Louder Than A Riot

Introducing: Louder Than A Riot

From NPR Music, Louder Than A Riot traces the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. Hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden investigate the criminal justice system through the experiences of rap artists. Episodes available starting Thursday, October 8.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Louder Than A Riot: Coming Thursday, October 8

Bobby Shmurda. Nipsey Hussle. Mac Phipps. DJ Drama. What happens when hip-hop stars come into contact with the criminal justice system? In Louder Than A Riot, a new podcast from NPR Music, hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden explore the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration through the stories of artists at the center.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Conspiracy Against Hip-Hop

In this first episode, a mysterious conspiracy letter sends us on a journey to find out just how entangled hip-hop and mass incarceration have become over the last 40 years. We travel back in time to 1980s Atlanta with Killer Mike, 1990s Oakland with Too Short and beyond. From Reagan's war on drugs to a secret NYPD dossier of the world's biggest rappers, it's all connected — and, as Killer Mike says, "The proof's in the pudding."Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Camouflage Assassin: Mac Phipps (Pt 1)

When New Orleans rap phenom Mac Phipps signed with Master P's No Limit Records, he knew his dream of hip-hop stardom was within reach. But in February 2000, Mac was accused of murder and the dream became a nightmare. Over the next three episodes, we investigate this story of race, corruption and rap lyrics on trial.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Lyrics On Trial: Mac Phipps (Pt 2)

"A bullet in your brain." What right does the justice system have to decide whether a rapper's words are imagination or intent to kill? In this continuation of Mac Phipps' story, police pressure witnesses, while prosecutors use the artist's own lyrics to build a murder case against him. And Mac isn't the first: From a century-old folk tune to Ice-T's "Cop Killer," we examine the history of policing Black creativity to reveal a phenomenon that's become common practice in courtrooms — using lyrics as Exhibit A.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy