Rapper Da Brat is back after jail stint

In 1994, rapper Da Brat released "Funkdafied" which placed her in the record books as the first female rapper ever to have a platinum-selling album. Year later, her career was put on hold when she was sentenced to three years behind bars for an attack on a woman in an Atlanta nightclub which left the victim permanently scarred. Now Da Brat, whose real name is Shawntae Harris, has served her time and says she is a new woman. Being away from friends and family (actress LisaRaye is her sister) for more than 2½ years has left her appreciative of the love she is surrounded with as well as her freedom, the former Jermaine Dupri protégée says. She recently spoke with CNN about her hopes for a reality show, reviving her music career and how Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon shocked her while she was incarcerated. You have very close family and friends, so who surprised you by coming to visit you in prison? (laughing) Mariah. (Mariah Carey - Da Brat and Carey appeared together in Carey's film "Glitter".) Yeah, Mariah and Nick (Nick Cannon, Carey's husband). It was a shocker because the whole place was in an uproar. They must have called ahead because all of the officers and the warden knew. The whole compound put on their uniforms and it was a down day when we didn't have inspection or anything. They called me and told me I had a visitor and I hadn't requested a special visitor so I was like "Huh?" Mind you, the person who came to get me was a lieutenant who up until then had been a complete a**hole towards me, but she was being all nice. They told me to go into the warden's conference room and when I came around the corner I saw Mariah's manager. My knees buckled and I almost passed out. I couldn't believe she had come to see me. She found a private airport that I didn't even know existed, flew her G5 in and came to see her BFF. I was really touched by that. (CNN)