Over the past few years, Jay Z has been vocal about sounding the alarm regarding many social issues throughout our communities; he has especially been passionate about mass incarceration and the number of black men behind bars. From his production of the tragic documentary on Kalief Browder, to his Op-Ed piece for the NY Times, “Why The War On Drugs Was An Epic Fail“, where Jay Z shares with us the history of the drug war and asks many important questions on the reasons why this “war” was an epic fail; Jay has managed being a mogul and an activist for good, while still giving the culture great music.
“Why are white men poised to get rich doing the same thing African-Americans have been going to prison for?”-Jay Z: The War on Drugs Is An Epic Fail
Jay and Bey have taken an open stance on mass incarceration and you can frequently catch them both yelling things like “Free Meek” in songs like Khalid’s latest collaboration, “Top Off”.
Once again, Jay is putting his money where is mouth is. Jay’s label, Roc Nation has invested in technology that has been built to fight the mass incarceration problem. On March 19, Roc Nation announced its plans to back an upcoming app called Promise. The Promise App can be used with any smart-phone device and will be used with both government agencies and inmates. The promise program and app is designed to assist inmates who cannot afford to defend themselves on court.
“We are increasingly alarmed by the injustice in our criminal justice system. Money, time and lives are wasted with the current policies. It’s time for an innovative and progressive technology that offers sustainable solutions to tough problems. Promise’s team is building an app that can help provide ‘liberty and justice for all’ to millions.” – Jay Z
The decarceration app does not have an official release date, but the creators of the app, Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Diana Frappier, will premier the app today (March 20) at Y Combinator Demo Day. You can learn more about Promise at their website.
Syllabus Magazine, the Carolina’s source for Music, Culture and Fashion
