Where it all began, the Die Jim Crow EP. The first album release from FREER Records, then a one-album project called Die Jim Crow inspired by Michelle Alexander’s book The New Jim Crow and Pink Floyd’s concept album The Wall.

The DJC Band birthed with this six-song album recorded with incarcerated musicians at Warren Correctional Institution (Lebanon, OH) and with formerly incarcerated artists in Philadelphia and New York. The main artists were Mark Springer, Big Ant McKinney, C-Will, BL Shirelle, Apostle Heloise, and Carl Dukes. Additional instrumentation was provided by musicians in New Orleans LA, Boston MA, Los Angeles CA, and Brooklyn NY.

In this FREER Records era post-2023, The DJC Band has rebranded as a roaming collective made up of formerly and currently incarcerated musicians from across the country as well as contributing musicians who want to help out. Their music is revolutionary but not always in a political sense; The DJC Band focuses on telling people's stories, having real dialogue, and building community that over many years leads to a better world - both in prisons and beyond. They are genre-agnostic and ever-evolving and exploring, always looking to survive and thrive like an alien species on a new planet.

Look out for The DJC Band’s next offering in 2024 or 2025.