To Fund Jail Reform, Artists Heno and Andre Oshea Turned to NFTs
America is residence to lower than 5 p.c of the world’s inhabitants, however homes practically 25 p.c of the world’s whole jail inhabitants. Likelihood is you’ve encountered this surprising statistic in some type throughout the previous decade. Dictated most notably by Hillary Clinton throughout a speech on felony justice in 2015, this unlucky reality has since been verified by students and information shops with the status of The Washington Put up.
But, whereas these figures, by some estimates, have dropped to roughly 4 and 16 p.c inside the previous few years, respectively, recidivism charges have continued to create a dismal outlook for america Authorized System. In actual fact, in 2021, the U.S. had one of many highest recidivism charges on this planet, which means roughly 76 p.c of the nation’s prisoners are rearrested inside 5 years after launch, based on a report from Harvard Politics Evaluate.
After all, no single effort goes to alter the U.S. Authorized System in a single day. After years of motion, even probably the most outstanding endeavors combating to finish mass incarceration have discovered it tough to enact actual change. However that hasn’t stopped musician and crypto-artist Heno from making an attempt. In collaboration with outstanding artist and NFT group member Andre Oshea, Heno has taken up the duty of funding jail reform efforts through NFTs and Web3 expertise.
Right here’s how he’s doing it.
‘In The Meantime’
In Heno’s newest NFT undertaking, titled “In The Meantime,” he and Oshea are collaborating on the discharge of 111 editions of 3D animations, every paired with certainly one of 4 songs from Heno’s forthcoming EP of the identical identify. Set to drop on November 1 at 3:00 p.m. ET through Sound.xyz, the gathering will mark the beginning of a a lot greater endeavor from the Web3 artist.
“This EP is a few issues. It’s the beginning of this automobile that results in the album that I’m placing out subsequent 12 months. It’s additionally the beginning of me actually establishing and exhibiting this visible cinematic world that I’ve been constructing towards for some time,” Heno stated in an interview with nft now. “The discharge of this EP can also be going to be the beginning of a restorative justice initiative that I’m bringing to Web3.”
Other than rising his catalog and leaving a mark on the Web3 music area, Heno hopes that along with his new Restorative Justice Initiative, he will help support within the battle for jail reform. Instantly, 50 p.c of the proceeds from Heno and Oshea’s “In The Meantime” sale will go in direction of the Restorative Justice Initiative, with Heno additionally pledging 5 p.c of all of his 2023 Web3 major gross sales to organizations, together with The Bail Challenge, Maryland Alliance for Justice Reform, Baltimore Motion Authorized Group, and others that fight recidivism charges and support with bail help for non-violent crimes.
To Heno and Oshea, this mission will improve the philanthropic sector of the NFT area — which has remained involved with ventures like funding Ukraine’s battle aid efforts, the battle for reproductive rights, and extra. However the two additionally imbue the undertaking with private significance.
The mission behind the music
“I’m from Takoma Park, Maryland, an space that, on the time of my rising up, had one of many highest ranges of incarceration within the state for younger black males ages 18 to 25. Whereas this was very normalized for me, it was not the case elsewhere,” Heno stated. “It took touring and a distinct perspective to study that there are actual points needing to be tackled again residence for me. People who find themselves incarcerated or previously incarcerated… Folks with information have an incapability to seek out work with the intention to lead first rate lives.”
There’s a lot to be stated in regards to the bountiful moral and organizational points that persist throughout the U.S. Authorized System. However as an alternative of merely quoting percentages and different figures typically deployed to speak a necessity for change on the judicial stage, Heno and Oshea hope to speak the humanitarian facet of jail reform, providing perception into the individuals behind the statistics.
“After we take into consideration jail reform, an vital factor that we have to understand is that we have to humanize individuals,” Oshea added. “Persons are people, they’re not numbers, proper? I feel that a part of what [In The Meantime] does, the visuals, particularly, is it nearly humanizes the 3D objects featured within the undertaking.”
Oshea went on to notice that, with the visuals he created for “In The Meantime,” he hopes to coerce collectors into inspecting everything of the digital objects offered in tandem with Heno’s music “I feel that that’s a really strong through-line,” Oshea stated on the importance of the visuals to talk to his and Heno’s motivation behind the undertaking. “In relation to jail reform, justice reform: taking one thing that we’re used to , like an object, and humanizing it, offers it a bit extra weight. It permits us to see it from all angles.”
2. Discover artist(s) that align with these causes
Andre Oshea & I created 111 editions of 3D Artwork paired with 4 songs from my upcoming EP, “In The Meantime”. pic.twitter.com/fFPaDkrrx0
— HENO. (@mynameisheno) October 26, 2022
Along with the Sound.xyz NFT drop, Heno and Oshea will even launch a three-part quick movie to coincide with the musical expertise created by means of “In The Meantime.” However as beforehand talked about, this collaborative enterprise is simply the start of the social impression the 2 artists hope to make in Web3.
“In case you break down the manufacturing, the lyrics, the quick movie, I feel loads of our objectives might be evidently clear,” Oshea stated. “With that being stated, I feel with this undertaking, our job proper now could be to put the breadcrumbs and to kind of lead individuals right into a world the place we’re going to be just a little bit extra critical and on the nostril in regards to the intention behind loads of the work.”
“People who find themselves focused on one of these work, and are focused on utilizing their music to do one thing greater than to simply put it out music – I need them to see that it’s doable,” Heno added. “There are such a lot of instructions that we will go to make use of our music to make an impression.”
To study extra about “In The Meantime” and what Heno’s Restorative Justice Initiative would possibly add to the sector of Web3 philanthropy, go to his official website main as much as the drop.
