PAYNE! Hardcore Hip-Hop fans are a pretty happy bunch these days. There is literally a revolution of sound sprouting all over the world, really putting the whole spectrum of vibrations on full display. RJ Payne emerges just when it seemed like The Griselda Crew were the only ones that could keep the underground game in a stranglehold. The Philly rapper has done what few have been able to accomplish in the overcrowded field of play. There’s a lot to unpack with a rapper like RJ Payne. He’s dope enough for Eminem to profess his respect and love. He’s also big enough to solicit a response from goat MC Royce Da 5′ 9″ when the younger emcee proclaims himself to be the best, along with comrade Ransom. Bronx rapper Mickey Factz immaculately impersonated Payne in his highly-hyped Royce-diss “Wraith,” which threw everybody for a loop. On the rap side, RJ has churned out project after project after project, each full of dense, tightly woven, gritty lyrics that command attention from anybody in range. RJ Payne is definitely new to many, but he is no rookie. Not only does he have the hustle and drive, but he also has a plan that is coming to life bar by bar. In this exclusive interview, Payne talks to AHH’s Chuck “Jigsaw” Creekmur about how he managed to shine in the midst of a global pandemic. He talks about being in the middle of the Royce/Lupe/Mickey Factz rap feud, being used as a tool of violence in said beef and being inspired by Griselda. But, more than all that, the journeyman explains how it is time for a bar heavy figure to bring that DMX-type energy back to Hip-Hop. See how RJ Payne holds it down, but also moves decidedly up.