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Louder Than A Riot Stories of rhyme and punishment that illuminate the long, interconnected rise of two American institutions: hip-hop and mass incarceration.

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Rhyme and Punishment In America
21 Years and 1 Day: Mac Phipps (Exclusive)

Mac Phipps Dale Edwin Murray for NPR hide caption

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Dale Edwin Murray for NPR

Louder Than A Riot

21 Years and 1 Day: Mac Phipps (Exclusive)

After 21 years in prison, Mac Phipps has been recommended for clemency, which could mean early release. As we reported in our first season, Mac was convicted in 2001 of manslaughter, for a crime he has always said he did not commit. Now, we follow the former No Limit rapper as he navigates the clemency process — and for the first time, we get to talk with Mac himself. What does justice mean after he's spent half his life in prison? And does he plan to ever return to the stage?

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Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

McKinley "Mac" Phipps at Lousiana's Elayn Hunt Correctional Center in 2011. Courtesy of the Phipps family hide caption

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Courtesy of the Phipps family

Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

In 2001, a rising No Limit Records artist was sentenced to 30 years for a crime he maintains he didn't commit. The hosts of Louder Than A Riot explain how a new development could spell early release.

Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

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Bobby Shmurda Is Coming Home. What Happens Next?

Bobby Shmurda at Brooklyn's Barclays Center on Oct. 30, 2014. Taylor Hill/Getty Images hide caption

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Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Bobby Shmurda Is Coming Home. What Happens Next?

The rapper who ignited Brooklyn with his 2014 viral hit "Hot Boy" is set to be released from prison Tuesday. Louder Than A Riot hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden say some big questions remain.

Bobby Shmurda Is Coming Home. What Happens Next?

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'I Want Us To Dream A Little Bigger': Noname And Mariame Kaba On Art And Abolition

Rapper Noname and activist and organizer Mariame Kaba joined Louder Than A Riot to discuss hip-hop's role in a prison-free future. Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images and Giancarlo Valentine hide caption

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Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP via Getty Images and Giancarlo Valentine

'I Want Us To Dream A Little Bigger': Noname And Mariame Kaba On Art And Abolition

What role can hip-hop play in reforming — or entirely dismantling — mass incarceration? Rapper Noname and activist Mariame Kaba joined Louder Than A Riot to discuss making revolution irresistible.

Making Revolution Irresistible

Noname. Dale Edwin Murray for NPR hide caption

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Making Revolution Irresistible

Yo Gotti grew up in Memphis just across the state line from Mississippi State Penitentiary (aka Parchman) — so this year, when he learned about the squalor its inmates were living in, he wanted to help. Gotti enlisted Jay-Z and Roc Nation to sue the department of corrections for human rights violations. In our finale episode, we ask how much celebrity activism really helps the prison reform movement, and sit down with rapper Noname and organizer Mariame Kaba to consider the alternate solutions proposed by prison abolition.

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Caught In The System

Nipsey Hussle is part of a mural painted by Moses Ball featuring other local notable people on the wall of a bank in the rapper's Hyde Park neighborhood. In the wake of Hussle's March 2019 death, many murals of the beloved Los Angeles musician were painted in the Hyde Park neighborhood near his Marathon Clothing store. Tara Pixley for NPR hide caption

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Tara Pixley for NPR

Caught In The System

When rapper Nipsey Hussle was killed in 2019, he was known as an advocate for the people in the neighborhood where he grew up and made his name. But the LAPD couldn't let his gang affiliation go.

Captured By The Game: Nipsey Hussle

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Louder Than A Riot

Captured By The Game: Nipsey Hussle

After LA rapper Nipsey Hussle was murdered in 2019, city officials praised him for his community advocacy. But NPR has learned that behind the scenes, some law enforcement officers branded Nipsey as a gang member, and that label meant another man from Nipsey's neighborhood would be sent to jail — just for interacting with him. So why did California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation lie to us about it? And what does that say about the impact of law enforcement categorizing thousands of Black and brown men as potential criminals?

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'Prison To Prison Pipeline': Isis Tha Saviour

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'Prison To Prison Pipeline': Isis Tha Saviour

Hip-hop loves a hero's come-up, but the culture often has a hard time seeing women as heroes. Two years ago, when Louder Than A Riot editor Chiquita Paschal discovered she had a sister — who rapped — she quickly saw how that double standard can take shape. Chiquita's sister is Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter, aka Philly rapper Isis Tha Saviour. In this episode, Chiquita takes us on Mary's hero's journey — from her time as a ward of the state to finding her voice in rap. And together, they delve into incarceration's ripple effects on families like theirs, and how hip-hop can help transform trauma into freedom.

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The True Cost Of Bobby Shmurda's Rise, Fall And Coming Return

Bobby Shmurda at BET's year-end special 106 & Party on Dec. 12, 2014 in New York City. Just days later, the rapper and his entourage would be arrested in an NYPD raid. Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET hide caption

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Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for BET

The True Cost Of Bobby Shmurda's Rise, Fall And Coming Return

In 2014, Bobby Shmurda aimed for a rap career and landed in prison. As the end of his sentence approaches, so do new questions about what happened, and who else paid a price.

My Brother's Keeper: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 3)

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Louder Than A Riot

My Brother's Keeper: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 3)

Six years after his arrest, Bobby Shmurda's fans are still anxiously awaiting his return. The rapper ultimately stayed loyal to his crew in court, but the chokehold of conspiracy law also left him with few other options. In our final chapter of Bobby's story, we follow his legal drama: cycling through defense lawyers, being strong-armed by prosecutors and making last-ditch outbursts in court. Finally, we sit down with Bobby in prison as he looks to his future on the other side of his cell.

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'Stay In The House': Bobby Shmurda (Pt 2)

The corner of East 96th Street and Church Avenue in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, N.Y. Dale Edwin Murray for NPR hide caption

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Louder Than A Riot

'Stay In The House': Bobby Shmurda (Pt 2)

Two young men grow up just blocks apart, each with aspirations to make it big. But while Bobby Shmurda sees his dreams come true, Bryan Antoine is killed by members of Bobby's crew. This is the story that lingers between the lyrics of Bobby's viral hit, "Hot N****." We talk to the family grieving Bryan's loss and review hours of incriminating GS9 phone calls. How does the true story behind the song complicate stereotypes about gang affiliation? And what does the pursuit of justice mean in a neighborhood where labels like "victim" and "perpetrator" can be interchangeable?

'Stay In The House': Bobby Shmurda (Pt 2)

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The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

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The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

Just like his legendary disappearing hat, Brooklyn rapper Bobby Shmurda's career was on the rise in 2014. But so was the evidence in a murder case against his crew, GS9. In the first of three episodes exploring Bobby's story, we look at his come-up through the eyes of former Epic Records exec Sha Money XL, who guided Bobby on his tightrope walk from the streets to superstardom. What happens when the industry capitalizes on a criminal persona? And do record execs have the juice to back Bobby up when things get too hot?

The Badder, The Better: Bobby Shmurda (Pt 1)

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The Day The Mixtape Died: DJ Drama

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The Day The Mixtape Died: DJ Drama

In the early 2000s, mixtapes transformed Tyree Simmons into DJ Drama and molded T.I., Lil Wayne and Jeezy into rap superstars. But in 2007, those same mixtapes landed Drama in jail with a bank account balance of $0.00. In this episode, we break down the raid that turned the mixtape from cultural innovation into criminal conspiracy, from the perspective of the man who took the fall when the cops came knocking. "If they can lock up Drama, nobody's safe. It's over."

The Day The Mixtape Died: DJ Drama

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Mac Phipps, Lyrics On Trial And A Legacy Of Injustice In Louisiana

Before he was a teenager, Mac Phipps already had a record deal. By the time he was 20 he was signed to No Limit Records, the biggest independent label in the country. At 24, he was convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to 30 years in prison following the shooting death of a man at one of his concerts, a crime of which he maintains he did not commit. Sheila Phipps hide caption

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Sheila Phipps

Mac Phipps, Lyrics On Trial And A Legacy Of Injustice In Louisiana

Mac Phipps was a rising star of New Orleans rap when he was convicted of a killing he insists he did not commit. Two decades later, he is still fighting for his freedom and his art.

Outsmarting The Devil: Mac Phipps (Pt 3)

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Louder Than A Riot

Outsmarting The Devil: Mac Phipps (Pt 3)

Exploitation of prisoners. Sexual assault allegations. A Supreme Court ruling that could hold the keys to freedom. In the third and final installment of Mac's story, we follow the ripples of Mac's case two decades after the verdict was handed down. What do the roadblocks in Mac's fight for exoneration say about liberty and justice for all? And how does his imprisonment affect the loved ones he's left behind?

Lyrics On Trial: Mac Phipps (Pt 2)

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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.

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The Camouflage Assassin: Mac Phipps (Pt 1)

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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.

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