The latest edition of Latto’s 777 Radio on Apple Music 1 features an interview with rising recording artist Lola Brooke.
During the conversation, Latto asked Lola Brooke about possibly dating someone in the music industry. The “Don’t Play with It” hitmaker seemed open to the idea of being in a relationship with another entertainer.
“If the vibe is right and my feelings are secure, yeah,” answered Brooke. When questioned about maybe preferring a “nine to five” partner, she replied, “I don’t mind doing that but when I really think about reality, it’ll be like, ‘Will he start fighting with my accomplishments? Will he be insecure?'”
Over the last two years, Lola Brooke rose to become one of the hottest new acts in Hip Hop. “Don’t Play with It” originally came out in May 2021. The single featuring Billy B climbed to No. 1 at urban radio in the last two weeks.
Brooke also tapped Latto and Yung Miami of City Girls for a remix version of “Don’t Play with It” which landed on March 24. The all-woman collaboration’s official music video has crossed the 4 million view mark on YouTube.
“Brooklyn is the best because no matter where you go in the world, if you’re from the Bronx or Queens or whatever, you’re going to say, ‘I’m from New York.’ But a Brooklyn person is going to say, ‘I’m from Brooklyn,'” Lola Brooke explained to Latto.
The Arista signee continued, “We’re not going to say we’re from New York, we’re going to say we’re from Brooklyn. That’s just how it is. I don’t know. Shout out to the greats: Jay-Z and Biggie.”
NLE Choppa let loose his sophomore studio LP, Cottonwood 2, today (April 14) via NLE Entertainment/Warner Records. The 22-track effort hosts several high-profile guest features.
For his latest body of work, NLE Choppa recruited 2Rare, Lil Wayne, Lola Brooke, Modesty, Fivio Foreign, Kevin Gates, Duke Deuce, Polo G, G Herbo, Queen Naija, and Rick Ross.
A music video for “Ain’t Gonna Answer” with Lil Wayne arrived on March 23. The Zaeim-directed visuals have amassed more than 2.3 million views on YouTube since its premiere last month.
The Cottonwood 2 album also hosts NLE Choppa’s viral hit “S### Me Out.” The sexually explicit single currently sits at No. 7 on the Spotify Weekly Top Songs USA chart and No. 43 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
“S### Me Out” got a streaming boost after a remix version of the song featuring Sexyy Redd landed on DSPs last week. The NSFW music video co-starring Sexyy Redd already totaled 1.5 million views in seven days.
NLE Choppa’s Cottonwood 2 is the sequel to the Cottonwood EP from 2019. The 20-year-old Memphis native’s discography also contains the Top Shotta studio LP as well as the From Dark to Light and Me vs. Me mixtapes.
Time magazine revealed its annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Grammy-winning musicians Beyoncé and Doja Cat are among the one hundred selections for 2023.
Doja Cat appears on one of the Time100 covers. Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger, The White Lotus actress Jennifer Coolidge, and Creed III actor/director Michael B. Jordan also fronted editions of the Time100 issue.
“I’ve worked with all kinds of artists, but with a certain few you connect on a deeper level. For me, Doja Cat is one of those artists. She’s at the top because she works to bring everything she does to the highest possible level,” wrote Elvis director Baz Luhrmann for Time.
Doja Cat contributed the “Vegas” single to Elvis (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack). “Vegas” peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The track earned a Best Rap Performance nomination at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
R&B/Pop megastar Beyoncé made it onto the Time100 list as well. Time placed the former lead singer of Destiny’s Child in the Titans section along with other selectees such as Angela Bassett, Lionel Messi, Patrick Mahomes, and Elon Musk.
“After being approached to work on her 2022 album Renaissance, I realized very quickly that I was contributing to yet another historic moment—not only for dance music, but also as a celebration of the foundations of Black music,” penned deejay/producer Honey Dijon about Beyoncé.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart with 332,000 first-week units. The Parkwood Entertainment founder’s seventh studio LP won four trophies, including Best Dance/Electronic Music Album, at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
In addition to Doja Cat and Beyoncé, the 2023 Time100 also features articles about Zoe Saldaña, Steve Lacy, Brittney Griner, Bella Hadid, MrBeast, Hakeem Jeffries, Jerrod Carmichael, and more. The 17th annual TIME100 Gala will take place on April 26, 2023.
Reservoir Media has announced it has acquired Mannie Fresh’s catalog in a deal that includes both publishing and recorded music rights.
According to variousoutlets, the New York-based independent music rights company announced the acquisition of the multi-Platinum, Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer’s works without disclosing the financial details.
Mannie Fresh is well known for his hits with Cash Money Records, including Juvenile’s 1998 hit “Back That Azz Up.” Bryan “Baby” Williams made his fellow New Orleans native the label’s only in-house producer when he co-founded the company in 1991.
His production credits include multiple tracks from Cash Money, including multi-platinum hits from the likes of Lil Wayne and T.I., among others. He also produced projects for Hot Boys, made up for Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., and Turk.
Confirming the deal Mannie Fresh said: “It’s great to be joining up with Faith Newman and the entire Reservoir team. I’m grateful for their support, and I know they’ll take care of my music.”
Meanwhile, Mannie Fresh still knows how to keep a crowd lit. He took to Instagram this week to share a highlight reel from his DJ set at the 2nd annual 100 Black Men Sneaker Ball. Check out the video below, backed by Juvenile’s Mannie Fresh-assisted 1998 song, “Welcome 2 tha Noila.”
50 Cent has opened up on his financial status, saying although he’s not technically a billionaire, what he lacks in net worth, he makes up for in mentality.
According to the G-Unit mogul, there’s little separation between him and 7-figure tycoons because his vast empire means he has the wealth to buy whatever he wants. Furthermore, as he explained during an appearance on The Enthusiast Podcast, he feeds countless families and pays a constant stream of employees.
“So when they financially say, ‘Oh you’re a billionaire, this person is a billionaire’, it’s like, ‘I’ve been a billionaire since 2007. I’m that far from where I came from that I’ve been a billionaire financially because everybody around me is being paid,” 50 Cent explained. “Resources that I compensate for people to be there and I really don’t see things that I want that I can’t go get it.”
He continued: “You got givers and takers, right? People they’ll come and you’ll feel them looking at you like, ‘I’m excited because he’s such and such…,’ or, ‘I wanna meet him because I wanna talk to him and maybe this will happen for me,’ or, ‘Maybe he’ll finance my idea’, right? Those people are takers ’cause you see them once. Then you have the guy that hears you talking about an idea and says, ‘Yeah that’s a good idea, let’s do it man.’ That’s a giver because finance means nothing to ’em.”
Check out the clip below and watch the interview at the end of the page.
Despite declaring bankruptcy back in 2015, Fiddy has built a vast empire outside of his success in music. 50 Cent may not keep up with Hip-Hop’s sole billionaire Jay-Z but he is making bank with his television empire and various alcohol brands.
Last year 50 Cent further bolstered his media presence after ditching Starz, where he produced BMF and several Power spinoffs. He signed a new non-exclusive broadcast deal with Fox last year to produce shows with Fif’s G-Unit Film & Television.
Meanwhile, earlier this week, 50 Cent announced he is working with Nicki Minaj on a new animated series. Read about it here.
Doja Cat is making a statement on the remix to SZA’s#### song “Kill Bill.”
Last weekend, the L.A. native claimed she is quitting pop music to focus on honing her rapping talents. However, she backtracked just a few days later. In a series of tweets, Doja trolled fans with song names and announced her upcoming project would be “a french conceptual experimental country/bohemian fusion with the essence of blue-grass.”
Nonetheless, on Thursday (Apr. 13), Doja Cat jumped on Twitter to tease her surprise song with SZA, and she’s rapping on it. “sis… I did something bad,” she penned. Her “Kiss Me More” collaborator replied, “Jesus.. what is it.”
Doja’s response assured fans something was on the way: “9pm / 4.13.23,” Doja tweeted.
The Grammy Award-winning duo remained silent until the track dropped, taking to Instagram to thank each other for the collab.
Doja Cat continues the “Kill Bill” song’s murderous storyline, rapping about killing her ex’s new girl in the opening verse. Check out Doja Cat and SZA on the “Kill Bill” remix at the end of the page.
Earlier this week, Doja Cat took to Twitter to share a few details about her upcoming album.
“no more pop,” she tweeted, admitting, “pop isnt exciting to me anymore. I dont wanna make it.”
The L.A. native added she’s “definitely a rapper,” and revealed that she wants to showcase her rapping chops.
“i also agree with everyone who said the majority of my rap verses are mid and corny,” she said in response to criticism of her Hip-Hop credentials, adding, “I know they are. I wasnt trying to prove anything I just enjoy making music but I’m getting tired of hearing yall say that i can’t so I will.”
The ‘Kill Bill” remix is the first time Doja Cat and SZA have linked on a track. Their 2021 single, “Kiss Me More,” won the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the Grammys the following year.
Nicki Minaj has teamed up with Ice Spice on the remix to the hit song “Princess Diana,” which marks the first official release on the Queens icon’s new record label, Heavy On It.
She warned not to play with her this year, and Nicki Minaj is living up to her word just a quarter of the way through. After dropping her hit “Red Ruby Da Sleeze,” Nicki linked with NBA Youngboy on “WTF” and Kim Petras on “Alone,” due next week. She also recently announced she will voice and executive produce the new 50 Cent backed animated series, Lady Danger.
Last month the “Do We Have A Problem” hitmaker made a bang on her comeback to Queen Radio when she announced the label, but details remained scant. However, she returned to her radio show on Thursday evening (Apr. 13), to reveal the name of her new venture, Heavy On It Records.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, Nicki Minaj announced she had linked up with rising star Ice Spice on the “Princess Diana” remix. Furthermore, eagle-eyed fans spotted the track is released under Nicki’s new imprint.
The song also rocketed to the top of the iTunes chart, extending her run as the rapper with the most No. 1s on the platform.
Nicki Minaj And Ice Spice Tease ‘Princess Diana’ Remix Visuals
A new video will arrive today (Apr. 13), and the ladies teased a few images from the visuals. Check them out below and stream the song at the end of the page.
Back in January, Ice Spice reflected on her first meeting with Nicki Minaj, citing her a big influence.
“When I saw Nicki, I was so mesmerized,” she recalled during an interview with XXL. “She’s the first female rapper that I [saw]. And ever since then, I was kinda set on what I wanted to be.”
Then last month, Nicki shared the Bronx rapper’s Paper magazine cover, crowning her “The People’s Princess.”
Kelly Monrow is an accomplished Americana rock-infused pop-country singer who has established a reputation as a talented and charismatic performer. Kelly has always had a deep love for music. After relocating from Texas to the culturally diverse cities of New York and Nashville, her appreciation blossomed even more during the pandemic – leading her on an unexpected journey to discovering her musical muse.
Her musical style is influenced by various artists, including Stevie Nicks, Bonnie Raitt, Prince, Rolling Stones, Bono U2, Biggie Smalls, and Shania Twain. Each of these musicians has played a significant role in inspiring Kelly’s start in music, and their impact can be heard in her sound.
One of the most impressive aspects of Kelly’s musical talent is her songwriting process. Whether she writes on the spot or works on a melody over a week, Kelly is known for creating stunning, emotional compositions that resonate with listeners. Her ability to tap into her feelings and experiences and translate them into memorable lyrics is a testament to her songwriting skill.
When it comes to recording, she approaches the process with a seasoned professionalism that is rare in today’s music industry. Working with an expert team of musicians and producers, she jumps into the studio and lays down each instrument one layer at a time, building each song piece by piece. This methodical approach ensures that every element of the recording process is perfected, resulting in an excellent final product that showcases this artist`s outstanding musical talents.
In 2022, the music world was blessed with an exceptional album titled “Scars of Venus.” The album boasted 12 tracks that seamlessly blended classic rock, pop, and country genres, creating a refreshing and electrifying musical experience for listeners.
Her latest drop in 2023, “Rise Up,” is driven by a captivating melody seamlessly woven together by the strumming of the guitar chords, a thumping bass drum, and the subtle addition of keyboards. The engrossing beat sets the stage for Kelly’s exquisite vocals, delivered with emotion and conviction. Adding an extra layer of intensity to the song, “Rise Up” features notable rapper Young Buck, whose impactful verses complement Kelly’s soulful singing. Their combination has resulted in a lyrical, uplifting, and inspiring masterpiece.
As the title suggests, “Rise Up” is a song about overcoming obstacles and persevering through tough times. Kelly’s impeccable songwriting skills and stirring delivery of the lyrics make the song relatable and relevant to anyone who has ever faced adversity.
The European-born artist, Drei, has recently released his latest single, “Bands,” featuring Rick Ross, under the Renegade Territory music label on March 29th, 2023. This new addition to his catalog has already gained millions of views and continues to add to his growing success.
Aside from music, Drei and Rick Ross have discussed potential business ventures, including hotel and real estate development in Tulum, Mexico. The music video for “Bands” was directed by Richard Stan and showcases Drei’s unique style and voice that has made him stand out in the industry.
Drei’s distinct sound and physical appearance, combined with his European background and American base in Los Angeles, has created a powerful presence in the hip-hop scene. He is the first European artist to genuinely integrate into hip-hop and has collaborated with A-list artists such as Vory, The Game, DMX, Sean Paul, and Rich the Kid. Fans can expect more exciting collaborations with other hip-hop and Latin artists in his upcoming releases.
By the way, Meek Mill, and Rick Ross have been seen in the studio. It’s looking like they are going to do some good music together. Meek has not hit in a minute! His “God Did” freestyle was incredible though. I am appreciative that these guys are working again. Now that Meek has struck it out on his own, he has a different world to look at.
There’s no Roc Nation, there is no Jay-Z and I am sure there’s a lot of favor that comes with being down with the winning team. On the other side, he did not have the most favorable financial terms either. So, that said, it is good the Ross is lending his name and voice to assist. That’s dope.
Here’s some video of that session.
Do you think Meek can rise back up to the top, like he was with Drake, Cole and Kendrick? I suppose time will tell, right?
There is another level to the friendship between Ross and Milly…
There’s nothing like a good friend. And Rick Ross is epitome of a good friend! He bought his friend Meek Mill’s House. He even paid cash for it! What’s better than that? Meek’s home was on the market for several years and was not selling in an Atlanta suburban. Rosay went and purchased it for $4.2 million cash! All those rich rappers down there and nobody else thought to buy it?
What is really cool is that Meek needed to sell it and get it off the market. That’s a lot of money and you’re not even living in it? That’s a boss move! The other thing that I heard is true is that he paid about $2 million more than it was valued at. I wonder what Rick Ross plans to do with the location. You know he’s good at flipping things. So he may turn around and use it as another location to shoot movies in. Or he may turn it into a farm and get all of the government tax breaks that a man could ever want. Or he may just find a festival and create it around this towering hulk of a home.
Born less than 100 miles away from Miami in the Palm Beach, Florida town of Riviera Beach and raised the youngest of three in the smaller town of Fort Pierce, music has been a significant part of 50Jittsteppa’s life for as far back as he can remember. His father was a big fan of Lil Boosie and Florida legend JT Money, and his mother fancied the R&B grooves of 90s supergroup TLC.
50Jittsteppa fell in love with the sound of music in fourth grade, and by the time he turned 12 years old, he began mastering his freestyling abilities. “Everything is really freestyle,” 50Jittsteppa contends. “I don’t write nothing.” In less than a year’s time, this rising rap star has turned his freestyle videos posted to social media into a fledging musical movement. 50Jittsteppa has given us “Super Slimey”, “Jordan”, and “Won’t Stop Now”, all released in early 2023, and now he’s giving us Cupid. Check it out.
Rising Hip-Hop artist Jacquel is ready to take the music business by storm. As an artist who takes rap music to new heights, he comes from humble beginnings growing up in the heart of Hip Hop known as Atlanta, Georgia. Bringing in a new energetic, fun rapping style to the forefront, he delivers an impressive debut project titled The Only One. Teaming up with heavy hitter DJ Cassius Cain for this release has turned out to be a match made in heaven for Jacquel.
Jacquel got his start in the music business recording himself on FL Studio in 2020. Once he realized that creating music was second nature to him, he began rapping seriously discovering that music was more than just a hobby. He joined the choir and band during his teenage years furthering his passion for music and love for creating. Being in Atlanta he was able to see rappers become superstars within a blink of an eye and he knew he wanted to make his dreams a reality one day.
By having DJ Cassius Cain executive produce his project Jacquel knew he needed to be working with someone who knows the ins and outs of this business. On The Only One, you will hear an array of lethal punchlines, memorable bars, and high-energy beat tempos throughout. The Atlanta native does an excellent job of infusing his Southern influence into his original sound, which creates a unique listening experience. From song to song, it becomes apparent why Jacquel is a star in the making. He is determined to show the world why he is “the only one” the world should be listening to this Spring and Summer.
He has what it takes to stamp his name in the Hip Hop game in a major way. Press play below to stream Jacquel’s debut project “The Only One” below and watch his official music video here.
Allen Hughes defended his involvement in the upcoming FX documentary seriesDear Mama: The Saga of Afeni and Tupac Shakur.
Hughes discussed his past issues with Tupac and the decision to direct Dear Mama while promoting the show. The director denied any resentment for Tupac, who attacked Hughes after getting fired from the movie Menace II Society.
“What kind of b#### ass s### would I be on to first of all not be proud of the icon he’s become?” Hughes said. “And why would I want to s### on that? If anything, the reason why I took the job was I want to understand him more.”
He continued, “I’m trying to understand—you go around the world, Africa, South America, Asia, Europe, you see that mural. You don’t see anyone around the world like that. I don’t give a f### who it is. You don’t see ‘em in Africa like Tupac … He’s the strange, paradoxical 20th century figure that you can project anything you want to: lover, fighter, saint, sinner, poet, philosopher, violence. Whatever you want to see, you’ll see in Tupac.”
Hughes believed he was able to explore Tupac’s life on a deeper level than other filmmakers. The director aimed to figure out who the late rapper truly was.
“My only confidence in this whole journey was like I just don’t feel his story was ever done justice in the documentaries and the features,” Hughes said. “I just feel like it was always surface stuff. Not to knock anyone because there were some docs and stuff that were decent.”
FX’s Dear Mama premieres on April 21. The documentary series will be available to stream on Hulu.
A photographer sued Cam’ron for selling merchandise featuring a memorable photo of the Dipset member.
According to Billboard, Djamilla Cochran filed a lawsuit against Cam’ron in New Jersey on Tuesday (April 11). Cochran accused the rapper of using her photo of him without licensing it.
Cochran photographed Cam’ron wearing a pink coat with a matching flip phone in 2003. The image quickly became part of Killa Cam’s brand.
Cam’ron allegedly plastered the image on t-shirts, hoodies and other items to sell on his Dipset Couture store. Cochran accused the Diplomats artist of ignoring several warnings about copyright infringement.
“Getty Images notified defendants of their infringing activities by mail and email on multiple occasions,” Cochran’s attorneys wrote, per Billboard. “Despite those notifications, defendants continued to sell merchandise and continued to display the photograph on website and accounts.”
Cam’ron was hit with the lawsuit a few days after facing backlash for his comments on a photo of Michael B. Jordan and Jonathan Majors. Killa Cam took a shot at the Creed 3 co-stars after seeing an image of Majors embracing Jordan.
“The reason I didn’t go see Creed,” he wrote on Instagram.
Cam’ron denied he was homophobic in response to criticism of his remarks.
Megan Thee Stallion asked a judge to appoint a third party to handle her label’s finances.
According to TMZ, the 28-year-old rapper accused 1501 Certified Entertainment of running low on funds in a motion filed on Thursday (April 13). Her concerns emerged in her lawsuit against 1501 and its owner Carl Crawford.
The multi-platinum selling artist claimed 1501’s primary bank account has less than $10,000 in it despite millions in deposits. She believed Crawford, J. Prince and Gee Roberson raked in money from her music without properly paying her.
Megan Thee Stallion worried about 1501’s ability to compensate her if she wins her lawsuit. She wanted a judge to enlist a third party to manage 1501’s money.
Earlier this year, Crawford expressed regret over publicly beefing with his label’s breakout star. 1501 issued a statement pledging its support ahead of her next release.
“We look forward to continuing to support our 1501 artist, Megan Thee Stallion, in all of her future endeavors,” 1501 proclaimed. “The 1501 staff is dedicated to a successful and exciting launch of this new project!”
Megan Thee Stallion sued 1501 for royalties and sought her release from her contract. She began her legal battle against the label in 2020.
A new twist has emerged in the ongoing racketeering trial of rapper Young Thug and his alleged associates from the “Young Slime Life” gang.
Several public defenders appointed by the Georgia Public Defender Council to represent three of the 14 defendants in the case claim that they are not paid enough for their services.
The defense attorneys argue that the compensation they receive needs to be revised, given the intense workload and the high-profile nature of the case.
Angela D’Williams, an attorney representing Rodalius Ryan, submitted a motion this week requesting to withdraw from the case. She described the pay as “egregiously low for the amount of work and attention this trial requires.”
Fellow defense attorneys Justin Hill and Suri Chadha Jimenez, who represent other defendants in the case, have also expressed dissatisfaction with their compensation.
The trial, which began on January 9, 2023, is expected to last at least six months.
Initially, Hill accepted the case for $7,500, but his pay was doubled when it became clear that the trial would last nearly a year. Despite the pay increase, Hill expressed his concerns about the case’s demands on his time.
“For at least a year’s worth of full-time work, that’s essentially less than minimum wage…to be honest, I could make more money working at Chick-fil-A as a cashier,” Hill told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
The defense attorneys are currently paid $15,000 each to represent their clients throughout the trial, regardless of duration.
The last straw came when the trio wrote a letter to the Georgia Public Defender Council in hopes of getting a pay raise. They request was denied. The
Hill, who represents defendant Damone Blalock, mentioned that the trial demands have required him to put other cases on hold, forcing him to work on them during nights and weekends.
The trial has seen its fair share of dramatic moments so far. In one instance, Young Thug was accused of conducting a drug deal in court, just feet away from prosecutors and bailiffs.
The incident was caught on video, further fueling the tension surrounding the case.
As the trial continues to unfold, the concerns raised by the defense attorneys about their compensation adds a new layer of complexity to an already high-stakes case.
Wiz Khalifa is one of the more underrated celebrities in the game. He makes moves and he makes music and he makes money. In the weed zone, he is the prince of it all with Uncle Snoop and Berner being the kings. But Wiz is really making some real maneuvers.
Yesterday, he revealed that he and adult entertainer Mia Khalifa are working together on something. When it was announced, people started to assume it was going to be a p-flick or something. But they are going to have to put their lotion aside and grab their lighters. This play is not in the nude. They are doing something with Wiz’s Khalifa Kush, his brand of marijuana. As you know, weed is pretty much legal these days and the culture is loving that.
I am thinking about smoking now. I do not at the moment but this might just take me over the edge. I’m kidding. This actually makes me want to smoke even less. That does not make me any less happy for the two of them.
Chicago rapper G Herbo, born Herbert Wright III, is currently negotiating with federal prosecutors over fraud and identity theft charges.
The rapper and his four co-defendants are accused of participating in a $1.5 million fraud scheme involving stolen credit cards and fake identification to fund a lavish lifestyle.
G Herbo and his associates are accused of targeting four private jet companies, two vacation rental businesses, a limousine service, hotels in Massachusetts, security companies, a limo business, and commercial airlines.
They also purchased food and even acquired two high-end puppies using the rap star’s official Instagram account. They ran the scheme from March 2016 until they were busted in December 2020.
G Herbo pled not guilty to the charges and was released on a $75,000 bond. Later, he dropped a track titled “Statement,” denying the allegations.
The feds just requested a Rule 11 hearing for G Herbo. A Rule 11 hearing, as outlined by the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, is a court proceeding during which a defendant may plead guilty to criminal charges.
This hearing aims to ensure that the defendant’s guilty plea is voluntary and that the defendant understands the charges and the consequences of pleading guilty.
The charges against G Herbo include aggravated identity theft, wire fraud, and conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
With the potential dismissal of the Section 1028A(a)(1) counts, which cover aggravated identity theft and carry a minimum mandatory term of two years of incarceration following any other form of punishment, the ongoing negotiations are particularly complex.
The plea deal, if reached, may help the rapper avoid prison time for the identity theft and fraud charges.
Both the government and defense counsel require until approximately June 1, 2023, to continue their plea negotiations, citing complex matters of fact involved in the case.
Fulton County Jail’s mission statement reads: “It is the mission of the Fulton County Detention Center to safely and humanely house incarcerated offenders in such a manner as to protect the public, protect the institution and protect the inmates, all while offering offenders the opportunity to better prepare themselves for their return to society through participation in the programs at our facility.”
But recent headlines suggest the Atlanta jail isn’t adhering to those values. On Wednesday (April 12), CBS Newsreported an inmate named LaShawn Thompson was in jail for three months when he was found dead in a dirty jail cell “after being eaten alive by bed bugs and insects.”
Then earlier this month, YFN Lucci—who’s been incarcerated at Fulton County since January 2021—was on camera appearing to throw back a bottle of lean like he’s at summer camp.
But that was only the beginning. In another particularly disturbing video from within the Fulton County Jail walls, an alleged YSL member is hogtied and gagged as he’s viciously assaulted by a purported YFN member. In the clip, the man is being hit so hard, his skull is heard bouncing off the ground. The attacker also has a knife and films himself trying to scrape off the assault victim’s tattoo.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfuH–WxVd4
Fulton County Jail has been scrutinized multiple times in the past. Last December, an inmate’s family alleged their relative was forced to defecate in a garbage bag after a water line rupture. Inmates were also without heat during a winter storm brought below-freezing temperatures to metro Atlanta. Still, they were told they couldn’t walk around with blankets to stay warm.
As for the bed bug incident, jail records revealed detention officers and medical staff at the jail noticed the man’s deteriorating health but did nothing to help him, leading to his death last September.
The family is calling for a criminal investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death, as well as the closure and replacement of the Fulton County Jail. Perhaps that’s a good idea.
Mickey Factz has done something never before, a mighty feature in a culture that now celebrates 50 years of greatness. He has graduated the first class of the Hip Hop Academy and hosted Bun B as the commencement speaking to the students earlier this month. To the Pendulum Ink Academy, the UGK legend said, “In my 31 years (rapping professionally), I have never seen something like what you guys have accomplished in the last eight months, and the reason I haven’t seen it because it didn’t exist.”
Factz, at one time, was a student a NYU, but eventually dropped out to be a full-time emcee in 2007. The skills and experience he has amassed as a song writer, ghost writer, and battle emcee have now been poured into his student. Even with this talent, Factz has assembled a proverbial posse of rap acts to support the effort. Lecturers include Phonte from Little Brother, Masta Ace, Inspectah Deck, Method Man Cory Gunz, Sa-Roc, Lady London, Che Noir, 40 B.A.R.R.S., Twista, Ras Kass, Cyhi the Prynce, MC Juice, Daylyt, Skyzoo and others.
Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur talks to the dean of lyricism about what is now and next for Pendulum Ink.
AllHipHop: Good, definitely, man. All right, so let’s just jump right into it. I know you got things to do and I got some movers moving some furniture in here, so I got to do some stuff too. But let me do the intro and we’ll just roll with it.
Mickey Factz: All right.
AllHipHop: All right. What’s good, world? It’s your man, Chuck Creekmur, aka Jigsaw, and I’m here with one of my favorite MCs, but he’s moving into the education sphere, the world of education. Mickey Factz is with AllHipHop. What’s going on?
Mickey Factz: It’s Schmickey!
AllHipHop: “It’s Schmickey.” Oh, so you still can do that now? Okay!
Mickey Factz: Yeah, man. It’s still Mickey.
AllHipHop: Right. Okay. I thought “professor,” maybe you’d change it up a little.
Mickey Factz: Oh, I’m the dean.
AllHipHop: The dean. That’s what’s up. I know a few deans, man. They all have high stature, you know what I’m saying? So you’ve transitioned into… Well, you tell me what you’ve done. That way I don’t put words in your mouth and you can actually tell us what you’ve done.
Mickey Factz: Man, I have created the first ever hip hop academy for lyricism and knowledge based around Hip-Hop.
AllHipHop: Okay, dope. And give us the name, it’s Pendulum Ink.
Mickey Factz: So pendulum was a word for one of my songs that I had with my co-founder, Chilla Jones, a popular battle rapper. So I came to him and said, “Yo, if I do this, I can only do this with you” because if something ever happened to me, I could rely on him to teach the program and keep it going. So we had one song that we did called Pendulum. Just Blaze actually produced the record for me. And when I was incorporating it, they was like, you could say Inc, I-N-C, or LLC. And I was like, why don’t we say Pendulum Inc. And I asked him, what do you think it should be I-N-C or I-N-K? And he was like, I-N-K. So that let me know I made the right choice and it just stuck, you know what I’m saying? Pendulum Ink. It just rolls pretty well.
AllHipHop: Nice. Now I’ve read up on how this all came about, but since this is your first time talking to us, tell us how this all coalesced.
Mickey Factz: Ah, man, what a word.
AllHipHop: Yeah, see I’m using the big words now, bro.
Mickey Factz: Well, listen man, all those that follow my career know that I went to NYU, I went and studied law and I dropped out to be an MC. It’ll be 16 years that I’ve been living off music. And I started thinking about retirement. What does retirement look like for an MC? I see people saying, you could rap until you 50, 60. But the reality is, I don’t know any 60-year old rappers. I’m not saying that it won’t happen. I think the oldest might be 55, 56 that’s still active, which might be Kool G Rap, potentially.
AllHipHop: Yeah, there’s a couple, and active depends on what active is. So some are still touring, say like Public Enemy or something like that, but not as active as writing. I would say KRS-One is probably the most senior level MC that’s writing, age wise.
Mickey Factz: Yeah. So I said to myself, I don’t know if personally I want to rap in my sixties. I don’t know if I want to rap in my fifties. And I started to think, what does that look like for us as a community of MCs and lyricists? And I said, you know what? What’s a great transition point? And I felt that moving into the education space would be that. And obviously we’ve had courses here and there. 9th Wonder did one, we have Lupe Fiasco at MIT right now. Obviously Mad Skillz has something at the University of Virginia, so guys are doing it. But these guys have degrees with the exception of Lupe, and I don’t have a degree. So as I was trying to get work while still being an MC, I was getting turned down left and right.
And then finally, during the pandemic, Masterclass really blew up. And I approached Masterclass and they basically told me, don’t call us, we’ll call you. And that was the greatest thing that they could have ever done because it forced me to create my own online school. And that’s where we at right now.
AllHipHop: Nice. Now you got to talk about the names of the artists that are coming through because it’s pretty impressive, man. I saw Meth, really impressive list. So you tell us, and how did you get these people?
Looking like Ab Soul teaching in May. Long Live Lyricism. We getting closer and closer to bigger things. pic.twitter.com/HbMi1ZY2MP
Mickey Factz: Okay, so let’s walk through year one. Year one in order Inspectah Deck, Phonte, Masta Ace, Cory Gunz, Skyzoo. Then we had Women’s Month, which is August, Sa-Roc, Lady London, Che Noir, 40 B.A.R.R.S. Then we had Summer School, Twista. Then we went back to the regular scheduled program, Ras Kass, Cyhi the Prynce, MC Juice, Daylyt and Method Man. And that was all online. And that’s not including the people that jumped in to watch the classes. Sway, Rockness Monsta, Kid Capri, Pete Rock, Iron Solomon, the list goes on and on.
Year two, this year, 2023, we got RJ Payne, Ransom, Pharoahe Monch, Benny the Butcher, Ab-Soul, Big Boi from Outkast, Big K.R.I.T, Twista is pulling back up, Killer Mike, DMC, Wordsworth, Lord Finesse, and King Los, Shawnna for Women’s Month. Rah Digga for Women’s Month. I’m working on Tierra Whack, I’m working on Kool G Rap. Those are the last two people to get on for each year.
AllHipHop: Kool G Rap, I regard him as my favorite MC, the goat of my personal life. And there’s other goats obviously, we can never really pin down one, but it’d be great to have him in there for his multi syllabic style of rhyming and being that pioneer.
Mickey Factz: We trying. He just needs to answer the email. We got some money for him, you know what I’m saying? Him and Elza have been pretty tough, but aside from them, it’s just me really reaching out to these guys and letting them know what we have. And I haven’t really heard no. It’s been yes, yes, yes…
AllHipHop: Now, as a person who used to really rap very heavily myself, once upon a time, you would study the greats. What makes this different in that regard?
Mickey Factz: Well, so far it’s been very receptive. It’s been a 95% positive feedback space. And obviously with anything you do, you’re going to have people that are deterred and they don’t believe in going against the grain of what is authentic with Hip-Hop and lyricism. But for me, I look at it like this, rather me than someone not of the culture.
AllHipHop: That’s a fact.
Mickey Factz: And frankly, if I didn’t do this, it was eventually going to happen. And me doing this, I think from my peers, the people that I’ve reached out to come and teach, there’s a natural progression in the people that I reach out to because I have a five-year plan of who I want to come. So there’s people saying, “Yo, can you get Eminem? Can you get Nas?” Yeah, I’m going to get them, but let’s build this together. What people are seeing is history, we’re literally living in history right now with Pendulum Ink. It’s the very first ever space. So we’re naming names that are iconic on the underground level as well as the mainstream level. And it needs to be built up as such, because you don’t want to just come out and be like, we got Jay Z coming in to teach. And then it’s like, where do you go from Jay? You got to build up to this. You know what I’m saying?
So we have these incredible MCs coming to do for one masterclass per month. They’re coming in and they’re breaking down their style. They’re breaking down their rhyme pattern, they’re breaking down their delivery style, they’re breaking down their mental health components. And the students speak to them and ask them specific questions, delegating only on their writing technique, their delivery style and mental health space when constructing specific songs. We don’t get into tabloids, we don’t get into rumors, we don’t get into anything that has nothing to do with the actual art form of lyricism and content creation within music.
AllHipHop: Why mental health space? Why is that a factor?
Mickey Factz: The mental health space is the main component, one of the main components here at Pendulum Ink. It’s very, very important that we implemented a mental health space within our lexicon. So we have Rhymecology. Rhymecology is created by my brother, professor Jeff Walker. He’s a mental health specialist who specializes in helping MCs express and discover themselves through rhyme. And he does one-on-one work with our students. He has a Wednesday class where it’s mandatory that you go.
AllHipHop: So what’s the student body look like?
Mickey Factz: Man, we have students from all over the world. Most of the students came from the South, North Carolina, Florida, and Georgia. But we have students from all over the country. We have some international students, we have three Canadian students, we have two Mexican students, we have one student from Greece, we have another from South Africa, we have another from India. And when those students from across the pond come in, it’s two, three in the morning and they’re in class, bushy-tail, wide eyed, ready to learn. And that’s what the power of Hip-Hop looks like with people’s cameras on, which doesn’t happen when you do Zoom meetings, people have their cameras off. These students have their cameras on, they’re in tune. They want to learn, they want to get better and that’s what matters.
AllHipHop: Yeah. Has anyone ever failed out?
Mickey Factz: So no, not as of yet. We haven’t had anybody fail yet. We’ve had some low scores on some tests, and when a student gets a low score, we pull them in for a one-on-one talk and be like, we got to help you step your game up. Last year we had a two course program track. Sophomore and freshman, which was Rap Theory, and then advanced techniques was the junior, senior.
Now as we go into year two, we understand as we’re expanding that we need more time to help an MC get better. So now we have Rap Theory 101, teaching you how to rhyme on beat better. Rap Theory 102, teaching you the basic foundations of writing. Then we have Advanced Rap Theory, and that’s teaching you advanced styles and different ways to run. We’re talking E-40, Bone Thugs, Twista, the Detroit Style. And then we got Advanced Techniques teaching you a higher level of writing. So through this 4-year track, if you come in not being able to rap year one, by the year four, you should be great at what it is that we do.
AllHipHop: What about the intangibles, the marketing, promo, getting a deal or not, maybe going the independent route? Do you guys, have you delved into that yet?
Mickey Factz: Yeah, so we have a business class that we had last year called Mickey Money. This year we have the behind the scenes with Law, which is Lawrence Parker, who manages Jay Electronica. He will be doing the business class for our MCs. And we also have a finance class, Hip-Hop According to Finance taught by New York Life Insurance employees. It’s very important that the MCs understand and know the business of the game as well as what can we do to assist you to go to the next level. Now listen, it’s just like the freshman cover that I was on. It was 10 of us on the cover. Everybody wanted all 10 of us to be where Drake is, and in reality, it doesn’t work like that. So we give people realistic expectations on what to expect when you leave the culture.
AllHipHop: Have you ever thought about going back and getting your degree or is that insignificant? Or will you give yourself one from Pendulum Ink?
Mickey Factz: I can definitely give myself one, but I just learned recently that there is a degree program at the University of North Carolina, UNC, Chapel Hill, and they’re giving out rap degrees. I’ve been seriously considering taking that class to get a degree in rap. That would be the only way I go back to school is if I get a degree in rap. But if I don’t go there, then I think we at the school validate Hip-Hop culture and that to me is what matters. I want our degrees to be accredited through the OGs and the people who start this thing so that I can license my curriculum, my lexicon, my syllabus to other schools and get my students hired by having this degree and scoring at a specific level to have them teach what it is that we do here.
AllHipHop: I have to bring up KRS-One because he is known as the teacher. Have you had any talks with him at all or has he come up?
Mickey Factz: As you stated – KRS-One, he’s still active. He’s still an active MC. He’s touring like a mad man. I know he just started this new nonprofit with Chuck D and Kurtis Blow. I would love to have a lecture-based class with KRS. He is the teacher and I haven’t had the chance to speak to him. It’s pretty tough these days as he is touring and a multitude of things. But I one million percent am sure that all I need from KRS is five minutes to tell him what I’m doing and he’s going to be like, absolutely. I already know.
AllHipHop: No doubt. Well man, I’m definitely impressed, man. And I find it’s slightly ironic because back in the day if you went to college or if you were educated in a formal way, it was corny. So now do you feel like it’s changing? Is this cool now, new cool?
Mickey Factz: I think you got to think about it like this, Chuck. Back then, Hip-Hop was young. It was very young. 10-years old, 20-years old. We are in the 50th year, and when you get to your 50th year, it’s maturity. And at some point we had to do something to establish ownership, establish structure, establish this space of us controlling the narrative. We do not want our history diluted over time and people forget about exactly what happened in the space of Hip-Hop. So I think that it is the perfect time for something like this to happen. I have the full support of people who have heard about it, people such as yourself who are reaching out to allow me to speak about it. And the students and the peers of mine who just champion and cosign this. It’s very important that people see that this is the future of academia.
AllHipHop: Next thing, y’all going to have frats and sororities. You know what I mean? A mascot.
Okay, sounds good. Anything else for the people?
Mickey Factz: Yeah, man. Sign up to Pendulum Ink. Year two is here. Fill out a application at pendulumink.com and have a Q & A with us, man. We are the worldwide leaders of education in Hip-Hop, man, and we are looking to expand a little bit more and grow our fan base. We have an app that’s going to be releasing very soon, so keep your eyes open and peeled for that if you’re looking to expand your knowledge from a writing standpoint, speak to some of your favorite MCs and build with a community of people that want to see you be better. Pendulum Ink is the space for you.
AllHipHop: You sound like Suge Knight right now. “Come on over to Pendulum Ink.”
Mickey Factz: That’s y’all professors and teachers out there too. If you can’t get a job teaching at your university, come over to Death Row, aka Pendulum Ink. I’ll get you a job. I pay my professors. Everything is good. Contracts, everything. Let’s go man. Pendulum, baby.
