In the spring of 2017, Atlanta-based Grammy-winner Speech, from the hip-hop crew Arrested Development, traveled to Virginia with the goal of recording an album behind bars. Speech was invited to the Richmond Jail by Sheriff C.T. Woody Jr., who was implementing a rehabilitation program that included job training, substance abuse treatment, group therapy, and a makeshift recording studio. In a small concrete room on the jail’s 6th floor, Speech met with four men in the REAL program—Teddy, Anthony, De’vonte and Garland—listened to their stories and collaborated with them on original compositions and lyrics. The process, captured by Brooklyn-based filmmakers at Resonant Pictures, became the documentary film “16 Bars.”

16 Bars Website