Residents and volunteers gathered on San Quentin’s Lower Yard to enjoy hip-hop music and messages of faith through lyrical performances as part of the Summer Blast Concert.
The August 12 show featured finalists from an earlier talent contest who performed mostly original songs on stage to a gathered crowd of hundreds.
Using poetic skills and lived-experience, incarcerated artists and outside rappers demonstrated their talents in a connecting and unifying way, with faith and fellowship.
The event was sponsored by the Prison Fellowship Academy, one of the largest nonprofits that serve the incarcerated community across the country. They have been spreading their message of hope in prisons for 47 years.
At San Quentin, Pastor Eric Nobles leads the fellowship academy for the community. He opened the concert by sharing a prayer with the crowd. He also thanked the administration — Warden Broomfield, Lt. Berry, and Lt. Gardea — for working together to help make the hip-hop concert a reality, which will hopefully be an annual event.
He spoke of how the concert was a way to uplift the incarcerated population and show love and faith in action. “People talk a good game, but we are here to show our care, love and connection because we are all made in the image of God,” Nobles said.
Hoping to inspire performers to use their platform for positive messages, Nobles proposed the idea of a “Summer Blast” rap concert to Dante D. Jones of SQNews and Rhashiyd Zinnamon of Ear Hustle — and they ran with it.
“I think it’s great that we’re having this event today, especially while the world is celebrating 50 years of hip-hop. The culture is alive and well,” Jones said.
Brian “Be the Truth” Harrison opened up the concert with an old school, hip-hop feel by performing his song “Make the Choice.”
With a commanding stage presence, SQ resident Maurice “Face The Nation” Buckley was one artist who pumped up the crowd with his high energy. He performed two Christian rap songs — “Bible” and “Crazy.” The crowd enjoyed his lyrics, especially the chorus when he sang, “I’d rather have a Bible than a gun in my hand.”
“God is always in my music, this gave me the opportunity to dedicate my craft to Christianity,” Buckley said.
Talent contestant Robert “Bobby-O” Ojeda said he loves music and has been chasing the dream since he was 18 years old. He is presently working on an album and was grateful for the chance to perform on stage. “My music is based on my life and is centered on Christ, who died for us,” Ojeda said.
However, the chance to perform on stage was nothing new for many of the artists. Jamal “Journal” Davis appreciated the opportunity to show the new him with his personalized song, “San Quentin Problems.”
“Sometimes it is just a matter of shaking off some cobwebs. I am bringing the new me to everybody. I can talk about what I want to talk about,” Davis said regarding how his rap is spiritually driven now.
The other incarcerated performers were “Famous Amos,” Steve “Tre” Wright, Michael Mackey, William “Divine Rival” Harrison, and a trio known as the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen — consisting of Rhashiyd Zinnamon, B. Raheem Ballard, and George “Mesro” Coles-El. Their lyrics carried a message of truth and passion.
Outside guests who came in with the Prison Fellowship Academy included some talented Christian rappers and hip-hop artists. Artists such as Mustafah the Hood Priest, Young Preach, Wild, and Uthanasia shared their music and positive vibes with the San Quentin community. With one accord, their message was that “God is good” and that by His grace you can make a change no matter where you are.
“I used to be lost without faith,” Mustafah said, reminding everyone how good God is after sharing his experience being in county jail fighting a serious case.
Facing a 25-year sentence, he said a group of people came into his jail preaching the Word. It was there that he told God if He let him go, he would always ride with Him.
“The people in here can make a change right where you are,” Mustafah said.
He shared how humbling the experience is to perform in prison, allowing him to pay his debt and give back. “It means [even] more to come into prison and perform. I am the fruit of giving back, and there is another me in here,” he said.
Praying for revival before entering The Q for the first time, Mandon “Wild” O’Neal shared how the Spirit does the talking when he steps on stage.
He declared that he is a “prisoner to the Lord only made alive in Christ.” O’Neal takes pride in using his talents for good. “It’s a blessing to take something God has given me and give it away,” he explained.
For O’Neal, music is the vehicle to take the gospel to the world. He said when his music really started to take root in the Word, it activated the Spirit. “It means a lot to bring the gospel, to preach Christ,” O’Neal said.
Leading up to the concert, Nobles, Jones, and Zinnamon used concepts from “America’s Got Talent” and “The Gong Show” to design a talent competition to select which residents would perform. Dozens of candidates competed in a series of elimination rounds for two months in the prison’s Garden Chapel. Pastor Nobles, Jones, and fellow peers judged each round of presentations.
“This is like in Genesis, the beginning of big things in the future,” said Nobles as he expressed his hope for more such concerts to come.
To start the competition, Nobles threw down a challenge for performers to change their lyrics and music to a “call of a higher anointing,” expressing themselves without any vulgar language.
In the first round, Jones played the role of the “Sandman”, eagerly waiting to hook somebody off the stage if the audience called for it.
In the final round of the competition, Mustafah blessed the community as a guest judge.
Lt. Berry attended the expressive hip-hop concert and shared that she believes in the power of music to inspire. She added that there are definitely more musical events to come in the future. “It is good to see how religious services tie into one’s incarceration,” Lt. Berry said.
Three years after retiring from CDCR, Ralph Diaz sits on the board of the Prison Fellowship Academy. He shared how there is more to be done with this rehabilitative model and that we need to bring the power of love. “It is love that sustains us,” Diaz said.
Some of the Prison Fellowship Academy personnel at the concert were visiting San Quentin for the first time. Nathan Hale, visiting from out of the state, was impressed with the rehabilitation going on within the prison as well as the musical talent on the stage and the positive vibes from residents.
“When somebody says it ‘doesn’t feel like prison,’ that’s God’s doing,” Hale said.
Luis “Young Priest” Caraballo of the academy had some memorable lyrics. “I had this greatness in me but my flesh was weak,” he rapped. His energy on stage was lively, and between songs the formerly incarcerated artist preached. “You don’t fight with these,” he said, holding up his fists. “You fight on these,” he said as he knelt on the stage.
