"No other program has ever done anything remotely like what this one does, namely to portray the social, political, and economic life of an American city with the scope, observational precision, and moral vision of great literature.” —Slate

Nonesuch released “…and all the pieces matter”— Five Years of Music from The Wire, the first soundtrack from the critically acclaimed, Peabody Award–winning HBO series The Wire in January 2008—two days after the series kicked off its fifth season on the pay television network. Although music plays a significant role in the David Simon–created drama, it has never before been collected and released as an album.

Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Tracks from The Wire, comprises only the “…and all the pieces matter” tracks by Baltimore musicians, tracks from the city's club and hip-hop scene that have never before appeared on a major label release, including Rod Lee’s “Dance My Pain Away,” Tyree Colion’s “Projects,” Diablo’s “Jail Flick,” Mullyman’s “The Life, The Hood, The Streetz,” and “What You Know About Baltimore?” by Ogun featuring Phathead.

Over the course of five seasons, The Wire developed a portrait of Baltimore through the themes of education, the war on drugs, the decline of the working class, the role of political leadership in addressing urban problems, and the mass media’s impact on the city.