Jelly Roll recently went to San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, and like country music icons of yesteryear, he put on a show for the incarcerated.
The “Need A Favor” singer has always been one to give back to those who are currently on the path that Jelly Roll was on in his previous life. He’s always incredibly sympathetic towards those that are in need, and he never shies away from moments that would allow him to help others.
Especially if they are sitting inside the walls of a prison, like he did before he straightened out his life and became the Grammy-winning rapper-turned-country-artist we all know today.
His latest effort to help was playing in front of incarcerated men at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in San Quentin, California. Jelly Roll played live for the inmates there, and turned the performance into a music video for his new song “Hands Up.” He shared the news of the music video’s release – available on Spotify – with a teaser on social media. That snippet included the prayer he prayed before playing for those at San Quentin:
“Dear Heavenly Father God, thank you for this day Lord. Forgive us of our sins. Help us to forgive those who have sinned against us. Thank you for our daily bread. God, I just want us to live in this moment and think about the word ‘freedom.’ Freedom that we find with you, especially in these walls right here where freedom doesn’t feel very free. Father God, I pray for these men to find freedoms.
I pray that for the next 10 or 20 minutes that we’re standing on this stage God, however long we’re allowed to, that there is a sense of freedom. Freedom that can only be found with your peace of spirit. I pray that these men know that freedom can live inside of these walls, and they can start now, and carry that same freedom to the outside of these walls, Father God. Lord thank you for this opportunity. Thank you for these men, the time, the hours that have been put into this. Thank you for this opportunity. In the name of Jesus, we love you. Amen.”
Jelly Roll is always shining a light on God and the role that his Heavenly Father played in turning his life around. That prayer may have been exactly what one of the incarcerated men needed to hear on that day.
The video that the country singer shared also included captions overlaid on the video revealing that San Quentin has really invested in preparing inmates to reenter the outside world:
“For many incarcerated men, the journey towards freedom begins long before the prison gates ever open. San Quentin now offers college classes, career training, restorative justice, and reentry programs designed to prepare people for life beyond prison. San Quentin’s mission is no longer to hold people accountable. It is to prepare them to successfully return to their communities.”
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How cool is that?
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that San Quentin and country music have a bit of a history.
One of Johnny Cash’s most famous live albums was At San Quentin, which featured Cash stepping within the prison walls and playing for a raucous crowd of San Quentin State prisoners. The high energy levels throughout the recording made the project unique, and it undoubtedly helped At San Quentin stay at the top of the charts for 20 straight weeks after its release in June of 1969.
The live album went triple platinum and was recognized by the RIAA in 2003, and was also one of the most decorated projects of Cash’s country music career. At San Quentin was up for numerous Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year. It eventually brought home a Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance for what is considered the very first performance of “A Boy Named Sue.”
I’m sure Jelly Roll wouldn’t mind for his live recording at San Quentin to experience much of the same success, but at the end of the day, the formerly incarcerated artist was likely fulfilled just being able to bring some joy to the men currently being held at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
To find the music video on Spotify, premium subscribers can open the platform on TV, desktop, iOS and Android devices, select “Hands Up,” and then tap on “Switch to video.”
