Philadelphia native BL Shirelle is a rapper, songwriter, and producer. Joining the original Die Jim Crow project in 2015 — pre-FREER Records era — she was a founding board member, then Deputy Director, and as of 2022 has served as the Co-Executive Director of FREER Records.

She released her Restricted Movement albums independently shortly after getting out of prison in 2016, while also contributing to the Die Jim Crow EP that year. When Die Jim Crow became a record label in 2020, their first release was BL’s Assata Troi LP. Dropped during the peak of the pandemic and George Floyd protests, Assata Troi was featured in Pitchfork, BBC, and WNYC’s The Takeaway, among others.

BL's new wave yet classic sound is a sonic exploration of Hip Hop, Rock, Blues, and R&B, with incredible lyricism coupled with complex instrumentation. Her live performances are intensely felt, with a rock star energy that rumbles the ground.

BL is dedicated to social change through her music and work with FREER Records. She has been a guest speaker and performer at colleges across America, educating youth on women's incarceration. She continues to work with prison-impacted artists to produce and share their music on high-quality platforms. Her growing executive producer credits include Lifers Groove, Dallas The Dove, and B. Alexis. She is currently working on her next solo LP.