LISTEN: San Quentin State Prison Podcast ‘Ear Hustle’ Returns for New Season

By N. Jamiyla Chisholm Jun 06, 2019

Fans of the podcast about life inside California’s San Quentin State Prison can finally get their “Ear Hustle” on again. The popular show debuted season four yesterday (June 5), starting with an episode called “Excuse Me on the Tier.” Much has changed since season three’s final bonus episode, “Road Trip,” in January.

Co-hosts and producers Earlonne Woods and Nigel Poor introduce the season’s new co-host, Rahsaan “New York” Thomas, who takes over Woods’ role reporting from the inside, as Woods’ sentence was commuted in December. Loyal listeners will remember Thomas from the “Firsts” episode, when he set a San Quentin record by running the longest-ever marathon at the prison, at six hours and 15 minutes.

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And Poor, Thomas and Woods introduce a new feature called Reception Center, “where guys learn the prison ropes while waiting to find out where they’ll serve time,” the podcast tweeted. In that segment, they share the logistics of the nightly shutdown routine. Just before 10 p.m., “each race gets a chance to say goodnight to their brothers, their comrades and all the other races,” Woods explains in the episode. They call out to each other, and as soon as the routine is over, reception gets pin-drop quiet.

Woods, in his new role, says he will tackle issues from the perspective of post-incarceration. He started by asking formerly incarcerated people what they did with the government issued $200 “gate money” everyone receives upon being released. Many said they bought food. One woman said she put the money into a friend’s account who was still incarcerated.

Listen to the full episode below: