How JJ’88 Redeemed Himself By Making Rap Music In Prison

In late October 2024, JJ’88 delivered an intimate live show in Los Angeles after serving 16 years in prison. The Long Beach-born rapper (whose real name is James Jacobs) had the audience’s full attention with a raw, emotional performance that found him lyrically channeling his painful past into his music.

“Probably since I was a kid, I’ve always envisioned myself performing with a live band,” he told HipHopDX after the intimate concert. “I always knew I wanted to do something in music, I just didn’t always know that it was possible.

“But once I was inside and deciding who I wanted to be and what I wanted to do in my life, I took it serious and then I started to envision this night. I would just sit on my bunk at night and just think about what this show would look like, what it would feel like.”

In 2004, at the tender age of 15, JJ’88 made an unthinkable decision to take another human being’s life. Authorities say he fatally shot an older teen at a party in Bellfower, California, for which he was arrested shortly after. He then 16 years in the California State Prison on a 40-years-to-life sentence. This is something ‘88 doesn’t shy away from and continues to take accountability for.

“I’m honest in my life. I’m honest about taking the life of a young man when I was 15. I’m honest about the pain that I caused his family and my community,” he said remorsefully.

Using music as an outlet to cope, ’88 constructed Songs from the Hole, an album and accompanying documentary with former inmate Richie Reseda, who has also turned his life around to become a music producer and creative director.

“I didn’t start taking myself serious as an artist, probably until 25,” JJ explained of his journey to music.

As he stood on stage next to a replica of his cell bunk, JJ performed the album cut “Letter to the Homies” and expressed how he’s “Most Haunted” by his “Betrayal” to his own kind.

He even admits in the documentary that he was so “overwhelmed” by killing another human being that he contemplated taking his own life while confined to his “steel grave.”

Asked about the process of making music in prison, JJ’88 told DX: “I kind of just let the inspiration lead me. It wasn’t like I wrote everyday, unless I was inspired to do so. Usually, I would link with some of the other rappers on the yard. We would chop it up and just kinda feed off each other.”

JJ’88 is a rapper from Long Beach. After growing up making music, when he was 15 years old, he took a young man’s life and served 16 years in prison.

His goal is to urge young men to think twice about their actions and to understand the true consequences that come with gun… pic.twitter.com/rQrt6NVJzy

— HipHopDX (@HipHopDX) January 7, 2025

He also addressed whether his lengthy prison sentence was karma for what happened on that fateful night 20 years ago, saying: “The only way I’ve been able to make sense of it is through the concept of healing. Finding a way to heal the trauma that I’ve endured, finding a way to heal from the trauma and harm that I’ve caused is just a part of my life.”

‘88 credits his healing to his music and holds all of his songs dear to his heart, which means picking a favorite track from his album is an impossible task.

“These are all my babies, these are all my kids,” he said. “Because I’ve been sitting with these songs for the better part of 10 years. When you sit in a cell for 10 years with a work of art, [you] can’t even separate them.”

JJ’88’s album is scheduled for release sometime in 2025 and his documentary is currently being circulated through film festivals.

While writing this story, we recognize that many lives were irreversibly impacted. This is not a glorification of crime or violence, but rather a narrative centered around accountability, rehabilitation and redemption. It’s a story of facing the reality of one’s actions and making a conscious decision to change for the better.

JJ’88’s path reminds us that while the past cannot be undone, the future holds the possibility of healing and transformation. Although he’s no longer physically locked in a cell, it’s something his mind can’t escape. But through the power of music, he hopes to gain some sense of peace from within.

Many hands, seen and unseen, helped guide him to this moment. He doesn’t want their contributions to go unrecognized, and he remains deeply thankful for everyone who played a part in bringing him this far.

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