Search About Newsletters Donate

Music

A Black man wearing a green shirt and pants against a blue background sits with a notebook in his hand. Behind him, from left to right, a man in orange wears blue headphones covers his face, a woman with blonde hair sings, and a person in olive green plays the violin. There is also a gray Walkman with orange headphones on the left and an orange keyboard on the right.
Life Inside April 18
How I Became an Opera Composer in a Maximum Security Prison
I learned music theory through workshops at New York’s Sing Sing prison. I earned my stripes by singing for boisterous crowds of incarcerated critics.
By Joseph Wilson
A White woman with brown hair and blond highlights leans against a wall, while her daughter, a White woman with glasses and long, brown-blond hair, leans into her.
Inside Story November 7, 2024
Inside Story Meets Woman Jailed for Pregnancy Loss After She’s Released
Veteran rapper Styles P talks about the criminalization of rap lyrics, and we revisit the story of a woman who was imprisoned after the stillbirth of her child.
By and
An illustration shows a bearded Black man, wearing a kufi cap and red prison uniform, holding up a phone to his ear. While on the phone, he writes lyrics onto a notebook.
Life Inside May 31, 2024
I Recorded a Whole Hip-Hop Album on a Death Row Telephone
In this new book excerpt, incarcerated rapper Alim “RRome Alone” Braxton describes his early attempts to record vocals over a phone in the dayroom.
By Alim Braxton and Mark Katz
A musical band of Black men are playing instruments, such as a saxophone, guitar, piano, bass guitar and drums. They play behind bars in a room.
Closing Argument November 4, 2023
The Prison Soul Band That Opened for Stevie Wonder
The band The Power of Attorney flourished when more Americans saw incarcerated people as more than their crimes.
By
A collage illustration shows a vinyl record at the center of the frame with various cutouts of black-and-white images overtop. On the left edge of the vinyl record, the 1950s musical group The Prisonaires is singing over a microphone. Toward the center, a group of musicians called The Outlaws poses with instruments in a yard. On the right side of the vinyl record, a man with a goatee listens to music through a pair of headphones. His eyes are closed. A soundwave connects all of these collaged photographs. Splashes of teal and purple paint lay beneath all these elements.
Looking Back August 3, 2023
Redemption Songs: The Forgotten History of American Prison Music
From blues to gospel, country to rap, people have been making music behind bars for decades. Here’s why we should all tune in.
By
Jason Naradzay, far left, plays violin as part of the Riverside Quartet at Sing Sing Correctional Facility.
Life Inside July 5, 2018
Learning Violin Helped Me Survive Prison
How one former inmate found healing—and himself—through music.
By Jason Naradzay
This image featuring Benny Medina (drums) appears on the back of the 1972 album “Behind the Walls.” Music featured on the record was written and performed by inmates housed for a system-wide contest organized by the Texas Department of Corrections.
Looking Back May 30, 2016
The Real Fresh Prince of Bel-Air Had a Father in Prison
And he played drums in a prison band.
By
The Frame May 16, 2016
A Peek at the Golden Age of Prison Radio
A new book explores a time when Texas prisons promoted rehabilitation through a wildly successful radio show.
By
Six years after being paroled for murders he committed in 1976, Rick Stevens will return to prison, this time as a performer.
Q&A May 11, 2016
Tower of Power Star to Funkifize a California Prison
Rick Stevens on his three decades locked up and his return to performing.
By
Feature February 12, 2016
Kendrick Lamar, the Grammys and the Year in Socially Conscious Music
Black Lives Matter took center stage in 2015’s hip-hop and R&B.
By and
About
People
Jobs
Sitemap
Funders