Zack Fox joined Give a Beat’s Prison Electronic Music Program (PEMP), bringing humanity, healing, and hope through music.
Earlier this month, multi-talented Zack Fox – best known for his work as a comedian, and actor on ABC’s Abbott Elementary, and also a DJ – stepped into a very different kind of classroom: one inside a California state prison. As a guest artist with Give a Beat’s Prison Electronic Music Program (PEMP), Fox offered more than just music lessons. He brought conversation, curiosity, and an authentic connection that reminded students of something often stripped away by incarceration: their humanity.
PEMP is a powerful initiative by the nonprofit Give a Beat, which reaches 240 incarcerated individuals each year across four California prisons. The program provides hands-on education in DJing, music production, and essential life and business skills. But beyond its practical offerings, PEMP offers something deeper – it nurtures creativity and community, helping participants not only reimagine their futures but also reclaim their sense of self-worth.
One student shared during the class’s closing circle: “I’m really thankful for this class. Just being able to see people from the outside is helpful in reminding me that I’m human. One thing I will take away is today when I wanted to give up, everyone encouraged me to try again. We all make mistakes, and we can go back and correct them.”
Reflecting on his experience, Fox emphasized the emotional and cultural power of music behind bars: “Helping folks in the thick of it all heal, even for a few hours, is a huge blessing… Black electronic music was birthed from that urge to resist oppression, be wildly imaginative, and build counter institutions.”
Zack also reminded us that “everybody deserves a space to express themselves musically,” highlighting the necessity of programs like PEMP that offer incarcerated people a creative outlet, as well as a path forward. “I think the universal thing that people should know about incarceration is that, at the end of the day, its main function is dehumanization,” Fox said. “And the universal thing you should know about people is that they have the potential to change and contribute incredible things to society.”
Founded with a mission to use music as a vehicle for social change, Give a Beat’s PEMP stands as a counterforce to decades of punitive criminal justice policy. By offering tools for creative expression and professional development, the program challenges the systemic roots of mass incarceration while investing in the untapped potential of its participants. With guest visits like Fox’s, the program does more than teach skills – it builds bridges between worlds that are too often kept apart. As Fox respectfully noted, “I’m grateful to be in the role of a teacher and also be taught. Honestly, I feel like I learned more today than I had to offer to the folks in here.”
Zack took to his Instagram to share a post following his guest visit, where he says:
“Gotta come on here real quick and show some love to @giveabeat for having me as a guest artist in their Prison Electronic Music Program.
A big part of why I love DJing is having space to collectively imagine a future that might not be visible but can be felt in temporary sonic sanctuaries. Black electronic music (and black music period) was birthed from that urge to resist oppression, be wildly imaginative, and build counter institutions. That idea of an imagined future, to me, doesn’t exist without struggle and confrontation with the US carceral system and all forms of dehumanization. Helping folks in the thick of it all heal, even for a few hours, is a huge blessing.
Sitting with these folks just to listen, instruct, and laugh was healing for me too (we listened to hella DJ Spinn, DJ Godfather, and of course Drakeo the Ruler 🕊️)
Thank you to my sister @herbalesseance for making it happen 🔮”
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