Show Notes
From NPR Music, Louder Than A Riot traces the interconnected rise of hip-hop and mass incarceration. Hosts Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden investigate the criminal justice system through the experiences of rap artists. Episodes available starting Thursday, October 8.
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More from Louder Than A Riot
In the summer of 2020, sixteen-year-old Antonio Mays Jr. traveled a thousand miles to join the racial justice movement of his generation in the wake of George Floyd's killing. Antonio arrived in Seattle during the Capitol Hill Occupied Protest, known as CHOP. Less than a week later, he was shot and killed there. The case remains unsolved.
In the first nine episodes of our season, Louder has tackled the unwritten rules of rap. For the finale, we dig into the root of all those rules: the scarcity mindset. It's the belief that access and resources are so limited for those marginalized in hip-hop that you need to fight tooth and nail for them, and that only one can make it to the top at a time. And the Louder team says goodbye, as scarcity comes for our own podcast.
For Louder host Rodney Carmichael, interrogating misogynoir in hip-hop means confronting some hard questions — as a man, and especially as a father. As Rodney thinks about raising the next generation without replicating his mistakes, he's looking more closely at how hip-hop shaped his definition of masculinity. On this episode, something a little different: part meditation, part conversation — between Rodney and writers Kiese Laymon and Jamilah Lemieux — about beats, rhymes and life.
Rico Nasty's music creates a haven for heavy emotions. And in a world that paints Black girls showing any emotion as too much, having a place to release anger and anxiety is essential. But when Rico joined the 2021 Playboi Carti tour, his fans harassed her repeatedly and that safety was stripped away. On this episode, we talk with Rico about keeping a brave face, hear from a fan who was there in the crowd, and ask: When the outlet for your anger is shut down, how do you get your power back?
Saucy Santana is part of a new wave of queer artists pushing back against stale standards in hip-hop. Bolstered by the reach of short sound bites on TikTok, the "Material Girl" rapper is not shy about rocking a beat face, trimmed beard, acrylic nails and booty shorts that have become his calling card. But in an industry that values marketability and reinforces masculinity to a toxic level, how can femme-presenting gay men sidestep from being considered viral jokes to become undeniable stars?