no ceiling
Wallo267 is the wise senior person that the hip-hop industry has been clamoring for. Eight years after serving a 20-year sentence, the podcast giant is at the forefront of a positive game-changing wave.
Interview: Joey Echevarria
Editor’s Note: This article appears in the Fall 2025 issue of XXL Magazine, on newsstands now and available on the XXL website.
Wallo267 isn’t afraid to be honest with the rapper, and he doesn’t hesitate to express his emotions. In 2022, during a powerful episode of his podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game, the 46-year-old multimedia personality joined costar Gillie Da Kid to issue a heartfelt plea to Lil Durk and a group of rappers Only The Family. Vallow urged these young men from the streets of Chicago to take advantage of opportunities and stay away from a life of crime. While Vallow’s words may have fallen on deaf ears to Durk, who is currently facing trial in prison for a murder-for-hire plot, Vallow remains steadfast in his mission, using his decades in prison as a means of motivation and growth.
Wallo267, whose real name is Wallace Peebles, entered the Pennsylvania criminal justice system at age 11. Throughout his teenage years in North Philadelphia, he never spent a full year outside of prison. In 1997, at the age of 17, he was convicted of armed robbery and served 20 years in state prison. Despite the challenges of incarceration, these two decades served as a valuable crash course in discipline and self-control for him.
After his release in 2017, Wallo began documenting his new life on his Instagram account @Wallo267, which referenced his former prison inmate number DG-2670. His combination of humor and real human insight has made his journey to redemption increasingly popular on social media. In 2019, he launched the podcast Million Dollaz Worth of Game, once again collaborating with his cousin Gillie Da Kid, whom he had previously collaborated with as a member of the rap group Major Figgas. Their candid, unfiltered interviews with high-profile guests, combined with their confident, humorous street knowledge, set a new standard in the ever-evolving hip-hop scene.
Driven by a desire to inspire marginalized communities, Vallow successfully transitioned from ex-con to mainstream media mogul. One year after being fully released from 31 years of parole, Vallow is a master at motivation. Whether it’s through the 2024 New York Times bestseller Armed With Good Intentions or his engaging YouTube show from Nanny’s House Entertainment, Wallo is always moving forward.
One of the most influential voices in culture, Wallo267 sat down via Zoom last August to discuss the importance of maintaining discipline, how he uses comedy to get his message across, the future of Million Dollaz Worth of Game, the lasting impact he hopes to have on hip-hop, and more.
XXL: The million-dollar value of gaming podcasts has had such an impact on culture. What do you think are some of the show’s most important moments?
Wallo267: I can’t say for now. All I can say is that the message that we bring to people, whether it’s a commercial spotlight, whether it’s hearing someone’s story, whether it’s humanizing an artist, whenever I tell my truth, it empowers people. There are a lot of different moments.
We saw incredible things like the famous Lil Durk speech and what you said in that room, and so many other moments. Does delivering your message feel like a never-ending uphill battle?
To be completely honest with you? No. The reason I say no is because everyone’s alarm goes off at different times in their lives, and I never really think about mine. It took me decades to get it right, and just because you tell someone what’s right doesn’t mean they’re going to accept it in that moment.
They may not be open, their minds may not be there. Their hearts may not be there. So, everyone has different times. I would never judge someone just because I have something to say, I think it’s important that they stop and listen. It might even be good for them, but they might not be in that place in life right now. So, I understand that.
Both you and Gillie Da Kid have many other business projects coming up. Have you ever discussed the ending of the show you performed together, or are you both willing to accept it and grow accordingly?
I guess everything must come to an end. When will it end? We’re not ready to put it all together yet, but that’s definitely the end of it. You can’t do one thing forever. We talk about it a lot, but we’re going to continue to take care of people in the best way possible until we decide not to.
Do the jokes and humor in Million Dollaz Worth of Game get in the way of your overall message of hope and motivation?
You have to think about it. If you can make them laugh, you can make them listen. Some of our greatest teachers were comedians: Paul Muni, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx. When you can get someone to open up through laughter and then you can put the truth in it, it’s easier to understand and easier for them to accept. It goes hand in hand.
It’s one thing to have an audience that understands the jokes and nuances of the show, but because of “cut culture,” as they say, do you feel the need to entertain through sound bites?
What I do is organic. So, I don’t have to worry about that. I realized that a lot of this editing culture and all that stuff, it wasn’t going to last. I’ve been here for years and I’ve seen people come and go. It won’t last. When you are true to yourself and authentic, that is forever. You’ll be fine. All you have to do is keep being yourself.
With so many people realizing that making the transition from hip-hop to media personality is a valid option for the future, how do you maintain your status as one of the most prominent figures in your field?
I wake up, be myself, and everything goes well for me. I don’t have to be someone else. A lot of people have to be different people and that’s hard. My mission statement is “F what they think,” right? That alone allows me to be who I am. So, I don’t need to keep changing. Most people don’t even have this mentality. They have to keep changing and trying to figure out what people like and don’t like. If they like me today and don’t like me tomorrow, it doesn’t matter to me what department I’m in.
What motivates you to think this way?
It really has nothing to do with motivation. It’s more about discipline. Motivation is a momentary thing. You are very lively today. Do you want to hype forever? Are you disciplined enough to say, “What I do today, I will do for a year in a row. I don’t care what happens, why it happens, where it happens, who it happens with, I’m not going to deviate from what I’m doing.” That’s a different game.
Now that you’ve been out of prison for eight years and one year on full parole, what kind of impact do you feel you’ve left on rappers and followers from marginalized backgrounds?
I think I’m an example of change, an example of what you can become no matter how hard it is at first. If you really believe in yourself and don’t think too much, you can really make it happen here and do some great things.
You have to be with the right people. You have to connect with the right people. You just have to be in the right mindset and know what you want. You don’t have to know everything. You can only know fifteen to twenty percent, and as long as you focus on that, as long as you persist, everything will come.
Many consider you to be the OG that modern hip-hop needs. You’re kind of like an elder in the game, showing you the right path.
Thanks.
What do you think are the benefits of doing this? Are there any disadvantages?
I’m happy to be able to say a few words or lend a helping hand. So, I don’t really see this as a drawback. Not nothing. [Hip-hop is] The soundtrack to everything we do comes from the hood. So, I’m excited to be up close and personal with something I love. This is victory.
How would you describe your place in hip-hop as it relates to the music, your relationship with rappers, and the culture in general?
You know what’s crazy? Before, I rapped a lot, but I never really got out of it because I went to jail. But lately, I can say I’ve gone platinum. I’m using BigXthaPlug for a platinum project. I’m in his [Take Care] album three times. So, now it feels like I’m in the book. I may not be able to rap anymore, but I’m on people’s albums, from Hunxho to Toosii to Larry June to Conway the Machine to Smoke DZA, Coi Leray. This is the main thing.
This is. But beyond that, you helped create a completely modern platform that was 100% hip-hop in both attitude and theory. Overall, what do you want culture to say about Wallo267?
I just want to say that I’m a contributor and I’m happy with that. [I want them to say] Gilly and I contribute a platform to culture in different ways. I’m happy to be a part of it in some way.
As you continue to grow as a mainstream media figure, are you reaching a level beyond hip-hop and what does that mean for the organic audience you’ve developed?
It has transcended hip-hop. My real audience, they love being on this journey with me and it’s my job to educate them about different ideas, different cultures, different perspectives, because that’s what life is about. Life is about growth, because you can’t stay at 10, 15, or 20 years old [years old] forever. I just take people on trips and everyone who wants to go with me can go.
Some people may feel they don’t want to go that route. If they don’t, I respect them and I appreciate them being a part of everything we have, but it’s always about growth and development.
Have you ever found that your work inspires others who are going through similar experiences as you?
I believe that has passed. My incarceration is only part of my story. I can speak to that audience, but I can also speak to an Ivy League-educated audience. That’s the point. This is the real thing you really want to witness. You want to see someone who has come from the bottom and gone all the way to unimaginable places.
When you’re stagnant, you can’t go anywhere you imagined, and you just care too much about your audience that you forget to grow. Growth replaces audience. There are always new people coming. There’s always an audience for great things, and that’s the only audience you should be paying attention to.
The Fall 2025 issue of XXL Magazine, which features Wallo267’s interview, is available for purchase here . This issue also includes cover story interviews with Joey Bada$$ and JID, with Chance The Rapper, Rob49, Curren$y, Hit-Boy, KenTheMan, Bay Swag, Hanumankind, Babyfxce E, Ghostface Killah, Hurricane Wisdom, Conway The Machine, Pluto, TiaCorine, Isaiah Falls, comedian Josh Joshson, SiriusXM Vice President of Music’s Conversation with Pandora Joshua “J1” Raiford, looks back at the changes in album releases over the years, highlighting Clipse’s Let God Sort Em Out album and more.
