Art is not considered that relevant it’s not given that much space. It’s really delicate to have people inside prison recording.ĭ: Also, in general, there aren’t many organised creative activities. You know, Cameroon, at this moment, is very political. Even the media and journalists of Cameroon are wondering, how is it possible? Interest around the project is growing. S: Having a recording studio inside a prison? It’s so rare! That’s why, for me, it’s God’s plan. Is it fair to say this sort of project is somewhat rare? We barely slept.ĭ: When I returned, they’d recorded more than 100 songs. To be honest, it was really the power of God, because we didn’t even feel the pain of it. We worked day and night – we didn’t even look at the time. That’s how the project became a little bit more open. I come from a hip-hop background, but I was more interested in researching singers or producers. S: At the start, she left me with these guys called La Meute Des Penseurs. How have your roles in the project changed over time? In the meantime, though, we caught up with them to reflect on the project’s beginnings, the studio and prison reform. Looking to the future, Roach and Happi have big plans for Jail Time. It’s raw, moving and built with the kind of resilience that can only stem from an environment that’s equally, if not more, intense than the music itself. 1 is a genre-weaving, 22-track compilation that celebrates the scope of the artists involved and their unique perspectives. However, the label is now set to release its first album. Over the past few years, Jail Time’s output has largely consisted of music videos. He elevated his own craft too, picking up music theory and technical knowledge through experimentation but also necessity. While inside, he managed the studio, its schedule, and recorded hundreds of songs spanning genres such as hip-hop, Afrobeat, gospel and more. When he met Roach, he was an inmate of Douala Central Prison. As a multi-instrumentalist, sound engineer, producer and singer, Happi is Jail Time Records’ enthusiastic in-house producer and co-founder. In January 2019, Steve Happi, who also goes by the alias Vidou H, joined the crew. Perhaps even change the narratives surrounding prison life in the process. The goal was to offer a necessary creative outlet and birth something that could support the social reintegration of the inmates – offering a new focus, or even a career goal. Roach then obtained financial support from Centro Orientamento Educativo to build a recording studio inside the prison – the first of its kind in an African jail. It was during this period that she first encountered some of the talented musicians and rappers incarcerated within. As part of her work, she would visit the prison and deliver creative workshops. The project was founded by artist, filmmaker and teacher Dione Roach after living in Cameroon between 20, where she worked for Italian NGO, Centro Orientamento Educativo. It’s through this studio that a number of inmates (both current and former) have been able to hone their talents, refine skills – musical and otherwise – and experience creative enrichment seldom found within the system. More specifically, Douala Central Prison, which not only houses a string of Jail Time-affiliated rappers, producers and artists, but a permanent recording studio where hundreds of demos, instrumentals and fully-fleshed out tracks have been laid down since it opened back in 2018. Jail Time Records is a collective and non-profit record label based out of Douala, Cameroon.
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