The conspiracy linking hip-hop and mass incarceration –podcasts of the week

Louder Than A Riot from NPR considers a majority-black musical genre - through the lens of the justice system. Plus: the dark side of orgasmic meditation

Louder Than A Riot
This superlative hip-hop podcast promises to trace the collision of rhyme and punishment in America", and it does so in detail. Was there really a secret meeting in the early 1990s where privately-owned prison authorities promised a kickback for music industry executives who promoted rap music? Could incendiary lyrics really guarantee them more inmates? NPR's Rodney Carmichael and Sidney Madden investigate the conspiracy, asking how rap became so dominant and whether it was exploited along the way, with thoughtful contributions from big hitters such as Killer Mike. Hannah Verdier