F.T. has been an underground phenomenon the moment he touched the mic and started rapping. While, many industry and underground types will acknowledge him and his talent, his road like many others through the music industry has been plagues by bad luck, broken promises and tragedy. While he perseveres toward his goal of making music full time for the people, his particular story is the definition of light always being at the end of a dark tunnel. You can check out Part 1 by hitting the link to F.T. Greatest Story Never Told Part 1. This is Part 2.
“Riggs always followed my career, he put me in The Source Magazine with Royce Da 5’9, Tru-Life as the next to blow” says F.T. “I felt these were the same guys that signed Eminem, so they had my back. What I didn’t realize was get 20% of my recording budget went to their company.” At first I didn’t want to sign the management deal and give them 20% but Tru-Criminal convinced me it would be a good idea.
With F.T.’s accounts froze he lost his crib, his girl, and his car. He describes this time as going through hell and at this time he is still signed still signed to Tru-Criminal and Goliath Management. They didn’t want to help me out, I was begging for bread, I got locked up for some bullshit and around this time was when I had to learn how to be a man says F.T. So during this whole time which was around 2004 F.T. did all he could to stay afloat which was features, hustling, and getting publishing from his music being on soundtracks like Rush Hour 2, Friday After Next, A Man Apart, Bones and Final Destination 2. “I was trying to hit the label for studio time and they were denying me, I wanted to kill them” says F.T. “But I believe in God and a close friend of mine Music Man set up a studio in the crib” says F.T. “So from there we just did songs, made beats, smoked weed and partied.” “I kept sending the label and management songs and they kept shunning me, I was really upset with Riggs when everything was going down because he promised me he was going to have my back” says F.T. “I didn’t feel like he kept his promise”. For F.T. the music situation broke down when Just Blaze had just started a record label (Fort Knox) and a mutual friend that knew him was asked to play some music for him and the friend didn’t do it because they felt the music wasn’t good enough. This is after F.T. had recorded with Just Blaze and other big name producers and artists in the game.
“If it was me, I would have played it for him and that devastated me” says F.T.
After that situation F.T. kept working doing features and some shows and he says that situation made him feel like he had even more to prove. “I still felt the love for music but now I knew what to look for” says F.T. “I was too trusting in the beginning, like a little kid.”
For F.T. 2005-2006 was hell because now he says musically he never fell off but now when the money is gone, he saw who really fucks with him. When his friend A-King got the opportunity to work at PNC Radio he put F.T. on and for him that was a role reversal. “I had to rock with him and whatever he did he would plug me in” says F.T. So with all the pain and frustration that with music he hooked up with producer Du-Mel and singer songwriter Shelene Thomas and felt like he was making moves again.
“I was real happy and the chemistry we had was undeniable says F.T. “I was happy that I was able to work with someone of her caliber and that she wasn’t afraid to work with me.”
F.T. says after the whole situation with Goliath and Tru Criminal people were afraid to work with him and feelings of betrayal were what he was dealing with. They did a record called My Story over a Dr. Dre and Denaun Porter beat. I wrote that song and gave it everything I had, it was ill the same day we put it out on the net the reaction was crazy, muthafuckas couldn’t believe it says F.T. Even the label called me, it felt like beating up a bully. According to F.T. the label Tru Criminal offered him a deal and he turned it down. Soon after he dropped his Purple Pain mixtape (which came out after the Brooklyn Beast mixtape) on his own without a label and reflecting on it all he says Thank God I Made it.
“I lost a lot of friends over this, some people committed suicide and during that time it was plenty of times I felt like doing it” says F.T. “When my man did it, it fucked me up because I could almost imagine how he felt.” “There was plenty of times I felt like doing it bit I didn’t” says F.T.
After Purple Pain he dropped Half Man-Half Beast song and other little projects and now he is working on his album.
“It’s going to be a real return for me, my album T.G.I.F.T. (Thank God It’s F.T.) coming real soon” says F.T. “We got Vinny Paz, Tanya Morgan, 20Grand Pikaso (Jay Electronica’s artist), Dee Roc, Buckwild, possibly Illmind, Marco Polo from Duck Down and The Beatles.”
The first single off the album is Say What’s On Your Mind produced by Music Man. I love this album because it’s not just the common themes of bitches and weed. It’s a positive soulful album not in a corny way, it’s motivational. You can play it for your moms and the niggas on the block. These are some of my best songs, I would play them for Obama.
For F.T. this project is a collection of the pain, the good and bad times in the game. This will be an album that can uplift you and motivate you. As for F.T. in the present he has his own radio show called Standout Radio on PNC Radio from 6-9 on Saturday nights. He also started his own label called Stand Out Music Group which consists of him and Music Man, A King, BlaqMatter and Justice Smoke where they have worked with artists like Maino, Uncle Murda. As for his relationships he says Lee Resnick its cool and they might work together in the future and the fences have been mended to a degree with Riggs Morales. Tru Criminal Records is defunct and the situation with Goliath Artists is up in the air.
F.T. has some parting words for those who might use his story as a guide. “Never give up on your dreams, no matter what and look out for the album Never Gave Up” says F.T. Rest In Peace to my nigga X1.
-Lu
Unknown Fact: F.T. was actually on the Anger Management Tour opening up for Eminem around the time The Eminem Show album dropped in 2002. About that experience he says he had no buzz and just a deal. “They threw me to the wolves, 30,000 people every night especially on the first night I was scared.” “I remember thinking to myself when I looked out to the crowd, and I felt like God is talking to me, telling me if I had what it took like being in the NBA.” “After that first night I did that feeling I got is why I still do this music. The crowd was screaming my name and felt it and I only did 1 verse.”
