Beats, Rhymes and Justice: Hip Hop on Rikers Island
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.7K Ratings
🗓️ 17 September 2017
⏱️ 51 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
MC and producer Ryan Burvick takes us behind bars on Rikers Island, New York’s largest and troubled Jail. He leads a music production programme there called Beats, Rhymes and Justice, which helps inmates write rhymes, make music and imagine their future off the island in a different light. We hear from three of its students, all aged between 18-21 and awaiting trial.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello from the BBC World Service and welcome to the latest edition of the |
| 0:05.1 | documentary podcast. Every week we bring you a range of stories from our |
| 0:10.0 | presenters and reporters across the world. If you have the time please rate the |
| 0:14.8 | documentary on your podcast app and leave us a comment. Let us know what you think. |
| 0:19.6 | Coming to live from Ricc Island. Indeed, right? |
| 0:22.8 | They're like you're live. |
| 0:25.9 | You're listening to BBC World Service. |
| 0:29.5 | I'm Ryan Berwick, also known as Ryan Perfect. |
| 0:32.4 | So all the check,'m a check your living. |
| 0:34.0 | Woke up and had to give myself an exorcism. |
| 0:37.0 | I'm an MC& producer based in Queens, New York City. |
| 0:40.0 | And for the last few years, I've been going on to Ryke Island, New York's biggest jail, |
| 0:47.0 | to make music with some of the young brothers awaiting trial there. |
| 0:53.0 | It's got to get some life under your belt and the revolution now. |
| 0:57.0 | It's all part of an education program called Beets, Rhymes, and justice. |
| 1:04.3 | And over the next hour, we're going to take you with us to Rikers Island. |
| 1:09.3 | I always say the people in jail that hard times could even make you tougher or suffer. You're going to hear |
| 1:14.4 | hope from a place of darkness and music out of incarceration. We're going to hear stories |
| 1:20.0 | from aspiring hip-hop artists serving time on records including a yosset |
| 1:25.0 | saying to myself yeah I'm incarcerated talking to the Lord thinking I ain't got no |
| 1:31.0 | patience or forgive me lo, please forgive me for my sins. |
| 1:35.0 | Well, forgive me law, law, please forgive me for my sin. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from BBC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of BBC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.