JT is the latest guest on the Spotify podcast “Abolition X,” which is hosted by Richie Resheda, Indigo Mateo, and Vic Mensa. During the episode, they touched on the #ProtectBlackWomen movement, and JT opened up to them about her time in prison, and the lessons she walked away with following the experience.
At the start of the interview, while speaking about her run-in with law enforcement earlier on in her life, JT spoke about an officer in her community she felt was purposely targeting her. That led to the discussion about how sometimes police officers’ motives may not always be for the best.
“When we call the police when we’re in trouble, they take so long to come to our house. Like if you’re house gets broken in, you call the police, the police not coming right away,” said JT. “You can’t really say they are protecting us because they come when we’re already dead, they come when our house already broken into. They coming to protect their-self, they not really coming to protect you.”
Back in 2018, JT turned herself in to serve a prison sentence for fraud. Her time in jail came as the City Girls‘ career began to skyrocket. Nonetheless, although the experience was hard, JT said that she did find some positives while serving her time. “I found a sense of sisterhood in prison,” she said. “I met so many girls who made me feel welcome, who made me feel at home. I made great friends in prison, to the point some days I didn’t feel like I was in prison.”
She also spoke about being depressed when she first began her prison sentence. The City Girls was gaining so much success at the time, and she had to temporarily pause things. “In the back of my mind, I was never really enjoying the moments. I was always depressed the whole time. I never been to prison and imagine somebody telling you when you walk in you can’t walk back out for two years,” she said.
When asked if her prison experience changed her music at all, JT said, “I feel like I got better. I’m not gonna lie. I feel like going to prison and coming out gave me more edge in my music when I rap and my voice.”
“Prison, it gave me the sense of like edge that I got, but it did put a lot of fear in me too. Like it put a lot of anxiety in me, it changed me completely,” she added.
JT also opened up about all of the support she received from others during her prison sentence, however, she says things did change once she was released.
“I think people are more in tune with people that’s down and out, than people that are up. They don’t know how to celebrate Black people when they are up. They only like more relatable to Black people when we are down, we are in f***ed up situations. Soon as you get your sense of confidence, your first check, your first money, your first smile, they like, ‘who the f**k you think you is?'”
Check out JT’s full interview below:
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TSR STAFF: Jade Ashley @Jade_Ashley94
