If you grew up in New York during the 1980s, or even if you just obsessed over 50 Cent’s Ghetto Qu’ran, the name Prince from Supreme Team carries a weight that’s hard to describe. People talk about him like a ghost story. One minute he’s the feared enforcer of the Baisley Park Houses, and the next, he’s a man who spent three decades behind bars only to walk out into a completely different world.
Most people get the story wrong. They think the Supreme Team was just some random street gang that got lucky. Honestly, it was more like a corporate entity that happened to sell crack. At the center of it was Gerald "Prince" Miller. He wasn't just a sidekick to his uncle, Kenneth "Supreme" McGriff; he was the engine.
While Supreme was the visionary, Prince was the one keeping the gears turning. He was the enforcer. When Supreme went to prison in 1987, the leadership fell squarely on Prince’s shoulders. That's when things got truly heavy.
The Rise of Prince and the Baisley Park Empire
The Supreme Team didn't just appear. It grew out of the Five Percenters movement in South Jamaica, Queens. By 1987, at its absolute peak, the crew was reportedly raking in over $200,000 a day. Think about that for a second. That’s late-80s money.
Prince wasn't just sitting on a throne, though. He was actively rebuilding and "fortifying" the operation. When he took over, he didn't just keep things status quo. He increased security. He made sure everyone knew that disloyalty had a very high price. During that 1987 stretch, federal prosecutors later alleged that Prince and a then-incarcerated Supreme ordered at least eight homicides.
It was a brutal time. Southside Jamaica was basically a war zone, and Prince was the general. He had a reputation for being "vicious and unforgiving," a stark contrast to the more polished, business-like persona his uncle tried to maintain. Basically, if Supreme was the CEO, Prince was the guy you never wanted to see knocking on your door at 3:00 AM.
Life Inside: Serving 34 Years
The law eventually caught up. In 1993, Prince from Supreme Team was hit with a sentence that would have broken most men. He was convicted of narcotics trafficking and racketeering. The judge didn't hold back: seven concurrent life terms plus 20 years.
For most, that’s the end of the book. You go to a federal supermax, and you're forgotten.
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But Prince stayed relevant because the culture wouldn't let him go. Rappers like Nas and 50 Cent kept his name in their verses. 50 Cent’s lyrics famously broke it down: "See Preme was the business man and Prince was the killer." That line alone cemented Prince’s legacy for a new generation that never even saw him in person.
Interestingly, while he was in prison, Prince wasn't just "doing time." He was actually going to college. He spent years reflecting on the choices he made in the Baisley Park projects. It’s sort of wild to think about a guy who used to run one of the most feared gangs in NYC sitting in a cell studying for a degree.
The Shocking Return: Is Prince Free?
Here is the part that surprises people who haven't kept up with the news. Gerald "Prince" Miller is actually out.
After serving roughly 34 years, he was released. His release wasn't some legal loophole or a "rat" situation—a point he has been very vocal about in recent interviews. He credits his freedom to changes in federal sentencing laws, specifically those targeting the "unjust" crack-cocaine sentencing disparities of the 80s and 90s.
He didn't come out and hide, either. You’ve probably seen him on podcasts lately, like Thanx4askin, where he talks raw and unfiltered about his life. He doesn't glamorize it as much as you'd think. He speaks about the "rise and fall" with a sense of perspective that only comes from losing three decades of your life to a concrete box.
The Redeem Team and Restorative Justice
Today, Prince is trying to flip the script. He founded an organization called The Redeem Team.
It’s a non-profit aimed at helping kids in urban communities like Queens avoid the same traps he fell into. He’s doing mentorship, education, and community outreach. It’s a complete 180. Some people are skeptical—that’s natural given his history—but he’s using his lived experience as a "blueprint" for rehabilitation.
He’s even been a consulting producer on documentaries about the Supreme Team, like the one on Showtime. He wants the real story told, not just the myth.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Supreme Team
There’s a common misconception that the Supreme Team and the Murder Inc. beef with 50 Cent were all the same thing.
The Supreme Team of the 80s was a different beast entirely. By the time the Murder Inc. drama was happening in the early 2000s, Prince was already years into his life sentence. While his uncle Supreme was out and getting involved with Irv Gotti and the music industry, Prince was a spectator from a prison cell.
He has expressed some pretty candid views on that era. In interviews, he’s discussed his thoughts on 50 Cent’s Ghetto Qu’ran, noting how the song basically served as a roadmap for the feds, whether 50 intended it to be "snitching" or just "tribute."
The Legacy of Gerald "Prince" Miller
What really happened with Prince is a story of extreme ends. He went from making $200k a day to having nothing. He went from seven life sentences to walking the streets of New York again in 2026.
If you're looking for lessons here, they aren't buried deep. Prince himself says the "drug game" is a dead end. He’s living proof that you can survive the worst of the system, but you pay a price you can never get back. 34 years is a long time to think about your mistakes.
Actionable Insights from the Prince Story:
- Understand the Law: Prince’s release was largely due to the First Step Act and retroactive sentencing changes. If you have family members in similar situations, looking into restorative justice legal channels is the first step.
- Support Community Mentorship: Organizations like The Redeem Team are always looking for local support in Queens. If you want to help break the cycle of incarceration, look for street-level non-profits that use formerly incarcerated leaders as mentors.
- Critical Media Consumption: When watching documentaries or listening to drill music, remember there are real victims and real years lost behind those lyrics. Prince’s current interviews offer a much more grounded view than the songs ever did.
Prince is no longer the "killer" from the songs. He’s an older man trying to find a way to make his name mean something other than fear. Whether the world lets him do that is another story.