XXVII: FROM CONCEPT ALBUM TO RECORD LABEL.
The past few months have been paramount in shaping the future of Die Jim Crow. What started in 2013 as an idea for one concept album has transitioned into becoming the first record label in the United States for formerly and currently incarcerated musicians.
The change came about in March 2019, after dr. Israel and I recorded 26 new collaborators at three prisons down south. I came back from the trip with a new perspective and an evolved mission in mind. This was no way one album. If we were to expand into a record label, so many artists could have their work showcased prior to the release of the Die Jim Crow LP and well beyond that. A week after the trip, I shared the idea of the record label at a Board of Directors meeting and the consensus was clear: “Yes.”
Per prison regulation we are not allowed to show faces or use real names. Central Mississippi CF Youthful Offender Unit. (L-R): Shad, Mico, JD, Lil Dough
Allendale CI. (Top L-R): dr. Israel, PC, Quasi, I-Self, Tone, VI (Bottom): Kev, JD, Len, Fury, Tu McC, Sam
Camille Griffin Grahm CI. (L-R) Weezy, Kiz, Lati, Uno, Britt, KO
Since the first prison letter I wrote in Fall 2013, I have approached collaboration with artists as being strictly for the Die Jim Crow LP — a double album of epicness inspired by Pink Floyd’s 1979 classic rock opera The Wall. I spent the first year or so as producer talking to folks currently and formerly incarcerated, soaking up stories, while in concert reading books like The New Jim Crow and Lockdown America to help frame the album narrative within a historical context. From this research, I formed a Track by Track (T x T) outline of basic song ideas which fit into a three-act structure: pre-prison, prison, and reentry. The album told the story of several perspectives wrapped into one, beginning in the 1970s with Nixon’s “law and order” campaign and completing act one in the 80s era of crack, Reagan, and the War on Drugs. Act two covered years of imprisonment, while nationwide incarceration rates skyrocketed and “tough on crime” became a bipartisan craze. By the third act, our protagonist had survived incarceration despite a profound struggle and returned to a drastically changed present day free world.
Collaborators would receive the T x T and pick what ideas compelled them to write. Along the way, songs were recorded that did not fit the Track by Track but were more so loosely inspired by it. A few songs were completely unrelated — like the Lakota chants of Gilbert Pacheco and Phil Archuleta at Colorado Territorial Correctional Facility, or when Michael Tenneson recorded his Christmas song during those same sessions.
I always intended for this material to see the light of day eventually, but because my sights had been set on the concept album LP for so long, I pushed ahead with that as the prize my eyes were fixed on. Then the March 2019 trip happened: a home recording with Albert Woodfox, four rappers at a juvenile prison in Mississippi, a 13-member hip hop group at a men’s prison in South Carolina, and nine women — five singers, four rappers — at our first female facility, also in South Carolina. Though we worked on content inspired by the T x T, I got tired of giving people the critique “I don’t see that fitting on the album,” or, “how could that tie into the concept more?”
Collaborators were still inspired by the workshop and much of the material we recorded in March was excellent. But if a 13-member group — who’d given themselves a name: The Masses — had formed out of Die Jim Crow, why shouldn’t they be able to record the album they wanted to record? If a great rapper at the women’s prison had enough material for a solo EP, why shouldn’t she have the shot to lay it down? Again: “Yes.” A record label.
Now that we’ve taken this direction, it’s almost strange to think it took this long. But then I think back on the past six years, and how only until last August did I leave my job as a carpenter to work on DJC full time. It’s always been piecemeal, always been DIY. The big difference now is community — and I’m so grateful for that. Since forming a non-profit in October 2018, I’ve been blessed to have some heavy hitters get involved — some newcomers, some folks who I’d been working with for years — but now as Board Directors and as staff.
Appointed as Deputy Director of the organization is Monique Mull, AKA BL Shirelle, who has been a DJC collaborator since 2015 when we began a snail mail correspondence during her final months of incarceration. I’m honored to share the responsibilities of managing the label with BL, and trust that her life experience, music taste, and business sense will help Die Jim Crow flourish as a start-up record label walking uncharted ground.
I was lucky to meet a non-profit veteran, Stefanie Lindeman, at a Foundation Center workshop this past February. Stefanie joined the Board and would go on to facilitate a three-year strategic planning workshop over the course of several in-person and phone meetings this summer. An Executive Committee was formed through this process and our roles became clearer: Deputy Director BL Shirelle, Senior Advisor Maxwell Melvins, Grants Manager Jennifer Shipon, Operations Director Stefanie Lindeman, Executive Director Fury Young. The full Board signed off on the Strategic Plan at our last Board of Directors meeting, which in addition to the Executive Committee includes Dave Jones, Anna Adler, Krystal Hill, Mark Springer, and Jamel Embery.
What we outlined in our 2019 – 2022 plan is beyond exciting. This includes: much more musical content being released (EPs, LPs, mixtapes), a Single of the Month project beginning in May 2020, new producers going in to helm their own projects (BL has already started hers at Camille Griffin Graham), and a lot more outreach and events. The Die Jim Crow LP? Yes, it’s still in the works. I’m keeping the details secret for now. The chickens will be counted, the eggs will be hatched.
We have a small but strong fanbase at the moment, and I appreciate everyone who has stuck with this guerrilla effort over the years. It’s about to take on a whole new path, and I know you’ll be glad you stayed on to support. Get ready to hear great music where the Die Jim Crow EP left off, and look out for the full label launch in May 2020, including new releases, the long awaited “First Impressions” music video, an updated website, and lots more.
Finally, if you’re in NYC on September 21st, be sure to check out our Kickstarter Launch Party. Details and RSVP here!
In gratitude,
Fury Young
Executive Director/founder
