How This Grammy-Nominated Producer Sparked Prison Reform With A Mixtape
By Andrea Bossi
When the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic in March, the world went into frenzies and lockdowns. Meanwhile, COVID-19 began to ravage through California’s San Quentin State Prison. Then in May, San Quentin Mixtapes, Vol. 1 dropped: a 17-track album that was written, recorded and produced within the prison’s walls.
David Jassy is at the heart of the Youthful Offender Program Mixtape Project. In 2010, the Grammy-nominated producer was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced 15 years to life. Throughout transfers between prisons, Jassy kept music with him as much as he could. Once he got his hands on a keyboard in San Quentin, he started making beats. His music was contagious there.