Remy Ma is woven into hip-hop’s intricate history. You cannot glaze over the impact and contribution she’s had before her unfortunate run-in with the law. Mentored by the late legend Big Pun, the Bronx-bred rhymer was never one to shy away from controversy.

Today (July 31), Remy Ma, born Reminisce Smith, walks out of Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women after serving a six-and-a-half-year sentence on two counts of assault. That same feisty energy that was unafraid to continuously attack on wax is still very much alive and well in the “Feel So Good” rapper.

“I’ve always repped for the chicks or whatever,” she said in a recent interview with Angie Martinez, “but I can stand next to the best of the dudes that’s out there. That’s what I intend to do again.”