Podcast Summary: Suave – 33 Years Later, Suave’s Long-Lost Mixtape

Podcast: Suave (Futuro Media)
Episode: 33 Years Later, Suave’s Long-Lost Mixtape (Bonus – Plus)
Date: June 3, 2025

Episode Overview

This deeply personal bonus episode explores the rediscovery of a hip hop album recorded by David Luis “Suave” Gonzalez while incarcerated as a teenager in the late 1980s. The conversation with Suave covers the transformative role of music during his decades-long prison sentence, the origins and process of creating his clandestine mixtape, and the social conditions that shaped both his life and his art. The episode also debuts “Mr. Pulitzer,” a new track inspired by Suave’s story, and reflects on generational mentorship and legacy.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Significance of April 7th (00:20–01:03)

• April 7th is a profound date for Suave:
  • Sentenced to life in prison on April 7, 1988.
  • On April 7, 2025, Suave’s memoir “From Prison to the Pulitzer” is released, and this very episode airs.
  • “How amazing is that?” – Suave (00:52)

2. The Lost & Found Prison Mixtape (01:03–03:02)

• Suave recounts recording an album in prison over 33 years ago with a “little eight track recorder, an illegal recorder, for that matter, that a reporter left behind by mistake.” (01:54)
• The tape was believed lost until Suave discovered it in his brother’s basement—still unopened.
• Instruments were homemade, and collaborators used improvised tools due to lack of resources.
• “We managed to create magic.” – Suave (02:15)

3. Learning to Rap Before Reading (03:02–04:54)

• Suave grew up in the South Bronx, the birthplace of hip hop, near legends like Fat Joe and KRS-One.
• Rap became a literacy tool for him before he could read or write. He memorized everything through music.
• “Even when I was illiterate, I could always memorize things, especially a song.” – Suave (04:02)

4. Solitary Confinement and Musical Innovation (05:08–06:54)

• Seven years in solitary impacted how Suave heard and created music:
  • Found “melodies” in the everyday noises: drips, leaks, banging metal.
  • Used those sounds as backing rhythms to write and perform for fellow inmates.
• “To the normal person, it's just water drops coming in. But to me, it was like melodies.” – Suave (05:48)

5. The Realities of Music Production in Prison (08:05–09:44)

• Music was produced on cassette tapes. Makeshift methods were used to record and “master” tracks.
• “We had to finesse the system a little bit…We invited a reporter…she left the recorder…we did one song at a time, piece by piece.” – Suave (08:08)
• Tracks were handmade, passed through families, and sold on the yard.

6. Rapping in Spanish: Identity and Survival (10:22–11:52)

• Language barrier led Suave to produce mostly Spanish-language tracks:
  • “I knew I couldn't beat the brothers that was rapping in there…but I knew I could feature with them because they always wanted a Spanish verse.” – Suave (11:01)
• Early fusion of Latino culture and hip hop, predating mainstream reggaeton.

7. The Content of the Tape: Art Imitates Life (12:11–15:56)

• Lyrics tackled drugs in families, living with crack in the Bronx, solitary experiences, and political issues:
  • “Soy Latino” was a political message about AIDS and government neglect in communities of color.
• Songs drew upon personal and collective struggle; humor and sarcasm layered over serious themes.

8. AIDS and Discrimination in 80s Prisons (15:56–17:51)

• HIV-positive inmates were segregated; queer prisoners were isolated, reflecting institutional discrimination.
• Suave distributed tapes within this context, describing a Latino fan base hungry for representation.

9. DIY Music: Instruments and “Studio” Life (18:36–21:31)

• The prison’s music program was inaccessible for new arrivals:
  • Suave learned to craft congas from mop buckets, trash cans, and leather jackets.
• Up to 12 people crammed into a cell to record tracks in one or two takes, with a lookout posted for guards.
  • “We either get it right the first time...or we out to the next one.” – Suave (20:25)
• “I ain't never seen the studio till I got out of prison.” – Suave (20:54)

10. Entrepreneurship and Survival (21:47–23:41)

• Mixtape sales and later, self-publishing books, became Suave’s financial lifelines.
  • “Before the books, it was the music. I used to sell mixtapes.” – Suave (22:13)
• Music served as both creative expression and economic survival; it also preserved a legacy for his family.

11. Mentorship, Legacy, and the Making of “Mr. Pulitzer” (24:40–30:18)

• Suave mentors Joey Deville, who creates “Mr. Pulitzer,” a song encapsulating Suave’s journey.
  • The lyrics draw entirely from the podcast and Suave’s life, yet were written without direct biographical telling—showing Joey’s empathetic connection.
  • “It’s my story from Joey’s perspective…he got everything from hearing the podcast and hearing me speak.” – Suave (25:44)
• Suave views mentorship and storytelling as a form of giving back and preventing incarceration for future generations.

12. The Power of Representation and Impact (29:15–30:18)

• Suave reflects on the transformative effect of the podcast and the pride in seeing his mentee graduate:
  • “If we could save one person from ending up in prison, we’d done our job.” – Suave (29:45)

13. The Playlist and Hip Hop Lineage (31:25–32:22)

• Suave shares artists and tracks that shaped him and the playlist for listeners to access music mentioned in the episode.
  • Artists: Joey Deville, Butch Vega, KRS-One, Eric B. & Rakim, Public Enemy, Nas.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On resilience & creativity under constraint:
  “We managed to create magic.” – Suave (02:15)

• On music as survival and legacy:
  “I didn’t want my voice to die in prison...I always believe that if you write, sing, record, somewhere down the line, somebody gonna stumble up on that literature, and they probably gonna rediscover.” – Suave (23:04)

• On music as a reflection of life:
  “I try to use my life as the backdrop for all them songs.” – Suave (13:51)

• On making music in dire circumstances:
  “We couldn’t just say that again. We either get it right the first time…the second time, or we out to the next one.” – Suave (20:25)

• On mentorship and the next generation:
  “To put Joey under the wing and see him graduate college. He only got two classes left…he’s working at the children’s hospital now…that to me is like, the job is done.” – Suave (30:18)

• Joey Deville, channeling Suave’s journey:
  “Barely a child and making decisions. 31 years I was locked in that prison. Nobody thought I was walking out, living. It was a pull of surprise I was given.” – Joey Deville, “Mr. Pulitzer” (27:41)

Timestamps: Important Segments

• 00:20: The significance of April 7th
• 01:03: Rediscovering the lost mixtape
• 03:02: Learning to rap before literacy
• 05:41: Music as a lifeline in solitary
• 08:05: How music was produced and distributed in prison
• 10:54: Choosing to rap in Spanish
• 12:41: The stories and politics in Suave’s music
• 16:12: HIV/AIDS discrimination in prison
• 18:36: Crafting DIY instruments
• 21:47: Selling mixtapes for survival
• 24:40: The making of “Mr. Pulitzer”
• 29:15: The impact of Suave’s mentorship
• 31:25: Suave’s playlist and musical influences
• 32:07: Excerpts from Joey Deville’s track “Imagine”
• 33:11: Episode close-out and gratitude

Final Thoughts

This bonus episode of Suave is both an oral history and a powerful meditation on art emerging from adversity. Through laughter, candid memories, and music, Suave and his collaborators map the intersections of hip hop, prison life, survival, and generational healing. The newly uncovered mixtape and the song “Mr. Pulitzer” concretize how storytelling and sound can echo across decades—preserving not just an individual legacy, but hope and possibility for the future.