Larry Jackson recently reflected on the unique and powerful position he was in when he signed Chief Keef amid an FBI investigation and death threats.
In a candid interview, the former Apple Music executive shared the unique circumstances surrounding his decision to sign Chief Keef and revealed his motivations went far beyond music. At the time, Chief Keef, who had burst into the mainstream as a teenage rapper from Chicago, was under investigation by the FBI and was reportedly the target of a $50,000 hit.
“This is the first time I’m telling this story,” Larry Jackson began, describing how a friend with ties to the FBI alerted him to a dangerous situation. “This kid took a $50,000 hit and you might want to do something about it.”
Interscope A&R Larry Jackson reveals that 16-year-old Chief Keef has been placed on the FBI watch list and his head is on the hook after Sosa signed a $6 million deal in 2012 Wearing a $50,000 bag pic.twitter.com/YIJ8UpmMsT
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Signing Chief Keef wasn’t a typical A&R decision for Jackson. “From the traditional career perspective of an A&R executive, that’s not a job. That’s not an A&R course,” he said. The threats and legal troubles Keef faced prompted Jackson to take a more active role in the young artist’s life, stepping in not only as a label representative but also as a mentor and protector.
“I personally wrote a letter to the judge,” Jackson revealed, explaining how his intervention saved Keefe from jail. “It was effective and persuasive. It kept him out of jail.
At the time, Keefe was only 16 or 17 years old and already immersed in the challenges of life on the Chicago training ground. Jackson’s involvement did more than help Keefe avoid jail time.
“I kind of took on a father figure,” he said. “It was a vision not just for music, but for his life.”
Despite the tumultuous circumstances, Jackson played an important role in shaping Keef’s debut album, Finally Rich.
“I went in and picked out the songs on the album. I came up with the intro, I came up with the interlude. I mixed the album with Chris Cheney. I sequenced the album,” Jack Sen recalled. His greatest pride, however, comes from making sure Keefe weathered turbulent times. “The most important thing to me is that he is alive. And not in prison.
Released in 2012, “Finally Rich” became a landmark album in the rise of Drill music and influenced the modern rap world. The project debuted at No. 29 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 50,000 copies in its first week. It has since been certified gold by the RIAA, with standout tracks such as “Love Sosa” and “I Don’t Like” becoming cultural mainstreams.
See the clip in the post above.
