Wallo267, of the hit podcast “Million Dollar Worth of Game,” has captured audiences with his raw, unabashed wisdom. With the release of his book, “Armed with Good Intentions,” he continues to inspire.
First off, I want to say congratulations on your memoir reaching number one on Amazon’s top 100 hip-hop biographies list. How does that feel?
You know, it’s always great when you know that, and just to be honest with you, that day I was with my manager, and we were traveling, and I was just pushing it all day. I woke up that morning, I was at number twelve, and I pushed it. I reached out to my fans and supporters from over the years through social media and I was just telling them, “Yo, I’m right here, let’s get to number one.” And we just kept all through the day. It took like a day, and it felt great that people really support me. To have the support of the people is everything to me.
Thatís a great accomplishment. Now, “Armed with Good Intentions” provides a deeply personal look into your life experiences. What was the most perplexing part of writing this memoir?
I think sometimes the challenging part of writing, and I had a writer named Raquel working with me, is reconnecting with a lot of feelings and emotions on the journey. It was really emotional thinking and talking about certain things. You got to go back into dark times and dark places. For me, I had to reconnect with things like prison, growing up in the ghetto, and it was a lot.
Your journey from incarceration to becoming a motivational speaker and entrepreneur is incredibly inspiring. What message do you hope your readers take away from your story?
It’s never over. You know, I think a lot of people count themselves out. I’m blessed that I don’t have quitting in me. And even during my incarceration, I never was the guy that just was mad or upset with the situation. Of course, I didn’t want to be in prison, but I just think I was accountable with the fact that I got myself in there. I earned my prison stint with my actions and me knowing right from wrong at a certain time. But I think through the whole process of it, I never had a moment where I counted myself out. And that’s what I am trying to convey to the readers. Like, listen, man, you got a shot. If you’re still breathing, breathing is a win. That’s number one. If you can believe in yourself, you got this. It’s just belief. If you get past that, you’re in the game. I just want people to know that no matter what you’ve been through, how people see you or who don’t like you, you still got a shot if you’re breathing.
No doubt. You have a strong presence in the hip hop community and beyond. How has your connection with your audience influenced the writing and promotion of your book?
You know, back in the day—a lot of people don’t know, I used to do music and stuff. I always looked to music because I always loved the marketing of it and everything. My connection with my audience is a like a genuine connection with family members. We’re a family. They have gotten the chance to really know me. They know what’s going on. They know the ups and downs. I don’t hide anything from them. I just be real. It’s hard to explain, but they support me because they’re with me the same way I am with them.
Can you share a story, a particular story, a moment from your book that you believe will resonate most with our readership?
It was the moment I really took accountability and started to stop blaming others. You blame others because sometimes you don’t want to take accountability for the places you put yourself in life. You have to know when you’re the one who created the losses, the letdown, and the hurt. I believe a lot of people are going to relate to that. They are going to see where the accountability kicked in and I woke up because that’s how I got in the position for great things I have going on today.
How has this philosophy shaped your life and your career?
You know, I’m one of them dudes that when you find yourself looking at people’s lives, I always say, you got to do the mirror test. You have to be honest with yourself. If you’re not where you want to be, you got to be able to look in that mirror and have a conversation with yourself about what you’re doing wrong. You have to be able to check yourself and critique yourself to the highest level and hold yourself accountable. I think accountability is the number one thing. A lot of times in our culture, a lot of people don’t want to be held accountable. When someone fails at something, people blame everyone and everything else. This person didn’t put you on. It was the gatekeepers, the Illuminati or some other conspiracy. No, it was just you. And I think, once people start tapping into that mirror test, things will change for them.
Now thatís a bar. I really appreciate you sharing that with me. These days, I think accountability is like kryptonite for some people.
I think in our culture, a lot of times when we mess up, we spend years and years, sometimes decades, not wanting to be held accountable. And that’s why some people never get in a position they want. Everybody’s looking for somebody to come save them or put them on. Listen, kill the gatekeeper talk, kill the conspiracy talk, kill the blaming somebody else. You have all the information in the world in your pocket. We live in a world where nobody can stop you. Nothing can stop you, but you. I know, it’s extremely hard to admit when you’re bullshitting yourself. I know it’s hard to admit it to yourself.
Absolutely. “Armed with Good Intentions“ has been praised for its authenticity and unfiltered narrative style. How important was it for you to maintain this raw honesty in your storytelling?
Man, I’m raw all the time. I’m raw on social. You already know me. You only know me one way. I don’t know no other way. You know me one way and that’s all you’ve been getting since I walked out of prison. And that’s how you will keep getting me until the casket drop, you know? I’m just a person who wants to let you know what it is. And if I don’t, who’s going to tell you? That’s how I feel sometimes.
Despite your immense success, you still decided to reach back into your past and give us this inspiring personal story. Why?
You got to understand something very important. A brother of mine, he told me something very important. Your story is your glory. Like everything I’m doing, you need to know the story. A lot of times, that’s why we can’t go to the next level because we don’t know the story and we think people just magically popped up at successful levels. You need to know this story. I am never going to stop telling this story because this story is very important to what’s possible and the possibilities after prison. People need to know that. People think I just came out of nowhere. No, I ain’t that. Go on my social media, I ain’t never take a post down. Me coming home from prison, struggling, and trying to figure it out, you’ll see it. And the story is everything. Your story is your glory. So, it’s necessary for me to always let the people know the truth about where I come from, where I’m going, and where I am never going back.
Be’n Original
