Ear Hustle

Recently, Earlonne was drafted for a mysterious task: to pose for a photo with Nigel — wearing Minnie Mouse ears — while waving a fake “churro” in the air. (Earlonne, always a good sport, didn’t ask too many questions.) Here, in Nigel’s first-ever listener-inspired mystery episode, he finally learns what that was all about. 

Special thanks to Becky Bach for suggesting this subject and for joining Earlonne and Nigel...

For the fifth anniversary of George Floyd’s murder, Rahsaan revisits “Cracked Windshield,” an episode we did for the first anniversary. The Ear Hustle team and friends talk about their first interactions with cops, the role of empathy, and whether those relationships can ever change. And Rahsaan reflects on his own relationship with police, and what has and hasn’t changed in the five years since Floyd’s murder.  

Th...

Women serving serious time for having killed someone while driving drunk form a distinct culture in prison, and often struggle to fit in. We visit two California prisons to meet women who are still grappling with a life that’s very different than the one they’d expected.

Thank you to Olivia, Grace, Jessica, Theresa, Tatanisha, Michelle, Hannah, Sopehia, Pamela, and everyone else we spoke to at the California Instit...

It’s our first-ever listener-inspired “mystery” episode! This time, Nigel's in the dark — and Earlonne has a new co-host. They hope you enjoy this cutting-edge, occasionally unruly Ear Hustle episode that braids together many questions about life in prison. 

This episode was scored with music by Eric "Maserati E" Abercrombie, David Jassy, Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis. 

Big thanks t...

Listeners had a lot to say about two recent episodes featuring residents of California’s death row, especially “Different Sides of the Earth,” which focused on condemned women. “It was hard to hear the joy, laughing, etc.” wrote one listener, “when you know about some of their crimes.” 

Your messages and comments gave us a great excuse to dive into some of the thorny editorial issues our team wrestles with behind t...

Twenty women are currently serving a death sentence at the Central California Women’s Facility. Like the men we met at San Quentin in our previous episode, these women are now living with the mainline prison population. For some, it hasn’t been an easy change. 

This episode was scored with music by Antwan Williams, David Jassy, Earlonne Woods, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry ...

San Quentin's death row has been cleared out; soon it'll be renovated into an honor dorm. We make one last visit with four men who, between them, spent over 130 years on the row. We see the solitary cells where they spent decades of their lives, and hear what it's been like to leave those cells and join the "mainline" prison population.

This episode was scored with music by Antwan "Banks" Williams, David Jassy, Earl...

For some, it’s a weeklong bonanza; others keep it on the down-low. Whether you’re in prison or not, how you celebrate your birthday says a lot about who you are.

The New Official Ear Hustle Birthday Song was written by Tam Nguyen, with variations on the theme by Tam Nguyen, Earlonne Woods, Derrell Sadiq Davis, Bruce Wallace, and Antwan Williams, plus trumpet playing by Brian Conroy. 

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt...

Spark Plug wanted a life straight out of a Hollywood movie: Live fast and die a legend. But that’s not quite how things worked out.

This episode was scored with music by David Jassy, Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate Warden Lewis, and Lt. Newborg at the California Institutio...

The Ear Hustle team has been hard at work on a whole batch of new stories from San Quentin, the California Institution for Women, the Central California Women’s Facility, and beyond. They’ll be in your feed starting next Wednesday, March 5 — but Nigel and Earlonne are here now with a little sneak peek. 

Big thanks to Warden Andes and Lt. Berry at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center; Acting Warden Parker, Associate War...

Next up in our “sleeper hits” series, our editor Amy listens back to “Camp Grace,” a 2021 episode that she had started producing until she was sidelined by COVID. In it, we follow a group of kids to Salinas Valley State Prison to spend two days with their dads, whom they hadn’t seen in years. Through music, crafts, and games, the idea behind Camp Grace is to put aside prison personas and reconnect with fatherhood. But rela...

California relies on incarcerated firefighters to fight fires like the ones that have engulfed Southern California this month. But once these men and women are released from prison, they can have a hard time finding jobs on civilian firefighting crews. Back in 2020, Nigel and Earlonne spent time at a Ventura fire camp designed to help bridge that gap. In light of the recent fires, we’re sharing this episode again.

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In the next installment in our “sleeper hits” series, Earlonne listens back to the episode “August 21, 1971,” about George Jackson and one of the most significant days in San Quentin’s history. E talks about why this was an essential story for Ear Hustle to tell, why it was a tricky one to tackle, and reflects on his personal connections to this history and its long aftermath. 

Mentioned in the episode: 

Episode 61: ...

Linda’s mom brought her to a Catholic Mass because she had a sense her daughter was on the verge of something, and needed help. Thirty-seven years into her prison sentence, Linda wonders what would have happened if she had listened to her mom, and Nigel and Earlonne visit the same chapel to see the place through Linda’s memory. 

This episode was scored with music by Derrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, Dav...

Leisha didn't plan on getting pregnant. And she certainly didn't plan on giving birth in prison. But on the day those two red lines showed up, Leisha found kindness in an unexpected place.

Thanks to Katie Turner and Samantha Bhatia at Poetic Justice for connecting us with Leisha. 

This episode was scored with music by Darrell Sadiq Davis, Antwan Williams, Fernando Arruda, David Jassy, and Earlonne Woods.
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Earlonne's here with his "mystery" episode, and it's a doozy. He tells Nigel a redemption story wrapped in a drug-trafficking story, and, along the way, dives deep into several subjects we swore we'd never touch. Buckle up. 

Thanks to George for telling his story. He co-authored a book about moving past gangs and criminal thinking; you can find that here. Thanks also to Tanaya for the rap and listener alert, and to everyone...

Over the past two episodes we’ve been hearing about “memory places” at San Quentin: ordinary-seeming spots that become extraordinary through the eyes of people who spent time there. In this extra mini-ep, Nigel and Earlonne take us to their spots, and down Ear Hustle memory lane.   

This episode was scored with music by Earlonne Woods, Antwan Williams, and Derrell Sadiq Davis.

Big thanks to Acting Warden Ande...

In the second part of this two-part series, Nigel reveals to Earlonne the final stops in her memory-tour of San Quentin, culminating in an exploration of the prison’s former death row. 

Thanks to Shaka for speaking with us for this episode. 

Special thanks to Lt. Guim'Mara Berry for letting Nigel and our inside team explore and record inside East Block. 

This episode was scored with music by Earlonne W...

Nigel — with help from our team inside San Quentin — has been cooking up an episode that her co-host knows nothing about. Without giving too much away, we can tell you that it involves visiting a part of the prison no one on Ear Hustle had seen before … with, of course, a few detours along the way. Part 1 of a two-part series.  

Special thanks to Lt. Guim'Mara Berry for letting Nigel and our inside team explore and ...