Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Entertainment
Ciaran Thapar

‘I feel super gassed’: Lady Unchained, the prison radio host playing inmates’ raps

‘I get messages all the time saying, “I’m out – thanks for playing my voice”’ … Lady Unchained, the host of Free Flow.
‘I get messages all the time saying, “I’m out – thanks for playing my voice”’ … Lady Unchained, the host of Free Flow. Photograph: David Levene/The Guardian

“It’s your girl, Lady Unchained, and you’re listening to Free Flow – the instrumental show where we play the beat twice so you can get your bars right!”

It’s a rainy Thursday afternoon and I’ve just arrived at the secret London location of one of the homes of National Prison Radio (NPR) (the others being inside the walls of nearby HMP Brixton, and inside HMP Styal in Cheshire). Lady Unchained, an award-winning poet, author and broadcaster, is sitting in a soundproof room on the other side of a glass window recording her show Free Flow. Like all broadcasts from NPR, it is only available to residents of His Majesty’s prisons.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.