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Redemption Songs July 5
A Timely Remix of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ Out of a New York Prison
The Capitol riots angered Sing Sing’s Alfred Roberts. He responded with his version of what is widely known as the Black national anthem.
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Redemption Songs June 28
With ‘Live on Death Row,’ Rapper Rrome Alone Condemns the Death Penalty
“Every life hinges on poverty, gender and race,” he declares in the 2024 song, “and the pay of the attorney defending your case.”
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Redemption Songs June 21
Ear Hustle’s Antwan Banks Williams Goes Deep on ‘Like Father, Like Son’
Two years after the podcast’s co-creator’s dad died, he used hip-hop to celebrate their bond.
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Redemption Songs May 3
This Is the Sound of 1,300 People in Prison Singing Gospel Together
Kirk Franklin, Maverick City Music and a choir of 30 incarcerated men recorded one of the biggest prison concerts in Florida history.
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Redemption Songs April 26
Live From Tennessee State Prison, a Rollicking Version of a Country Gem
Sonny James’ 1977 cover of “In the Jailhouse Now” was part of an innovative collaboration with incarcerated musicians, stagehands and photographers.
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Redemption Songs April 12
The Bootlegging, Blues Singing Star of 1930s Prison Radio
Hattie Ellis was poised for post-prison fame. Then she encountered shotcallers who didn’t value her voice.
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Redemption Songs April 5
Police Used Mac Dre’s Music Against Him. In Jail, He Used the Phone to Get Revenge.
In his signature trickster style, the Vallejo, California, rapper recorded an album on jail phones — and even called out cops by name.
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Young Thug, a Black rapper wearing a white shirt and striped pants, holds a mic as he performs in a crowd during a concert.
Closing Argument March 28
His Rap Lyrics Helped Send Him to Death Row. Travis Scott and T.I. Are Trying to Stop His Execution.
The rappers argue that James Broadnax’s case exemplifies a larger problem in American courtrooms: The use of rap lyrics as evidence.
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Redemption Songs March 22
B. Alexis Is the First Woman to Drop an Album From Prison. But We Can’t Say Her Real Name.
She fearlessly raps about traumas like being trafficked at 13. But she’s so scared of institutional retaliation, she’s concealing her identity.
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Q&A June 16, 2025
Have We Been Wrong About ‘Psychopaths’?
In a new book, Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen questions how courts and prisons use psychopathy diagnoses — and whether they should at all.
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