Kehlani Returns To Her Mother’s Prison For New Healing Series

Kehlani revisited the prison where her mother was held in a new series that brings artists and incarcerated people together to talk about family, harm and healing.

The singer appears in the first episode of Live From The Hole, which premiered Monday, October 12, on Question Culture’s YouTube channel.

Filmed at the California Institution for Women, the episode brings Kehlani together with incarcerated women to discuss how prison affects people on both sides of its walls.

“There isn’t anything closer to home for me in many ways. The prison system orchestrated my life, and its impact on the world continues to shape me and everyone around. I want a free world full of second chances & safe long lives. We, The People, deserve,” Kehlani said.

Kehlani and manager David Ali serve as executive producers. The hosts, rapper James “JJ’88” Jacobs and producer richie reseda, were both once incarcerated.

They also helped make Songs From The Hole, the documentary and visual album that gives the new series its starting point.

That film grew out of music Jacobs wrote in prison, including songs written in solitary confinement.

He and reseda were already making the album when they asked director Contessa Gayles to help tell the larger story.

Gayles built the film around 10 songs, family interviews and conversations with Jacobs conducted through letters and 15-minute phone calls.

The documentary follows Jacobs taking responsibility for a killing he committed at 15 while his family grieves his brother’s death in a separate act of violence.

That focus on accountability and grief now carries into conversations with people still behind bars.

“Songs From The Hole is a tool for healing to make revenge a thing of the past, in the streets and the courts. We started making it in prison so, of course, we toured it in over 30 prisons. Live from the Hole is the natural next step so that our people can see and participate in the healing workshops we’ve been doing all over the country,” reseda said in the release.

The new series asks each guest to visit a prison connected to their own experience. Kehlani’s episode centers on motherhood, forgiveness and the damage that can pass through generations when a family member is locked up.

Gayles, who edits the new series, and reseda won this year’s documentary Emmy for art direction, set decoration and scenic design for Songs From The Hole. The original film is streaming on Netflix.

Reseda co-directed the premiere with formerly incarcerated filmmaker Antwan “Banks” Williams.

Question Culture plans more episodes with other artists, though the launch announcement did not name the next guest.