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.

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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 Re ... Show More

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 ... Show More

"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 again ... Show More

A conversation about hip-hop’s evolution in the country, and how a high-profile shooting thrust the music into the spotlight. Guests: Joe Coscarelli, Petter Hallen and Alex Marshall. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe ... Show More

That's right, Killer Mike and El-P talking about hip-hop, muscle cars, politics, albums, how they got together and get along...dive deep with these raconteurs! Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informat ... Show More

Pop Smoke, Lil Durk, Fivio Foreign and more have taken the sound that emerged in Chicago in different directions. What might come next? Guests: Joe Coscarelli and David Drake. Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via you ... Show More

In the wake of a meteorically high number of gun sales since the pandemic and civil unrest hit, hosts Dope KNife and Linqua Franqa are joined by rapper and activist Squalle to discuss Hip Hop gun culture, the linkages between Black gun ownership and gun control policy, and rewind ... Show More

Join Steve for the incredible inside story behind the song that launched hip hop on its course towards world domination. It's a tale tainted by scandal: accusations of organized crime, plagiarism and betrayal. And it's told by the artists who lived it: early South Bronx innovator ... Show More

Louder Than A Riot: Coming Thursday, Oct...