Lyrics From Lockdown

Nanon Williams

Nanon McKewn Williams grew up in Los Angeles amidst the violence and poverty that plagued the city. As a teenager, Nanon stood out for his academic and sporting achievements and dreamt of a career as a football player. He was an All-American and the recipient of over seventeen athletic and academic scholarships. In 1992, when Nanon was only seventeen years old, he was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to death by the state of Texas. As a young boy on death row, Nanon discovered a passion for writing and committed his life to being a voice for those who have been silenced. He began with poems, which he published in 2000 under the title The Ties That Bind Us, and continued on to write numerous essays as well as several books—The Darkest Hour: Stories and Interviews from Death Row and Still Surviving.

Gina Belafonte

Executive Producer

Gina Belafonte is an American actress, film and stage producer, and civil rights activist. The youngest daughter of activist, dancer, Julie Belafonte and singer, actor, and activist Harry Belafonte, she has appeared in such films as “Bright Lights,” “Big City,” “Tokyo Pop” (both 1988), and “BlacKkKlansman” (2018). Belafonte served as a producer on “Sing Your Song,” a 2011 documentary film about her father. She co-founded The Gathering for Justice, a nonprofit organization whose aim is to end child incarceration and eliminate the racial disparities in the criminal justice system, and is the CEO of Sankofa.org, a nonprofit Social Justice, impact production company, founded by her father. Gina has collaborated with Bryonn on LYRICS as an executive producer of its world premiere at the National Black Theater, as the director of award winning runs at The Actors’ Gang, and critically acclaimed performances at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, DC Jail, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA, and the Grammy Museum.

Rob Reiner

Executive Producer

Rob Reiner is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and liberal activist. As an actor, Reiner first came to national prominence with the role of Mike “Meathead” Stivic on the CBS sitcom “All in the Family” (1971–1979), a performance that earned him two Primetime Emmy Awards. His other acting credits include “Throw Momma from the Train” (1987), “Sleepless in Seattle” (1993), “Bullets Over Broadway” (1994), “The First Wives Club” (1996), “Primary Colors” (1998), “EDtv” (1999), “Everyone’s Hero” (2006), and “The Wolf of Wall Street” (2013). Reiner made his directorial film debut with heavy metal mockumentary “This Is Spinal Tap” (1984), later directing its sequel “Spinal Tap 2” in 2025. He has earned acclaim directing the romantic comedy “The Sure Thing” (1985), coming of age drama “Stand by Me” (1986), fantasy adventure “The Princess Bride” (1987), romantic comedy “When Harry Met Sally…” (1989), psychological horror-thriller “Misery” (1990), military courtroom drama “A Few Good Men” (1992), which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture, and romantic comedy-drama “The American President” (1995). He has earned nominations for four Golden Globe Awards for Best Director, and three Directors Guild of America Awards.

Delroy Lindo

Executive Producer

Delroy George Lindo is an English-American actor. He is the recipient of an NAACP Image Award, a Satellite Award, and nominations for a Drama Desk Award, a Helen Hayes Award, a Tony Award, two Critics’ Choice Television Awards, and three Screen Actors Guild Awards. He moved with his mother to San Francisco when he was 16, after they had left London and lived in Canada for a few years. Here he completed his education and entered acting. Lindo has played prominent roles in four Spike Lee films: West Indian Archie in “Malcolm X” (1992), Woody Carmichael in “Crooklyn” (1994), Rodney Little in “Clockers” (1995), and Paul in “Da 5 Bloods” (2020). He was praised for his performance in “Da 5 Bloods” as a Vietnam War veteran, winning the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actor and the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actor. Most recently, Lindo can be seen in Ryan Coogler’s “Sinners.”