DMX officially rejoined Sony/ Columbia as a recording artist yesterday (Jan. 13) at Sony Recording studios in New York.

The rapper started his career on the Ruffhouse/Sony imprint in 1992, with the release of his single “Born Loser.”

“Sony Music was the first company to ever pay me,” DMX said. “[It] feels good to have my career come full circle by being back home, where I started.”

DMX, accompanied by Swizz Beats, Ruff Ryder co-founder and CEO Joaquin “Waah” Dean, was welcomed back into the Sony fold by a slew of Sony/Columbia execs.

“DMX has continually redesigned the rap genre and dramatically expanded the possibilities for creative expression,” Sony Chairman Steve Barnett told a packed auditorium.

The first album under the three-album Sony/Columbia deal is titled Here We Go Again, which was previously recorded for Def Jam.

Sony bought DMX’s previous contract with Def Jam, but most of the album will be re-produced for his Sony debut. In published reports, the rapper said he could not work with Def Jam president Jay-Z because they were both “too big.”

DMX was recently released from Rikers Island, where he served a 70-day sentence for parole violations.