Just weeks after his release from a halfway house in South Jersey after being paroled in October 2022, dancehall artiste Flippa Mafia headed back into the studio to share his incarceration experience on record.

The result is the song Thinking for a Change, which he recorded for Natural Bond Entertainment. It is featured on The Redemption Rhythm.

Released in August, Thinking for a Change was inspired by the deejay’s life experience.

“I decided to record the song because it hurts to hear the negativity that people have been saying about me, and I know in my heart that what they are saying is not true,” said Flippa Mafia in an interview with the Jamaica Observer.

The 44-year-old Flippa, whose given name is Andrew Davis, was found guilty of first-degree distribution of cocaine, second-degree money laundering, and second-degree conspiracy in the Camden Superior Court in New Jersey, after a three-year trial. He was also ordered to pay a US$250,000 anti-money laundering profiteering penalty and was sentenced to 25 years in prison in June 2016.

According to Flippa, a few people were supportive of him during his incarceration.

“My family and about five real girls that I know from high school and probably the same number of guys and it’s sad but not surprising,” he said.

He added that not being able to be there for his family was painful for him.

“I wasn’t there for my children’s graduation and to see them off to college as well as my younger kids’ birthdays and special holidays. Also, not being able to be there for my mother while she was going through her medical issues,” Flippa reasoned.

Flippa spoke about benefiting from the rehabilitation process.

“It helped me a lot. It made me see that the world doesn’t revolve around me. People are going to live their lives with or without you and it taught me patience, made me humbler and I definitely matured.”

Flippa spoke about working with Natural Bond Entertainment on the song.

“It was a great experience. It was special because he heard about my story and he knew of similar stories and they all related to my pain,” said Flippa.

The official video for Thinking for a Change will be released this Friday.