Da Brat, Mos Def And Mc Lyte Team Up For Prison Flick

Rapper Da Brat has teamed up with fellow hip-hop stars MC Lyte and Mos Def to make a film which they believe will expose the painful truth of prison life.

The stars shot Civil Brand on location at America's TENNESSEE STATE PENITENTIARY and, after long delays, the flick has just been put on limited release in America.

Da Brat, real name SHAWNTAE HARRIS, says, "I thought it'd be a good thing to let the world see just a pinch of what's really going on. Prisons are big business, which I hadn't realised.

"A lot of these name brand labels that we wear - they're using prison labour and exploiting prisoners, who live in harsh conditions. People need to know about this kind of sweat-shop labour, so they can decide what to spend their money on.

"And a lot of people were scared of the political aspects of this movie. I think that's probably why it took so long to comes out - I mean, we shot the movie over three years ago."