You're listening to BBC World Service. I'm Ryan Burvick, also known as Ryan Perfit.

I'm an MC and producer based in Queens, New York City. This is Rikers Island, New York City's largest jail.

Back in 2016, I was working with some of the young brothers and cars ready here.

And I wanted to give you another opportunity to hear the stories of three young men who joined that program.

At the end of the show, when we've heard a lot of music, I'll tell you what's happened to them three years on.

It's all part of an education program called Beat Swarms and Justice.

And over the next hour, we're going to take you with us to Rikers Island.

I always say to people in jail that hard times could even make you tougher or suffer.

You're going to hear hope from a place of darkness and music out of incarceration.

We're going to hear stories from aspiring hip-hop artists serving time on Rikers, including A.O.S.A.

Singing in my cell, yeah, I'm incarcerated, talking to the Lord, thinking I ain't got no patience. Love it, give me Lord, Lord, please forgive me for my sins, love it, give me Lord, Lord, please forgive me for my sins.

Beat Swarms and Justice is a music production program designed to teach the youth how to control all the elements of music recording and with it, control how they might carry themselves in the future.

Some of the students, like Trigger, have big ambitions when they get off the island.

I always wanted to be a rapper, but now what I say, I want to be an entertainer.

I want to entertain people, make people feel good when they hear my music.

I want to relate to young kids around my age, around the age of 18.

I just want people to hear my story. That's my goal.

Trigger's goal is trying to turn his time on Rikers Island into something positive.

And we'll hear from one of our past students who's been through the hip-hop program that has just gotten out of jail.

That's Swave De Nero. That's his rap name. He's 19 years old. He spent 27 months on Rikers.

And now he's back home in the Bronx just trying to adapt to his life off the island and make it as a hip-hop MC.

As teachers you ought to be a man, jail is like an inside town. You get to see how men really think and stuff like how they move, how sneaky they could be and stuff.

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