Meet Rahsaan ‘New York’ Thomas, Ear Hustle’s new inside co-host
If you’re a marathoner or a devoted follower of Ear Hustle, you’ll probably remember his name. Rahsaan “New York” Thomas — the same man who holds the record for San Quentin’s slowest marathon — is Ear Hustle’s new inside co-host.
New York and fellow San Quentin resident John “Yahya” Johnson, a new producer for the show, joined the Ear Hustle team for season four, after Earlonne Woods, co-host and co-creator, had his sentence commuted and was released from prison last November.
And, now that the news is out, it’s time for everyone to get to know the show’s newest co-host.
I know you’ve talked about this a little on the podcast, but for those who don’t remember, how’d you get your nickname?
When I first started doing time in California, people would ask me, “Where you from, homie?” I would answer, “Brooklyn, New York,” and they started calling me New York. Hearing New York all the time reminds me of home, so I started calling myself New York, too.
When did you get interested in storytelling? How has that manifested?
I first got seriously interested in storytelling when the judge sentenced me to serve life in prison.
I didn’t want to sit in cell going to waste, or die a loser. I wanted a way to be a success and make my sons and mother proud in spite of my circumstances. I wanted to make meaning out of, and amends for, taking a life.
I had read about three to four books a week while in the LA County Jail system and had fallen in love with reading, so I envisioned becoming a writer. I imagined writing a tale about my life called From Guns to God that would make the New York Times bestseller list and change the world. People in the hood would read it and drop their guns, and people outside the hood would read it and understand why crime happens and how we can stop it without more violence.
I wrote that manuscript over the course of seven years without knowing how to write and without true insight into why I committed the crimes I did. Then after 13 years of incarceration, I reached San Quentin, where, for the first time, the prison system offered me several programs for writing — William James Assocation’s Arts in Corrections Creative Writing Class, the Prison University Project and the San Quentin News. I signed up for all of them to learn how to be a better writer.
In doing so, I learned that my From Guns to God manuscript was 250,000 words of amateur work. I also took several self-help programs that helped me understand myself and the world better.
From the programs I took, my writing had greatly improved, but I was far too busy being the Sports Editor for the San Quentin News to finish a revised version of my book. So, I began writing short essays, several of which have been published — on The Marshall Project website, in Outside Magazine and on the National Prison Writers website, after I came in second in a National Prison Writers contest with a story titled “Change in Places.”
How did you originally get involved with Ear Hustle?
I originally got involved with Ear Hustle in an episode called “Firsts” (season two, episode one). Earlonne and Nigel heard that while completing my first marathon, I broke a record at San Quentin for the longest time ever — six hours, 15 minutes and 23 seconds. They asked me to tell my story, and I did.
What was the audition process like for becoming the inside co-host for Ear Hustle?
About six months before Earlonne went home we could all see the stars aligning to grant him a commutation, so Ear Hustle started reviewing applications for a new host. I applied and made it to the interview stage. It came down to about four guys, including co-producer John “Yahya” Johnson. During all my interviews, Earlonne appeared to be going to sleep, so it shocked me the day Nigel and Earlonne pulled me aside to say, “You’re going to be the new host.” I started training with Earlonne and helped him on the season three episodes “Catch a Kite 3” and “Prime Real Estate.”
During my training, Earlonne wanted perfection, and when I fell short, he gave me a hard time. Several times I had to hide behind Nigel (LOL). By the time he left San Quentin, I had a basic understanding of Pro Tools and co-hosting. The rest of the training comes on the job.
What challenges have you encountered in adjusting to Ear Hustle’s storytelling style, vs. the storytelling style of the San Quentin News?
My biggest adjustments in telling stories Ear Hustle-style have been learning to use Pro Tools and being more mindful of places where we can prolong tension. With a San Quentin News story, you give the reader the punchline and still try to keep the rest of the joke funny. With Ear Hustle, I can tease the listener along and really use the best storytelling tools. It’s just remembering to let go of my old journalism habits and have fun.
What are you most excited about heading into season four?
What I’m most excited about heading into the new season is seeing what the combination of Nigel, Earlonne, myself and Yahya will be like. I have joined a winning team, and I’m excited to see what I can personally add to propel Ear Hustle to yet another level.
Is there anything else you want listeners to know about you, or the new season of the podcast?
I’m single. Nah, seriously, I want the listeners to know that I am so sorry that the way we are meeting is because I committed a crime. I know I don’t deserve to become a co-host of anything.
I want the listeners to know that my goal with Ear Hustle is to serve my time productively, by bringing joy, understanding and entertainment into people’s lives.
As for the new season of Ear Hustle, we’re going to cover more dimensions. We’re planning to cover more women affected by incarceration. Also, we’re going to tell more complete stories about incarceration — some stories will start in prison with me and be completed by Earlonne interviewing people on parole. It’s going to be epic.
