If you don’t know anything else about Payroll Giovanni, know that he almost never takes a day off. The 29-year-old rapper has dropped two mixtapes and a film within the last year. He’s the leader and face of Doughboyz Cashout, the most popular rap collective out of Detroit that’s been well respected in the community since its inception in 2006. He’s recently worked with producers such as Cardo, one of Wiz Khalifa’s frequent collaborators who is responsible for a number of beats on his Kush and OJ project, and Helluva, a premier producer that’s well-known in Detroit for his unique sound.

Suffice to say, Payroll Giovanni is one of a kind.

Bio:

Payroll Giovanni was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. He grew up with a hustler’s mentality, accumulating profits through street activities that he prefers not to talk about. He attended Southfield High School where he created the group Doughboyz Cashout with some of his friends and associates. As the leader of the group, he oversaw many of the decisions that they made in the industry. They released their first mixtape We Run The City in 2007 and received rave reviews. People loved the group for their bleak, realistic, and unflinching look at street life.

The group continued to expand, as did Giovanni’s role in it. Over the next five years, the group would drop five projects. They grew in influence and power in the city of Detroit. Although they were first contacted by rapper T.I. who noticed the group’s growing stardom, the collective joined Young Jeezy’s CTE (Corporate Thuggin Entertainment) in 2013. While the group worked on music that was released on the CTE compilation project Boss Ya Life Up Gang, they ultimately wouldn’t stay long because of less than ideal business practices, as Giovanni revealed in a recent interview with HipHopDX. It’s around this time that Giovanni began to put more work into his solo efforts, releasing Get Money Stay Humble that same year. Two years later, he released his critically acclaimed project Stack Season which charted on Billboard without very much promotion. Since then he’s been on a roll; dropping Sosa Dreamz in 2016, and most recently, Payface this year.

Standouts:

One of Payroll Giovanni’s most recent anthems, “This Is How We Move It,” featuring B. Ryan is the song of the summer. It flips Montell Jordan’s “This Is How We Do It” which was one of the biggest songs in hip hop in 1995. While Jordan talks about partying on his record, Giovanni brings the hard-hitting street therapy that he’s known for, told through the sing-songy guise that enables it to be digested easily. It sounds amazing through a great set of car speakers. Easily one of the best tracks of the year due to how easily it fits with Jordan’s pre established record.

Things You May Not Know about Payroll Giovanni

• He has a six-year-old son named JuJu.
• He’s a big fan of the Netflix original series Narcos.
• His group, Doughboyz Cashout, is featured in the Detroit Institute of Arts.
• His birthday is January 30.
• He grew up in the Fenkell Avenue/5 Mile neighborhood.
• He’s a big fan of the movie Scarface (1984) evident in the titles of his last two projects. Sosa Dreamz is in reference to Alejandro Sosa, the fictional drug lord from Scarface who is the chief cocaine supplier for protagonist Tony Montana. Payface is in homage, in the title and cover art, to Tony Montana who was also known as “Scarface.”

Follow Payroll Giovanni On Social Media

Twitter: @FenkellPayroll
Instagram: @Payroll_Giovanni