Antwan “Banks” Williams

A profile of success: Antwan "Banks" Williams

December 11, 2019 by Kevin Sawyer

Ear Hustle cofounder has lasting impact on his community – both inside and out of prison

Antwan “Banks” Williams, 31, one of the co-founders of the celebrated podcast Ear Hustle, paroled from San Quentin in October. Imprisoned at the dawn of adulthood, he had to mature behind bars.

Williams said he “can’t fathom” what it’s like to be outside prison. “The sad reality is there are people in here that I may never see outside these walls.” He said he’s leaving with a heavy heart.

“A big part of who I am stems from the people in here,” said Williams. “All of you have shaped who I am. You guys have been my family.”

“I grew up in prison,” he added, “ and I don’t know what my life is going to look like without it.”

Antwan “Banks” Williams, Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods

Most of the men at San Quentin know Williams by the moniker “Banks,” a name given to him in the Los Angeles county jail by other prisoners who thought he was arrested for robbing “banks” because his bail was set at $7.3 million.

“I couldn’t bail out,” said Williams, convicted of one count of robbery, but with a gun enhancement.

Williams told a gather- ing of admirers in the San Quentin Media Center the day before he walked out: “I’ve been in this place longer than I’ve lived in any place my entire life.”

Tears flowed and emotions ran high as the men, volunteers and staff shared their stories of how they came to know Williams and their working relation- ship, friendships and bonds formed over the years.

Brian Asey first met Williams in 2011 when he transferred to San Quentin from Old Folsom. “I watched (Williams) grow from the hot-headed, emotional, hard person that he was to the mature and thoughtful man that he is today,” said Asey.

“I grew up in prison and I don’t know what my life is going to look like without it”

“It’s been amazing, and when I think about him leaving, I think about all we’ve gone through to put the pod-cast together,” said Sacramento State Professor Nigel Poor, a volunteer, co-host and co-creator of Ear Hustle. She said Williams was part of the creative influence and now that he has paroled, “I don’t know who’s going to be that creative person.”

Williams, like the other men who work in the media center, started out as a volunteer when there was little opportunity. “You have to gently fight your way into the media center and make it work, but there’s a camaraderie,” said Poor. “It’s going to be interesting to see how the media lab will be changing as more and more people get out.”

“I hope that (Williams) works with young people,” said Poor. He can inspire them, she said, adding, “I feel like that’s his calling.”

“When my specific tal- ents weren’t needed, people kept telling me I need to be there” (in the media center), said Williams, so he stuck it out by providing artwork and music, while keeping the workplace positive with his easy-going personality.

“He made this prison a better place and now he’s going to make this world a better place,” said Rahsaan (New York) Thomas, co-host of Ear Hustle. He described Williams as “talented and humble.”

“Banks (Williams) is like the talented little brother that I never had,” said Greg Eskridge, an inmate who volunteers at SQ Radio. “We all started this radio program together in this little room.”

Williams was sentenced to 15 years. He served 13 years, eight of which were at San Quentin, where he arrived on November 8, 2011. He left Old Folsom for San Quentin as a result of Assembly Bill 109, California’s plan to reduce its prison population. A number of San Quentin inmates had been moved to county jails. After his arrival, Williams met Earlonne Woods, the other Ear Hustle co-founder, who paroled last year.

Prior to his arrival at San Quentin, Williams served time at Kern Valley State Prison, California State Prison Corcoran, and Folsom State Prison.

Before his last day in prison, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) public information officers Alexandra Powell and Ike Dodson arrived to videotape Williams. They planned to video him parol- ing the following morning as well.

“A big part of who I am stems from the people in here. All of you have shaped who I am. You guys have been my family”

“We’re here to capture Antwan’s (Williams’) experience as he prepares to leave prison,” said Powell. “We’ve been trying to tell stories of both those in prison and the people that make programs work.”

Powell said the CDCR is very interested in what pro- grams work inside of prison to influence successful reentry back to society.

Williams said it’s not the groups, programs or self- help groups that make San Quentin though. He said it’s the men that make it a “community.”

Dodson said he got to know Williams the first time the CDCR’s Office of Public and Employee Communications came to San Quentin to cover a story about Ear Hustle.

“I thought it would be cool to share that story,” said Dodson. “When you get to know people inside, you build a relationship. This is a very important moment for Antwan.”

“Anybody would miss where they’ve grown up,” said Poor, who teaches art at the Sacramento campus, in reference to Williams spending so much of his adult life in prison. “I hope (paroling) will be everything that he dreams it to be. It’s going to feel empty when I come to work tomorrow.”

San Quentin musical event showcases lyrical artists

October 15, 2018 by Marcus Henderson

Rap music has become heavily materialistic lately, but true “MC-ing” resurfaced on San Quentin’s Lower Yard, as visiting artist Kev Choice Ensemble and an array of young San Quentin lyricists moved crowd.
At the August 24 yard show had a mosh pit of young prisoners “turned up,” as their generation calls it. They danced wildly, pumped their hands in the air and popped invisible collars on their state blue shirts, as they surrounded the makeshift stage.

The multi-talented pianist and rapper Kev Choice was the definition of positive vibrations. He provided love, inspiration and social consciousness for each song in an hour-long set.
“The word of the day is ‘expansion’—expanding the mind,” said Kev Choice. “We came to bring love and light. I got into music to uplift the people in my community. And I’ve always wanted to do this [perform in prison].
“I have family and friends in the system [prisons or jail]. I thank Raphaele [Casale] for making this happen,” he added. Casale, who works in the warden’s office, is the music program sponsor.
Kev Choice’s first song, “That’s Life,” was an autobiographical track that dealt with his childhood and his journey through the music business, all layered in a smooth-jazz hip-hop tune.
“I was looking for a sign from the divine/All I had to do was look inside/Thank God for life,” Kev Choice rapped.
The Oakland-based musician has toured with singer/rapper Lauryn Hill, Too $hort, Soul of Mischief and Goapele, among others.
Kev Choice’s ensemble was a perfect musical mix. Their instruments and vocals blended the same as the diverse flavors and spices of your favorite dish. Band members consisted of singers Viveca Hawkins and Jennifer Johns, drummer Dame Drummer, guitarist Andrew Levin, bassist Kayshay and Daniel Rivera on flute, saxophone and electric wind instrument.
“There were so many beautiful brown faces,” Hawkins said. “I’ve never been to a prison before, but coming here is life-changing. I’m leaving with my heart full of love.”
Kev Choice’s music touches on police brutality, disenfranchisement and marginalization without being preachy or depressing. All the songs delivered words of triumph. He performed “I’m Thankful for It All,” “Can’t Be Free” and “Bring the Love.” But “I Be the Greatest” and “Born Conquer” set the youngsters off. The infectious beats and sing-along punch lines had the large crowd on its feet.
‘I be the greatest’. I want you to wake up and say that to yourself every day. I don’t care what they say about you,” Johns said. “People don’t think there is light and love in prison. But I’ve filled up on everyone’s light, and I’m taking it back to the community.”
Both female vocalists sang solo pieces. Johns sang “Bridge over Troubled Water,” and Hawkins, paying tribute to the late Aretha Franklin, sang “Natural Woman,” stirring the crowd with emotion.
Young SQ artists took to the stage after Kev Choice had electrified the audience. Philippe (Kells) Kelly and Thanh Tran performed “To Hell and Back,” a lyrical duel between Satan (Tran) and Kelly, trying to turn his life around.
“His punishment is contagious/Can’t escape it because my life is on the line/But I’m impatient/ face my master of disaster or bow to the maturation,” Kelly rapped.
“I see myself as a vessel of all the knowledge that I’ve studied and got from my elders,” Kelly said. “I can convey knowledge to a certain demographic that they feel like they might not reach.”
Tran also performed “Glass House,” an ode to his sister. “If you was out, you’d be able to help/The cards we was dealt,” rapped Tran.
“Music is therapy; it allows me to speak about my deep emotions. I’m an introvert really,” Tran said. “It’s my way to heal—when it’s out—it’s out.”
Mike “The Lyrical Assassin” Mackey dazzled the crowd with vicious word play on “The One You Overlook” and “Draw First Blood.” His laid-back flow had more punch than a heavyweight fight.
Antwan “Banks” Williams, a seasoned word technician, performed “Powerful,” capturing the pitfalls of the younger generation’s bad decisions. David Jassy and Joshua (JB) Burton did “Precious,” letting a woman know that, no matter what, she is perfect.
The young musical geniusYoung SQ sang “Feel Me,” dropping wisdom that captured the whole show’s experience.
“Reporting live from a modern plantation/A product of a system succeeding ceasing the nation/By breaking generations and taking liberations/They took down the OGs, so my generation ain’t laced with the knowledge to see what’s going on in front of their faces.”
“It’s about education through the music,” Abercrombie said. “This way I can use my gift to move people forward.”
Kev Choice added, “The world needs to hear the real music being produced in San Quentin.”

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Blues musician Maxx Cabello rocks the yard

Grammy Winner LeCrae Moore’s inspirational message

September 16, 2018 by Rahsaan Thomas

LeCrae performing in the Protestant Chapel

Two-time Grammy-winning rapper LeCrae Moore used a hip-hop performance at San Quentin State Prison on July 24 to deliver inspirational messages and show his Christian faith in action.
“On a personal level, I’m here because I have family behind prison walls: my father, my uncle,” LeCrae said.“I’m attracted to being around people I feel like society has thrown away. People have value, souls have value. Coming here is saying my father and uncle matter.”
During the show, LeCrae used a five-dollar bill to illustrate value.
“You see this five-dollar bill?” LeCrae asked the standing-room-only audience in Protestant Chapel. “I crumpled it up, what’s it worth now? Still five dollars.”
LeCrae rubbed the bill along his lower body, spit on it, dropped it on the ground, and stomped it. Then he told the crumpled bill it was worthless and would never be anything.
“What’s it worth now?”
“Nothing,” someone in the audience yelled.
Correcting that person’s mistake, LeCrae responded, “If I unfold it and take it to the store, it still spends. No matter what happened to it, it never lost its value—you matter, you have purpose. It doesn’t matter what was said or done. If we use $100 bills as wallpaper, we’re wasting it. We didn’t use it for the value and purpose it was meant for.”

Grammy-winning rapper LeCrae giving the crowd what they didn’t expect to hear or see

Incarcerated men in the audience openly sobbed as LeCrae’s metaphor sank in.
“I saw three people cry when LeCrae talked about your worth,” Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie said. “He was like a modern-day Socrates.”
LeCrae is a rapper who is a Christian. He has won Grammies for Best Rap Song in 2013 and Best Gospel Album in 2014. He also received a Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Christian music. He sold over three million records, with several albums and mix tapes, including his latest, Let the Trap Say Amen.
LeCrae has performed at other correctional facilities including Riker’s Island, Angola, and the Los Angeles County jail. It was the 6-foot-5 rapper’s first time at San Quentin.
“I thought I would have to wait until I got out and go to a concert to meet him but he’s here,” said Jamai Johnson, who owns 10 LeCrae albums and mix tapes. “Moments like this allow you to see, feel and know exactly how much you mean to God and how much love he has for the entire planet.”
Send Musicians to Prison, an organization founded by Nathan Lee, brought LeCrae in with the help of a retired Warden Duffy, formerly with the NYC Department of Corrections, and San Quentin Public Information Officer Sam Robinson.
San Quentin’s own Graced Out Youth Ministries member Ferrari Moody hosted the event, which opened with a prayer and rap performance by Harry “ATL” Smith.
Smith, one of the key players on the San Quentin Warriors team, stated before rapping: “Let’s give it up for Jesus. It ain’t about me. It ain’t about LeCrae. It’s about Jesus Christ.”

Two-time Grammy-winning rap- per LeCrae Moore used a hip-hop performance at San Quentin State Prison on July 24 to deliver inspi- rational messages and show his Christian faith in action.

LeCrae took the stage next, giving context before performing a nine-song set including a premiere performance of “Shine a Light on Me” and three songs from his newest album.
During “Shine a Light on Me,” he rapped, “…introduced me to Jay Z, never (see) my dad but I met the music that raised me.”
Before rapping, “Count Up My Blessing,” he told a short story about meeting a man at Angola who said he was blessed, despite serving a life term, because his mother loved him, he woke up and when he died, he would be with the Lord.
“And I’m complaining about being in traffic,” LeCrae said.
Before performing “Ain’t Talking About Nothing,” he used the story of David and Goliath to explain why he uses music the way he does.
“I grew up on Little Wayne, Snoop, Tupac,” LeCrae said. “Then God showed me something. David went to the King and said, ‘I’m going to fight Goliath.’
“The King wanted David to put on armor. David replied, ‘This don’t fit me. Give me a sling and let me fight the way I know how.’ I don’t do hymns or traditional gospel music but give me a beat and rhythms.”
For an intro to his song, “Plugged In,” LeCrae talked about how you can buy six gold chains or buy a barbershop that expands to six chains.
“Let the Trapped Say Amen,” went on about the less glamorous side of the drug game that most drug dealers don’t warn you about.
Before “Praying for You, Man,” LeCrae said, “Our purpose really ain’t about us. It ain’t really about you. It ain’t about me. You might be here to inspire a whole new generation. I’m listening to a podcast from San Quentin and I’m being inspired. Don’t ever feel like your purpose was snatched from you. Your freedom is right here. Pray for the things he has preplanned.”
On his intro to “All Things Work Together,” LeCrae rapped, “The Master artist makes you a masterpiece, regardless.”
LeCrae advised the audience to use their time to figure out who they need to be.
“My man learned how to cook in prison,” LeCrae said. “Even if you have a life sentence, y’all already proved it. You ain’t got to be out there to make an impact.”
The night ended after the concert with an impromptu rap cycle kicked off by Abercrombie playing his guitar and rapping his song “Identity.”
Antwan “Banks” Williams, the “Ear Hustle” sound designer and a talented artist, added a verse.
“Handpicked I can endure the conditions, because this might be the only way I acquire God’s wisdom,” Williams rapped.
A small crowd of mostly rappers joined in on the chorus, “yeah, yeah, yeah,” to Abercrombie’s second song, “Can’t Hold Me Back,” which turned into a free-for-all.
First Tevin “Cutty” Fournette, Abercrombie’s older brother, joined in.
Then Calvin Johnson added a verse followed by Kenneth “HQ” Hawkins, who rapped, “I been converted since my King was murdered; only God can judge me, have you heard the verdict?”
LeCrae bobbed his head and smiled as the rappers gave him a show.
The Grammy-winning rapper left the church humming, “yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“I’m fortunate and grateful to be here,” LeCrae said. “If I inspired one person, I did my job. I leave more inspired by the folks in here using whatever they got to do incredible things.”

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Musicians rocked San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel

January 19, 2018 by Juan Haines

San Quentin State Prison, known by its warden, Ron Davis, to be “The Titan of Rehabilitation,” one-upped itself with a spirited collaboration. Featured were incarcerated musicians sharing the stage with a gospel duo made up of a retired associate warden and a prison staffer, local Bay Area musicians, and a guitar/violin duo from Sacramento.

Audience enjoying the combination of musical talent

There was standing-room only for the nearly 350 people stuffed in the prison’s Catholic Chapel on Nov. 10.

“I believe in the healing power of music,” said Lisa Starbird, a representative of Bread and Roses Presents.

Starbird co-hosted the event with San Quentin Radio producer, Louis A. Scott, winner of a 2017 Society of Professional Journalists award for his radio productions coming from the prison’s media department.

David “Jaz” Jassy, Antwan “Banks” Williams
and Le’Mar Maverick Harrison

Grammy nominee David Jassy and violinist Giorgi Khokhobashvili stole the show.

There were whoops and hollers coming from the audience as Jassy’s hip-hop lyrics to Khokhobashvili’s piercing violin strokes had heads bobbing with hands in the air.

Most of the performances had the audience of San Francisco Bay Area community members, inmates and prison staff on their feet.

Starbird got the audience into the right mood when she sang Let it Shine.

Let it Shine was rhythmic and had the audience clapping with a sing-along chorus “Big, Bright, Brilliant, Beam of Radiant Light Shine.”

The incarcerated men had plenty of support by the administration, resulting in the numerous standing ovations.

“I always had a feel for music. That’s why I got into the music program here,” said the warden’s assistant, Raphaele Casale.

Casale said when she first took over the program, she noticed one of the bands was not diversified. However, thnigs changed when inmate Darrly Farris took on a leadership role.

“He encouraged everyone to bring the music they liked,” Casale said. “He has become a well-rounded musician, and it’s been a great pleasure working with him.”

David Jassy, Dwight Krizman and Giorgi Khokhobashvili on the violin making beautiful music

Farris played bass guitar for Continuum. Alan Brown and Chris Coppe, guitars; Joe Thurson, drums; Wilbur “Rico” Rodger, keyboard, performed Why I Am.

And The Show Went On

Young and old, Black, White, Mexican and others as well as volunteers and prison staffers enjoyed all genre of music — from hip-hop to folk and country to gospel and Brazilian jazz.

Felipe Ferraz, guitar and vocals, performed Brazilian jazz with Khokhobashvili.

The jazzy sound brought a distinct whoop from the Hispanic inmates who recognized the style of music as the violinist whined and cried to the steady beat of the guitar’s chopping and smooth lyrics.

“This right here is music,” Ferraz said. “It’s not the fame. It’s just music,” adding, “It has been a pleasure. This is a place that is peaceful and full of love.”

The two have been performing together for about 10 years.

The hip-hop performance by Jason “Alias” Jones, Antwan “Banks” Williams, and Leonte “AV” Amos was a history lesson on oppression and a motivational piece about moving forward in spite of being oppressed — They keep steppin on me, but you gotta just keep steppin’.

Not to be outdone, hip-hop artist Jessie “JJ” James performed Dear Mr. President. The lyrics come from a letter he wished to send to President Donald J. Trump, asking if he cares about the poor.

JJ was joined on the stage by Alias, Banks, and AV, followed by several other inmates dancing in the center aisle. One inmate walked the aisle passing out blank envelopes to send to the president.

Other Acts

Mark Jeffery has been volunteering at San Quentin for about five years. He performed The Devil’s Door and Orphan Girl with vocalist Margot Biehle.

Former A.W. K.J. Williams and Debra Wynn singing gospel

“The Devil’s Door goes to a dark place, but it comes back to the light,” Jeffery said. “You can feed the devil or push it away.”

The song has a folksy sound with Jeffery’s twanging guitar and Biehle’s harmonic backup.

Orphan Girl is about “a deep and tortured” song writer, Biehle said. The cracking country song is about a dispirited girl and her life struggles. During the performance, the chapel’s silence set the mood her singing evoked.

Joey Mason and Mike Adams collaborated to perform Renew Me — about hardships and renewing one’s life.

“When Mike brought this song to me, I was in a dark place,” Mason said. “When we need help, you have to ask for it. When he showed me this song, the lyrics just came to me.”

Debra Wynn vocals, Timothy Wynn keyboard, and KJ Williams vocals performed My Soul Says Yes and I Love You Jesus.

“This is just a snapshot of what heaven is going to look like,” Williams told the audience before singing.

As Williams sang I Love You Jesus, the audience clapped in rhythm and sang along with “Yes, Jesus Loves Me.”

San Quentin’s Jazz Band, Just Us, lead Charlie Spencer, and band members Denali Gillespie, Charlie Ross, Terry Slaughter, and Joe Demerson performed Tashae.

Louis A. Scott and Lisa Starbird hosting the event

Demerson’s saxophone echoed in the chapel, sending the audience to their feet.

“Music is the relaxation in my incarceration,” Spencer said. “Stevie Wonder said it best, ‘It’s a language in itself that everyone can understand.’”

One of the closing acts was I Will Always be Your Friend, an original composed by Richie Morris and accompanied by Spencer and Dwight Krizman.

Closing out with a sing-along was the Mexican Band with Feliz Navidad.

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Grammy award winning Zuill Bailey performs in SQ

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Flood of SQ media attention draws back Van Jones

March 26, 2017 by Rahsaan Thomas

Incarcerated men at San Quentin are getting a lot of press for their accomplishments. The media work produced by and featuring incarcerated men attracted a visit from a CNN anchor and the mayor of Mill Valley.

Van Jones, host of CNN’s “The Messy Truth,” and Jessica Sloan, mayor of Mill Valley, came to San Quentin Prison’s Media Center on Jan. 27.

Among the men they met with were Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll, Adnan Khan and Anouthinh Pangthong, three men who committed murder when they were teenagers, now featured in a video on Alicia Keys’ We Are Here Movement website. The video received more than 63,000 hits within it’sfirst few days.

Earlonne Woods and Antwan “Banks” Williams, the incarcerated men who crafted the podcast Ear Hustle, produced the We Are Here video.

Pangthong and Khan were also featured in a segment called “Brief But Spectacular” on KQED’s “News Hour” the night before Jones and Sloan visited. They spoke about taking accountability and the factors that led them to commit crimes.

Sloan, Alexandra Mallick Williams and Jones started their meeting around a circular table with Carroll, Khan, David Jassy and two Mac computers in the background. Alexandra Williams, sponsor of the Financial Literacy Program at San Quentin, brought in the guests.

“I can’t imagine trying to create world-class ideas under the conditions that you are doing it,” Jones said.

Jassy, a Grammy-nominated rapper and producer from Sweden, was featured on KQED’s “Newsroom” in a piece called Standup San Quentin.

Jones, a human rights activist and Yale Law School graduate, last visited San Quentin in 2009, and three days later went to the White House as a special adviser for President Obama on green jobs, enterprise and innovation, until stepping down. Jones also co-founded the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights.

“He’s an inspiring man,” Alexandra Williams said about Jones.

As they talked about the media work being done, Khan said, “The moral dilemma that I struggle with from being part of all this good media stuff is how can I deserve anything when I’m convicted of murder?”

Khan was convicted of robbery-murder after his co-defendant stabbed a victim in a robbery when he was 18 years old.

Carroll weighed in, saying he felt the opposite. He feels obligated to do something meaningful with his time. Carroll created a financial literacy program in which he teaches people how their emotions affect their spending habits and how to trade stocks successfully. He believes teaching financial literacy can stop crime.

Sloan, a former Death Row attorney, said that doing good work gives back to the community and that society shouldn’t throw away genius.

She added, “In Swedish culture you are taught from a young age to never get the credit for what you do. You’d be embarrassed by it.”

Jones said, “Keep the ego small but strong. Too big an ego is no good. Be beautiful, be authentic, be honest.”

Alexandra Williams said, “(Khan) has a duty to do great things. He has to give back to society. Wall Street’s TED talk, Adnan (Khan) and David performing on PBS, that’s all giving back to society.”

“I can’t imagine trying to create world-class ideas under the conditions that you are doing it”

Antwan Williams said, “We don’t deserve anything. We have an obligation to take advantage of every opportunity to do better and be better. We put a tear in the universe with our crimes that can never be fixed. Now we need to cause a positive shift.”

Khan concluded, “I feel I have to be honest with myself. The struggle I’m having is growing to a point where the sincere remorse for my crime isn’t an anchor in the pursuit of happiness.”

Jones mentioned a new show called “The Redemption Project” that he pitched to CNN. The show chronicles the actual experience of a daughter who went to visit the person who murdered her mother.

The group further discussed how allowing people who have been harmed to meet those who imposed the harm can help both heal and move forward.

Carroll talked about his struggles that stem from forming unique ideas about trading stocks from prison. “People don’t get it. I’m talking about finance, and no one else is,” said Carroll.

Jones advised, “When you have a new idea or a new set of insights, it’s a big responsibility. The creator doesn’t give big ideas to weak people. It does become lonely; it doesn’t matter if it’s NASA or San Quentin. When you have a big idea, the whole world conspires to get you to talk about something else.

“So then you have three choices: give up the idea, run into the buzz saw of the machine gun fire, or get just as smart about moving the idea as you are about the idea.”

Later, Antwan Williams and Woods showed the guests the new videos they are working on.

Jones complimented Antwan Williams on a video made with three lights, a camera, and music he produced. “Brilliant,” he said, “genius thing you do at the end.”

More information about Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll can be found at www.wallstreetfeel.com

Beyond the Messy Truth by Van Jones

Inmate Gains a Following and Fame For Creating Financial Literacy Class