Rikers Island inmates are regularly treated to concerts by big-time rappers as a reward for good behavior — and to keep them from “stabbing each other,” sources told The Post.
Hip hop artists like LL Cool J and Treach from Naughty By Nature have spit rhymes for prisoners this year in performances kept under the radar by the Department of Correction, the sources said.
“It takes their mind off other things,” a source said.
LL Cool J performed for an audience of youthful offenders on July 31. The young troublemakers even got to stretch their vocal chords at the special show.
“One inmate assisted him in back vocals on a song,” a source said.
Earlier this year, Treach stopped by Rikers to rap for inmates, sources said. Treach had spent the night in a Hudson County slammer for outstanding warrants not too long before the jailhouse concert.
A DOC spokesperson said celebrities volunteer their talents for free and are brought in to give prisoners some “positive reinforcement.”
“The Department of Correction uses positive reinforcement as one of many strategies to reduce inmate idleness and improve facility safety,” the spokesperson said. “Their appearances are geared toward violence reduction, and inmates who attend these events do so as a reward for good behavior.”
Rapper Treach has also performed for Rikers inmates in the last year.Photo: Getty Images
On Tuesday, The Post exclusively reported that escape artist David Blaine gave 60 dangerous inmates at the Manhattan Detention Complex an hour-long show in July.
Blaine said Tuesday that he started his show on a relatable note, explaining to inmates how he “could’ve easily ended up in a not good situation.”
“I turned to magic and it became my passion,” he said. “I read books on it and learned how to do the art . . . It wasn’t a special gift.”
Blaine saw no problem with giving a free performance to prisoners when his fans shell out big bucks to see him do tricks.
“I think it would be wrong not to give people a second chance,” he said.
But jailhouse performances can have ugly results. In 2006, a Rikers Island concert by Papoose set off a wave of violence, including eight slashings and stabbings. The trouble started when one of Papoose’s locked-up enemies ordered attacks on the rapper’s pals.
Additional reporting by Kevin Fasick
Yahoo Local News – New York Post
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