John Forte Talks About Life Behind Bars

Producer/rapper John Forte wrote about his time in prison via a blog entry on a news website. The musician was pardoned by former President Bush last year. Forte served seven of a 14 year prison sentence for drug possession and was released in December.

"A little more than 200 men on each side -- wall-to-wall bunk beds for as far as the eye could see. At 6:30 every morning, the officer on duty turned on the overhead lights," he wrote as he discussed his time behind bars. Forte also went on to describe the day of his release.

"One by one, my old friends stopped by the bunk to wish me well and send me on my way. We hugged and exchanged quick anecdotes. The emotion was familiar to me, having said goodbye to hundreds of guys over the years. That morning, however, it was my turn to be the one walking out the door, all the while knowing that as happy as so many were for me they also wanted to be in my shoes -- those flimsy blue bus shoes."

Singer and friend Carly Simon and Senator Orrin Hatch's relentless lobbying against Forte's imprisonment is what caught the attention of President Bush. "Now is the perfect opportunity for John to be given the chance to provide positive benefits to society through his considerable musical talents," Hatch wrote in a letter to the president in 2007. Before the end of his eight year term, former President Bush pardoned a total of 14 inmates in 2008.

In 2000, Forte was apprehended in a New Jersey airport carrying two briefcases holding $1.4 million worth of cocaine. He has publicly stated that he hopes to use his time behind bars to teach young people of the dangers of going in the wrong direction.

Forte has also released a new song titled 'Life Has Just Begun' along with an accompanying video.