SONGS FROM THE HOLE: A STORY THAT STAYS WITH YOU
Imagine a story so powerful that even when you already know the ending, you’re still drawn in because the journey itself is so interesting. That’s exactly how I felt watching the premiere of Netflix’s new docu-story Songs from the Hole.
I first came across an artist named 88 at this year’s fifth and final Dreamville Festival. I got to meet him and his team, and from the jump, he struck me as polite, introspective, and grounded. So when I heard Netflix was releasing a special documenting his story, I knew I had to tap in.
And it didn’t disappoint. The film left me in awe. Honestly, it took me a few days to sit with what it stirred up.
Themes That Hit Hard
The power of forgiveness: Your capacity to forgive directly shapes the peace you’re able to build for yourself.
The misuse of power: Offenders are still people. Yet too often they’re silenced, demonized and discarded by society, forgotten until they become an easy headline.
What rehabilitation really looks like: Is rehabilitation even the goal? Or is the system set up to keep people stuck in cycles that benefit everyone but them?
Protecting children from real monsters: Not the ones under the bed. The real ones, the ones who sentence 15-year-olds to life with no plan for actual rehabilitation or release.
The Role of Music
What makes Songs from the Hole so compelling is how it ties music to healing. Through music, 88 connected with his now-producer Richie, and together they documented life experiences in real time. Each song in the project isn’t just a song, it’s a chapter…paired with the story behind it.
The result is more than just a documentary. It’s a living body of work that gives voice to pain, forgiveness, survival, and resilience.
Final Thoughts
Songs from the Hole doesn’t just ask you to watch, it forces you to reflect. To consider what justice really looks like, what cycles we’ve normalized and what humanity we’ve chosen to ignore.
It’s not an easy watch, but it’s an important one. And it leaves you with the same feeling I had walking away from Dreamville Festival after first hearing 88: this is a story worth following.
