Turk: I Got My Diploma and Kicked My Drug Addictions in Prison

"Eight years, eight months, and sixteens days," is the amount of time that Turk reveals to VladTV that he was stuck behind bars, and this portion of his exclusive interview details debunking the myth that going to prison is a rite of passage or badge of honor.

Unabashed eloquence introduces Turk's comment about being incarcerated as he says, "Prison is what you make of it. You can go to prison and come home worse [or] you can go to prison and come home better." The wise rapper then reveals that after returning home from serving his prison bid he had cultivated a reinforced sense of self that allowed him to "not take no bullsh*t off nobody," and he became a much less naive person.

Watch the full clip to hear about how his experience in prison helped him kick a debilitating long-term heroin and cocaine habit that he had since he was 14 years old, and earn a high school diploma while he was at it.

He also speaks about how he was humbled when his identity was replaced by a state-issued prison number, and discusses prison gang culture, making money behind bars, rehabilitation, and how precarious life is while one is behind bars.