Michael Saponara

HipHopDX • 23rd July 2022

Nems On His Rise From Rikers Island To Hanging With Travis Scott

Nems is making the most of his second lease on life. “There was a point when I was the grimiest person in New York City,” he tells HipHopDX via Zoom. “It was really fuck your life, but all that shit leads to nothing.”

Billboard • 20th April 2022

Fat Joe & E-40 Remember DJ Kay Slay

DJ Kay Slay and Fat Joe during DJ Kay Slay's Street Sweepers Volume II: The Pain From The Game Release Party at Golden Lady in Bronx, New York.

billboard • 29th June 2020

6LACK Interview: New EP, Kobe & More

With Uncertain Times Ahead, 6LACK's Optimism Keeps Him Moving Forward All eyes on 6LACK. In an industry where many project rollouts can feel formulaic, 6LACK's innovative approach to unveiling his appetizing 6pc Hot EP features his very own 600 Degrees hot sauce bottle delivered to fans' doorstep, tracklist-revealing scratch-offs, and a digital 6LACKBOX hub filled with everything 6LACK to connect with his growing audience. The whole thing is sure to grab the attention of envious marketing agenc

billboard • 18th June 2020

Lil Yachty Interview

Why Lil Yachty Says It's Time to 'Wake Everybody Up' Lil Yachty is coming for his respect. After not releasing any projects and remaining relatively quiet in 2019, the Sailing Team's captain returned in May with a massive chip on his shoulder, to put a bow on his momentous Lil Boat series with the third and final chapter.

billboard • 14th June 2020

Kurtis Blow on "The Breaks" 40th Anniversary

40 Years of 'The Breaks': Kurtis Blow Remembers the ‘Dream World’ Surrounding Rap’s First Gold Hit

billboard • 15th April 2020

Nav Interview: Talks New Song "Turks" and Pop Smoke

With a No. 1 album to his name and as many platinum plaques as Michael Jordan does championship rings, most would think NAV is satisfied with his place in rap, but he doesn't see it that way.

billboard • 13th April 2020

42 Dugg Interview: Rapper Talks Signing to Lil Baby & Yo Gotti

Many gambling stories end in nightmares, but rolling the dice may have saved 42 Dugg's life. After starting to rap while behind bars in 2015, Dugg began to take his rhyming career more seriously upon regaining his freedom in 2017. And he quickly caught the ear of rising star Lil Baby.

billboard • 9th April 2020

T.I. Interview: Expanding Podcast To YouTube

When T.I. was first approached about hosting a podcast, he couldn't envision himself behind a mic and not recording music. Yet since launching expediTIously with PodcastOne in September, Tip has become one of the prominent voices in hip-hop media, adding an unfiltered perspective to the growing podcast ecosystem.

billboard • 26th March 2020

CA$HPASSION Talks Being Travis Scott's Engineer

With the coronavirus pandemic highlighting essential workers who would normally be glossed over on normal weeks, many in the music world also slip under the radar and don't get their fair due. CA$HPASSION is a name people might not be familiar with outside of a select group of fans who decided to ink themselves with a Cactus Jack tattoo.

billboard • 18th March 2020

Rich the Kid Talks Frank Ocean Collab and 'Boss Man' Album

Rich The Kid Isn't Sure What Happened To His Frank Ocean Collaboration. "I don't know what happened to the Frank Ocean record," says Rich The Kid, when asked about a collaboration with the elusive R&B star that he teased in 2018. "[The Frank record] is old. It was a while ago."

billboard • 9th March 2020

Ebenezer Interview: Artist on New Project 'Bad Romantic II'

Why Ebenezer Wears His 'Bad Romantic' Label Proudly Through 'His Flaws & All' Most people might try to hide their flaws, but London-bred Ebenezer flips his imperfections into cathartic bodies of work. After baring his soul with his turbulent life story on 53 Sundays in 2018, Ebenezer returned on Friday (March 6) with the second installment of his Bad Romantic series -- a term he's heard from just about every woman he's dated.

billboard • 6th March 2020

King Von Interview: How Jail Improved Rapper's Storytelling

How King Von Used His Time in Jail to Become a Better Rapper When you name your project after LeBron James, naturally, the expectations are going to be raised to match the greatness No. 23 displays on the basketball court every night. LeVon James, which drops Friday (March 6), is a fitting title for emerging talent King Von, since LeBron's heir, 15-year-old son Bronny Jr., is a huge fan of the Chicago rapper.

billboard • 1st May 2019

NAV Interview: Talks 'Bad Habits' Going No. 1, Attention From Paparazzi & Working With Meek Mill

Not many artists can go straight from retirement to the mountaintop of music, but that's (basically) what NAV accomplished this past March. Following his two-month hiatus to start the year, the XO Records artist broke his silence with the compact Brown Boy EP, but fans wanted more. Nav then returned a week later with his star-studded Bad Habits LP on March 22.

billboard • 25th October 2018

Quavo Talks Crafting 'They Can't Win' For 'Madden 19', How 'Apeshit' Came About & What's in Store For Drake Tour

You'll most likely find Quavo at the intersection of professional sports and hip-hop. Before gracing the mic, Huncho had dreams of playing in the NFL, where he started at quarterback for Berkmar High School in Georgia and left holding the Gwinnett County record for completions in a single game -- twenty-eight -- back in 2009.

billboard • 25th October 2018

Lil Yachty Talks New Album 'Nuthin' 2 Prove' & Joint Projects With Trippie Redd & Juice WRLD

Say what you want about his music -- which is at times criminally underappreciated -- but Lil Yachty also boasts one of the best business résumés in all of hip-hop, all of while still being the age of a college senior. At the top of the month, Lil Boat added Axe to his decorated list of partnerships, which already includes lucrative deals with Sprite, Target, Disney, and Nautica, to name a few.

billboard • 14th July 2018

Meet Bobby Feeno: Former NFL Star Arian Foster on His Rap Alter Ego and Kanye West's Tweets

Arian Foster enjoyed a highly successful career on the gridiron as a four-time Pro Bowl NFL running back. Now, after hanging up his cleats in 2016, the 31-year-old is taking his talents into the recording booth, where he morphs into Bobby Feeno.

billboard • 27th June 2018

10 Years Of 'Put On': Drumma Boy Remembers Crafting The Young Jeezy & Kanye West 2008 Anthem

"I turned off all the lights and got the feeling I did when I was a kid walking into the studio for the first time..." Drumma Boy fondly remembers locking himself in the studio to craft what would go on to be Jeezy's boisterous "Put On." The anthem is celebrating its tenth anniversary on Sunday (June 3), as the timeless banger still sounds as captivatingly fresh as the first time we pressed play back in 2008.

billboard • 27th June 2018

Belly Talks Crafting '4 Days' With YG & DJ Mustard, JAY-Z Studio Sessions & Friendship With Kevin Durant

"I want it to be the perfect album. I'm just putting the pieces together, that's really all it is," a relaxed Belly quips over the phone, regarding his upcoming highly anticipated Midnight Zone project. The first piece to the puzzle was Friday's (March 23) release of the YG-assisted potential banger "4 Days," which came to fruition after the immediate chemistry that developed from the first studio session between Belly and DJ Mustard.

billboard • 27th June 2018

Preme Talks Shedding P. Reign Moniker, Working With Lil Wayne & Becoming Kevin Garnett's Favorite Rapper

"I always felt the police had stolen something from me that was mine and I wanted that back," Preme says of shedding his former moniker P. Reign. After years of being "trapped in Canada" because of longstanding legal issues, the 32-year-old delivered his much-delayed debut album Light of Day earlier this month (May 4).

billboard • 27th June 2018

Lil Baby Talks Crafting His Debut Album 'Harder Than Ever,' Working With Drake & His Decision to Quit Lean

"You know how they have projected sales? I'm doubling it," Lil Baby confidently proclaims to conclude our conversation. With the well-oiled machine of Quality Control management at his back, the 23-year-old is looking to take his burgeoning career to another level and realize his star potential.