NPR Released An Explicit Podcast On Hip-Hop And Prison, Here's Why It Matters
The first thing listeners hear, after the sponsorship message, is a warning: "This podcast is explicit in every way."
Louder Than A Riot, a limited series podcast released this fall, does not have that classic "NPR sound." Set to the soundtrack of the men and women wrapped up in the story, this narrative gives voice to decades of hip-hop and rap artists targeted by a criminal system that metes out injustice. Hosted by NPR Music's hip-hop staff writer Rodney Carmichael and NPR Music reporter/editor Sidney Madden, the series takes listeners on the interconnected rise of mass incarceration in the United States and hip-hop, the country's most popular music genre.
With help from historians, scholars and the musicians at the center of the story, Carmichael and Madden (and company) present a tapestry of reporting, research and cultural criticism. There are still a few episodes left in the pipeline, with the limited series wrapping up on Dec. 17.
It's a triumph that was several years in the making. NPR has publicly declared its goal of expanding its audience to more closely match the diversity of the American public. To successfully achieve this, the network has dedicated itself to recruiting a diverse workforce
