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Jail Time Records: The Record Label Straight Outta Prison

Jail Time Records. Image Courtesy of Jail Time Records

In a world where the walls of prison often silence the voices of the incarcerated, one non-profit music label is breaking barriers while amplifying the sounds of hope and resilience.

Jail Time Records was born as the result of a music project started in 2018 by music producer, and ex-prisoner Steve Happi, and Dione Roach inside of Cameroon’s toughest prison, the Central Prison of New Bell, in Douala.

Getting the project of Jail House Records off the ground has given the Founders Steve Happi and Dione Roach a myriad of challenges, from navigating strict regulations, to securing resources, all in an effort to create the first permanent recording studio, inside of an African prison.

The unique story behind Jail Time Records

Since its inception, Jail Time Records has slowly been helping to change society’s perception of imprisonment, while offering support to ex-inmates, and their families through societal reintegration. The label brings together musicians, producers and film makers from inside and outside of the prison, who come together to produce the music, visuals, and stories of a marginalized group of people.  

The Founders

Steve Happi aka Vidou H (Co-Founder)

Vidou H Image Courtesy Of Jail Time

Steve Happi and Dione Roach first met during Happi’s time inside the notorious prison for a crime he had been falsely accused of committing. However, rather than sitting in sorrow and self-loathing Happi fought his case and doubled down on the skills he learned outside of jail: music production. With no professional equipment, or rather, no equipment at all, he created musical acapella and used the vocal talents of those that he shared the prison walls with. All that was needed was one particular person, Dione.

Enter Dione Roach (Co- Founder/ Director)

Dione Roach Image Courtesy Of Jail Time

Dione is a visual artist from Italy, and director of Jail Time Records. At the time of meeting Happi, Dione was on a on a year-long volunteer programmer, where she’d been delivering creative workshops in 2017 within the prison, in a bid to help bring a change in mindset, and skills of the incarnated.

The talents and the music were already there, all that was needed is channel to express themselves. Teaming up with Happi, they got the go ahead for the first album production, then the more permanent in jail studio in 2018. With the success of the project, they eventually opened up their second studio in December of 2021, outside of the prison in the Deido district of Douala.

The Raw Energy of Jail Time Records

Hundreds of artists have passed through the studio, more than 500 songs have been produced, covering multiple genres, and at least twenty music videos have been shot inside the prison walls.  

Listening to the music and watching the music videos produced by Jail Times Records makes you want to get up and move your ass. In particular Jail Time * Empereur – SA NGANDO (Above) captures the raw and frantic energy you would expect from inmates who have suppressed their talents.

Empereur is a work of art which is a criminally underrated track that delivers an eerie calm but sense of urgency through the high intense release of energy that speaks its own language. Jail Time Records is not just changing lives – it’s redefining the role of art in rehabilitation.  

Future projects and goals for Jail Time Records

As Jail Time Records continues to grow, they now have the ability to scout and promote talent from all over Africa. Continuing to help in social reintegration and to give a voice to a part of society that is highly unrepresented. For these artists undergoing the hellish reality of Cameroon’s jail, music has become the reason to continue fighting and believing in a second chance in life.

Jail Time Records Socials

Written by Ian Hinksman

Ian Hinksman is the Director and Co-Founder of Underground Sound. He leads the organization with over a decade of experience in the music and events industries.

Ian was the Co-Founder of Alternative Obsessions, an event promotion that brought alternative bands to Malta running guerrilla marketing campaigns.

He has managed projects in the media, marketing and real estate sectors and is well-versed in SEO content strategy.

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