RJ Payne has been putting in work for years, garnering a fanbase that loves his delivery. His aggressive, punchline-laden style has impressed legends and newcomers alike, echoing icons like DMX and Big Pun, while aligning with modern greats such as Mickey Factz, Ransom and Conway The Machine. His features serve as a gateway to a vast catalog, ensuring listeners tumble down the mixtape rabbit hole. As fate would have it, Busta Rhymes is also a fan of the Philly-bred MC, who’s currently working on the latest installment of his Leatherface mixtape series. In a recent interview with AllHipHop, he explains how he and Busta Rhymes, known as the Dungeon Dragon, linked up for “GTFB.”
RJ Payne: “GTFB” – Get the f##k back, man. Crazy record, make a long story short: I think Busta said he’s been following me since I was first doing my “Murder in Less Than 60 Seconds” thing, you know, rapping in the car. And he has a freestyle to “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” from years and years ago. So he said he had his eye on me since then. One day I was just scrolling, and I saw his account on Instagram, and it said “following.” Like he’s been following me. I was like, “Alright, well, let me follow him. I didn’t know he was following me. Let me just follow him and thank him.” So I followed him, thanked him, told him I appreciated it and he was just like, “Listen man, I’m a fan. I’m watching closely. I see what you’re doing.” So, I was like, “Alright, cool.” I established a little connection with him.
So, I started working on my next album, and one day I was like, “Damn, let me hit up some of my favorite MCs and see if I can get a drop for my new album.” So I hit Busta up one day, random, like, “Yo, you know, if you got time, would you mind shooting me a little drop for my project?” And he was like, “I don’t do drops straight like that.” And I was like, “Ah, OK. I’m probably not gonna have a good interaction with Busta Rhymes now. I don’t know how this is gonna go. Maybe I just p##### him off or something.”
So, he was like, “What, you scared to rap?” Right, right. My ego instantly kicked in, like, “Man, I love Busta Rhymes to death, but ain’t no way in hell I’m scared to rap with him or nobody.” So, let me see where this is going. So, he was like, “Yeah, let’s work. Send me something.” I ended up sending him something. I sent him two beats first. He liked both beats. He was like, “Alright, send me a verse.” So, I’m like, okay, so now he wants to test my pen. He’s like, “Send me something, and if I like it…” I sent him the records. He called me instantly and was like, “Yo, this is the one. Let’s do it. Let’s do both of them.”
AllHipHop: Wait a minute, you got another one.
RJ Payne: We got some things on the way, man. That’s all I’m gonna say. We got some things in the works, my brother. OK, alright, alright, enough said.
AllHipHop: That’s crazy. But he let you go first, though. I noticed that.
RJ Payne: It’s certain MCs, you know, if I was in their shoes, I would be like, “Alright, I like you, young MC, but send me your bars first. You ain’t about to go crazy on me. Let me see what you got going on.” So, you know, respectfully, I just sent it with no problem. And in my head, I was like, “Alright, Busta is already one of the nicest MCs, so now I’m like, alright, I’m gonna have to go crazy because if he gets it and he likes it, he might smoke me. So, [I said] “Let me go kind of crazy with my pen to where, no matter what he do, he can’t body me.” And luckily, it turned out, with the people so far, they’re just saying they like our verses evenly. So, it’s dope right now, yeah.
AllHipHop: Are you going to put this on the new project?
RJ Payne: Absolutely. First single from “Leatherface 4.” Yeah, yeah, definitely. I just didn’t want to, like in the past, I tend to start promoting a project, and I might go in 30 different directions, like any other MC, and I might get pulled from that album. So, I said, “Let me start rolling this album out differently, with joints that I know for a fact are going on it.” I got a lot of heavy hitters, so I said, “Let me drop this first.” And then, you know, the video was on the way.
AllHipHop: Anything else you can tell us about Leatherface 4?
RJ Payne: Oh man, Leatherface 4, expect your favorite MCs’ favorite MCs, man. I got a lot of MCs I never worked with before, like Busta Rhymes. I give you another one, probably that I never told nobody, I got Crooked I on there as well. That joint is crazy, produced by my man PA Dre. Actually, PA Dre produced the Busta Rhymes joint and the Crooked I joint, and we got a lot more, man. My man PA Dre is a heavy influence on volume four. So, it’s gonna be crazy. Matter of fact, Cartune on volume as well, he got like two. Matter of fact, me and Cartune just knocked out a joint with my man Tec from Smif-N-Wessun, the legendary Smif-N-Wessun.
RJ Payne: I think, for me, the internet has become the new radio. The internet is the new A&R. It’s where people are finding their own emcees and they’re feeling like they have their top 10 MCs right now that you might not even like. It’s an even playing field. If you’re dope and you got a fan base, you can live, you can win. I think it’s just that simple. It’s not hard. You actually have no excuse not to be a successful musician at this point because the door is wide open.
AllHipHop: Regarding the moment during the pandemic with Royce, Ransom, Lupe, Mickey Factz, and the fraternity that seemed to be forming but then blew up over lyricism, do you think it’s possible to get that back, or is it something you would like to see again?
RJ Payne: I’m down for anything to help the Hip-Hop thing move forward, man. Whoever got a dope pen that I’m a fan of, let’s work. But that particular situation, I think, is too far gone. I feel a little bad because, just me being competitive back then when I made that tweet talking about me and Ransom was the best at that moment, that’s genuinely how I felt. Because that’s the type of Hip-Hop that I like. Royce just happened to take on to the tweet and kind of invited us to the smoke. And you see what happened with Lupe. And the next thing I know, him and Lupe fall out. It just got weird, so I think that particular group of emcees, I don’t think that’ll ever happen. Then with Mickey and Royce…
AllHipHop: What about younger artists? Anybody out there you would like to work with? I know you work with the legends a lot.
RJ Payne: It’s a few of them. A young MC named Merkules. I’m not sure if you’re familiar with him; he’s super dope. Another MC, one of my favorites, is named Little D. Little D’s fire. He got a lot of bars, he be on Instagram, he be walking, spitting bars. And another MC called Mad Squablz. Those are my favorite three young MCs, and I figured I would name three MCs that probably aren’t on the radar of a lot of people.
AllHipHop: You mentioned working with Crooked I and Busta Rhymes. Can you share more about what’s coming up, any special announcements or projects?
RJ Payne: Just stay on the lookout, more music on the way. Like I said, me and Crooked I probably be the next single, produced by my man PA Dre. Video on the way with me and Busta Rhymes as well as some special announcements. Just stay tuned, man, it’s about to get very interesting.
AllHipHop: Anything else you wanted to get across?
RJ Payne: Just thanks for the platform, thanks for your time.