Almost three months after rapper/producer John Forte was released from prison, the Brooklyn born musician is already trying to make an impact in the lives of local teenagers.
On March 31, Forte will serve as a teacher with the Arms Reach Program, a program created to improves the lives of at risk teens and children of incarcerated parents.
As part of the program, Forte will teach a 12-week music therapy course at the City College of New York to students ages 12 to 15. Forte’s music therapy course will teach students how to use music as a way to relieve stress, anger, and other negative emotions.
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“John hopes that the catharsis of song composition will help children deal with the stigma of having a family member who is incarcerated and rebuild the spirit of those who have been traumatized or abandoned,” a representative for JohnForte told AllHipHop.com.
Several years ago Forte was arrested in a New Jersey airport after he was caught traveling with over a million dollars worth of liquid cocaine. He was then charged with possession charges and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Forte was eventually pardoned by President George W. Bush on November 24, 2008 [click to read] and was released from prison in December.
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Most recently, Forte released his version of Kanye West’s “Homecoming” [click to listen] featuring himself and Talib Kweli. On the song, Forte briefly mentions his time in jail.
