The Juneteenth Superheroes
While the Fourth of July represents freedom from tyranny, Juneteenth represents freedom from bondage. The United States of America represents 4% of the global population, but 25% of the global prison population. Here are three artivists using Hip Hop to set thousands free.
It should come to no surprise that Hip Hop culture would be playing a part in the movement to Decarcerate. Prison culture gave birth to half of the four original elements of Hip Hop, graffiti and rap.
In a December 2020 article published in the California Prison Focus, "SPOKEN FLOZ,” PRISONERS RETAKE OVER OF HIP HOP," it references how the founding father in Graffiti Daryl “Cornbread” McCray,” and the founding father in DJing and Mcing (Rap) Kool Herc owe the start of their careers to African American prison culture. Here are two former prisoners, and one prisoner who are using Hip Hop as a means to set people free.
In 2015 C-Note was instrumental in motivating a diverse group of men to cross racial and gang lines to produce the critically acclaimed play Redemption in our State of Blues. Redemption had two runs in the maximum security general population prison yard at the California State Prison Los Angeles County. It led to over half-a-million dollars in public-private funding for prison reentry in Los Angeles County. “BREAK IT TO MAKE IT (BITMI): Busting Barriers for the Incarcerated Project, Los Angeles, California.” is a first in the nation prison reentry project. It provides two years of free housing from the Los Angeles Mission. Two years of free education from Los Angeles City College, and participation in the jails to jobs program of actual paid theatrical work with the theater group, The Strindberg Laboratory.
In 2014 BL Shirelle had crossed racial and musical genres as a performer in the music group B.L. Shirelle, as they performed before TedX on the prison grounds of Muncy State Prison. Shirelle who was released in 2015 was contacted by New York music producer Fury Young who saw the TedX video. Young was producing an album called Die Jim Crow which featured tracks from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists.The album led to the record label Die Jim Crow Records. It is the first non-profit record label in United States history for currently and formerly incarcerated artists. Shirelle is the label's first solo artist.
In 2011 Min King X had crossed racial and gang lines while housed at California State Prison Corcoran to participate in California's historic Prisoner Hunger Strike to end long-term solitary confinement. At the time of the Strike, he was a general population prisoner unaffected by the conditions related to the Strike. But that was short-lived, as prison officials retaliated against him and transferred him to Pelican Bay State Prison's notorious Security Housing Unit (SHU), where he became a member of the long-term solitary confinement club. Eventually California was forced by the courts to end its practice of long-term solitary confinement. King was released and returned to the general prisoner population.
Former prisoners and prisoner Hip Hop artists are making JUNETEENTH real to thousands, as leaders in the movement to Decarcerate.
While the Fourth of July represents freedom from tyranny, Juneteenth represents freedom from bondage. The United States of America represents 4% of the global population, but 25% of the global prison population. Here are three artivists using Hip Hop to set thousands free.
It should come to no surprise that Hip Hop culture would be playing a part in the movement to Decarcerate. Prison culture gave birth to half of the four original elements of Hip Hop, graffiti and rap.
In a December 2020 article published in the California Prison Focus, "SPOKEN FLOZ,” PRISONERS RETAKE OVER OF HIP HOP," it references how the founding father in Graffiti Daryl “Cornbread” McCray,” and the founding father in DJing and Mcing (Rap) Kool Herc owe the start of their careers to African American prison culture. Here are two former prisoners, and one prisoner who are using Hip Hop as a means to set people free.
Donald "C-Note" Hooker, The King of Prison Hip Hop.
In 2015 C-Note was instrumental in motivating a diverse group of men to cross racial and gang lines to produce the critically acclaimed play Redemption in our State of Blues. Redemption had two runs in the maximum security general population prison yard at the California State Prison Los Angeles County. It led to over half-a-million dollars in public-private funding for prison reentry in Los Angeles County. “BREAK IT TO MAKE IT (BITMI): Busting Barriers for the Incarcerated Project, Los Angeles, California.” is a first in the nation prison reentry project. It provides two years of free housing from the Los Angeles Mission. Two years of free education from Los Angeles City College, and participation in the jails to jobs program of actual paid theatrical work with the theater group, The Strindberg Laboratory.
Besides being a playwright and performing artist behind prison walls, he is also an award winning visual artist and poet. His works have either been exhibited, recited, performed, or sold, from Alcatraz to Berlin. In 2017 Google Search engine results listed him first as America's and the world's most prolific prisoner-artist. His visual Works have taken on such topics as the forced sterilization of women prisoners, suicides by women prisoners, flooded prison cells from hurricanes, the mass administration of psychotropic medication to prisoners, prisoner marriages, and much much more.
BL Shirelle, Rapper and Deputy-director of Die Jim Crow Records
In 2014 BL Shirelle had crossed racial and musical genres as a performer in the music group B.L. Shirelle, as they performed before TedX on the prison grounds of Muncy State Prison. Shirelle who was released in 2015 was contacted by New York music producer Fury Young who saw the TedX video. Young was producing an album called Die Jim Crow which featured tracks from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated artists.The album led to the record label Die Jim Crow Records. It is the first non-profit record label in United States history for currently and formerly incarcerated artists. Shirelle is the label's first solo artist.
On Juneteenth 2020, Shirelle released her first album Assata Troi. Assata Troi means, "She who struggles is a warrior." The release of Assata Troi brought apprehension. Not only was it her first album, but the label's as well. But that wasn't all that was bothering her, it was the murder of George Floyd three weeks prior. Shirelle suffers from survivor's guilt. When Shirelle was eighteen she heard a ruckus outside of her home of men arguing. Armed with a gun, she went outside to observe what was going on. This is when one of the men pulled out a weapon, and gunfire exchanged between her and undercover police officers. She was shot in her back and leg, and while handcuffed, stomped, and beaten with nightsticks.
In July of 2020 Shirelle told reporter Stephanie Farr of the Philadelphia Inquirer, "Every time that stuff happens I just be like ‘Why am I still here? I literally shot back. These people were sleeping or selling loosies,‘” Shirelle said. “It makes no sense.”
Her work brings her right back inside the prisons. There is a lot of talent on the other side of the prison walls. Shirelle's life experiences are relatable to the men and women in whom some of them are learning Art to express themselves for the first time. While Covid has paused rehabilitation services inside the nation's prisons, Shirelle and Die Jim Crow Records raised more than $16,000 of PPE materials for distribution to prisoners across the United States.
Min King X, Rapper and Co-director of California Prison Focus
In 2011 Min King X had crossed racial and gang lines while housed at California State Prison Corcoran to participate in California's historic Prisoner Hunger Strike to end long-term solitary confinement. At the time of the Strike, he was a general population prisoner unaffected by the conditions related to the Strike. But that was short-lived, as prison officials retaliated against him and transferred him to Pelican Bay State Prison's notorious Security Housing Unit (SHU), where he became a member of the long-term solitary confinement club. Eventually California was forced by the courts to end its practice of long-term solitary confinement. King was released and returned to the general prisoner population.
In 2018 he participated in the No Joke Theater Group at California State Prison Los Angeles County. King felt right at home in the theater, as it reminded him of his childhood years stepping up to the studio mic. The camaraderie of theater of dispersed men working towards the same goal spoke to King.
In 2019 he was released from prison. It would require an encyclopedic size book to mention his activities in the movement to Decarcerate since his release, but you can read about some of them in Wale Sasamura Owoeye's book TUPAC AMARU SHAKUR & FELA ANIKULAPO KUTI – REVOLUTIONARIES OR MARTYRS.
King took his No Joke Theater experience to create From the Kage to the Stage. Released in May, by December he was fulfilling a prison dream by holding the Ratcliff Awards. It is an award that honors artivists active in the criminal justice space. At the awards show he put on the play I Stand2 Vote. Co-written while incarcerated, he took the message of I Stand2 Vote to lawmakers in Sacramento, California's state capitol. Besides bringing I Stand2 Vote banners to the state capitol, he recorded a very catchy hip-hop voting anthem, called I Stand2 Vote.
In the midst of a global pandemic, King placed Yes on Proposition 17 door handles on 10,000 homes. Proposition 17 restored the California voting rights to ex-prisoners. In November of 2020, California voters passed Prop.17 into law.
The stories of these Juneteenth Superheroes are constantly building. This is just a small snippet of their work in the movement to Decarcerate.