THERE ARE SEVERAL ways to soundtrack a journey back from hell. On a Wednesday afternoon in late November, Jorge Pabón lifts himself out of his wheelchair, props himself up, and scrolls through his iTunes until the right song hits him. “Órale!” he exclaims, as the chugging guitar riffs of “Disposable Heroes,” Metallica’s adrenaline-pumping war epic, fill his own personal purgatory: the unassuming physical therapy gym inside New Franklin Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Queens, New York. He clasps his hands on the arm bike and propels bicycle pedals with his hands.

An easygoing occupational therapist watches him patiently — amusedly even — to ensure he’s not overexerting himself. He pauses only to sing along: “Soldier boy, made of clay/Now an empty shell.” But when he hears the salvo “Back to the front,” he spins faster.

He’s smiling when he catches his breath after an exhausting five and a half minutes. The endurance is a small triumph for Pabón, a 58-year-old hip-hop dancer, “aerosol artist,” MC, and college lecturer better known by his stage name, Popmaster Fabel.

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