcerated, convicted of a crime they knew nothing about, but they are being forced to pay the price of their father’s sin.”

Sutton said that the twins are still adjusting to the new family dynamic, but that she has seen a change in their behavior since Dep first went away, particularly with throwing tantrums. They’ve since found a calmer form of expression.

As far as the household goes, Sutton maintains things solo, and makes sure that her sons have as much support as possible. Sutton is also launching her own program for children of incarcerated parents. 

BET.com is your No. 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: Denise Truscello/WireImage)