When rapper Tekashi 6ix9ine was arrested in November of 2018 he was looking at a potential 47 years in prison. After working out a plea deal and agreeing to testify in multiple other cases, 6ix9ine was sentenced to only two years in prison. On Thursday, amid concerns raised by the coronavirus pandemic, 6ix9ine was released from prison four months early.

People with asthma are at higher risk to contract the COVID-19 virus, a point that 6ix9ine’s lawyer, Lance Lavarro, made as he argued for his client’s release. The courts agreed that given his asthmatic condition and the close confines of prison, 6ix9ine was at heightened risk for contracting the virus. 

The rapper will be spending the last four months under house arrest. 6ix9ine will only be allowed to leave his residence to visit his lawyer or for medical attention. In other words, he’ll be cooped up at home just like the rest of us. 

Often when people enter into plea deals that include them testifying against their former associates they will be offered the opportunity to enter the witness protection program, an option the 6ix9ine refused. One could argue that his tattoos alone would prevent witness protection the ability to give him any sort of anonymity, there aren’t a lot of rainbow haired folks with “69” tattooed on their face living in the suburbs of Tulsa.

Or, if you’re a little more cynical, you may think that the reason he turned down witness protection was the $10 million record contract he has waiting for him on the outside.