I Was A Shot Caller For The Bloods Inside America’s Deadliest Prisons | Smiley B

Locked In with Ian Bick

Ian Bick

Society & Culture

4.8 • 743 Ratings

🗓️ 10 July 2025

⏱️ 108 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Smiley B grew up in the Bronx without a father figure and was pulled into gang life at an early age. Recruited into the Bloods, he was in and out of juvie and Rikers Island before catching two federal cases that led to 15 years behind bars. From surviving 11 different federal prisons—6 of them being the most violent U.S. penitentiaries—to becoming a shot caller inside, Smiley B lived through it all. In this raw and unfiltered interview, he shares the brutal war stories, the codes of prison politics, and the moment he finally decided to walk away from the life that nearly destroyed him. #BloodsGang #FederalPrisonStory #RikersIsland #GangLifeSurvivor #PrisonWarStories #ShotCaller #RedemptionStory #lockedinpodcast Connect with Smiley B: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/neighborhood.poppy29?igsh=MWx1eGZtd2Uwa2gxZA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr. Buy his book: https://a.co/d/aaaFR7R Hosted, Executive Produced & Edited By Ian Bick: https://www.instagram.com/ian_bick/?hl=en https://ianbick.com/ Presented by Tyson 2.0 & Wooooo Energy: https://tyson20.com/ https://woooooenergy.com/ Buy Merch: http://www.ianbick.com/shop Timestamps: 00:00:00 Smiley B’s Rough Upbringing and Joining the Bloods 00:07:04 Early Misadventures and Street Influence 00:13:51 Early Life and Gang Influence 00:21:17 Life in Juvenile Detention Centers 00:27:51 The Art of Car Theft 00:34:52 Understanding Gang Culture in the Federal System 00:41:58 Life in High-Security Prisons: A First-Hand Account 00:48:30 Life in a US Penitentiary 00:55:00 Jealousy and Tensions within Prison Crews 01:02:11 Understanding the Street Mentality in Prison 01:08:18 Contraband and Corruption Inside Prisons 01:14:49 Unexpected Legal Troubles and Intertwined Cases 01:22:01 Reflections on Prison Life and Regret 01:27:49 2017 Raid 01:34:08 Prison Dynamics and Inmate Conflicts 01:43:43 Transitioning to Life Outside Prison 01:46:50 Shout Outs to Supporters and Family Powered by: Just Media House : https://www.justmediahouse.com/ Creative direction, design, assets, support by FWRD: https://www.fwrd.co Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey Anna, I've got a new secret weapon for print. Print? Vista print, right? That's not a secret. Print everything for your business with Vistaprint. Business cards, stickers, t-shirt, signage, even photo books from your last holiday. If you need it, we print it at vistaprint.co.uk. This episode is brought to you by Simplysafe. And this... Simplysafe on.
0:21.5	...is the sound of peace of mind.
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0:29.7	protect your home inside and out,
0:32.6	against break-ins, fires, water leaks and more.
0:36.5	So you can relax. Visit Simsafe.com.com. When you mixed up with a whole bunch of people from all over the world, it's dangerous because you don't never know what's going to happen. I don't know how they think over there, how they move over there. You don't know how we move over here. You don't know how we think. When the gang's about the crash, this shit like Spartan 300.
0:56.7	Everybody got knives, it got locks and socks. Everybody got something. And it's going down out there. Ain't no stopping it. The police ain't stopping it. The police ain't stopping it. Smiley B. grew up in the Bronx without a father figure and the streets raised him fast, recruited into the Bloods as a kid, he was in and out of Juvie, and Rikers before he
1:12.7	ever had a chance at real life. He caught two federal cases and spent 15 years behind bars,
1:19.0	surviving 11 different prisons, including six of the most violent U.S. penitentiaries.
1:24.7	From brutal war stories and earning his stripes as a shot caller to
1:29.0	finally walking away from the life that nearly killed him, this is Smiley B's story of survival,
1:35.0	power, and redemption.
1:41.2	Smiley B, welcome to Lockton, man.
1:43.6	I know we've been talking about doing this for a while now and, uh, Smiley B, welcome to Lockton, man. What's going on on, Ian?
1:44.7	I know we've been talking about doing this for a while now, and just for a fair warning
1:50.1	to the audience, be prepared for a crazy interview today.
1:54.3	My man showed up with the paperwork.
1:56.5	He showed up with the photos.
1:58.8	You got to show the audience some of these photos you walked in here with.
2:02.3	I mean, you got to have everything.
2:03.7	It's just like going to, I mean, prison.
2:06.4	Got all type of pictures.
	...

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