Fakin’ the Funk
Scammers have infested hip-hop by impersonating rappers, music executives, journalists and others whereas lining their pockets with ill-gotten positive factors.
Phrases: Luke Fox
Editor’s Observe: This story seems within the Summer time 2024 situation of XXL Journal, on stands now.
“I don’t want no fraud/I don’t want no drama once you name/I don’t want no faux/Quickly as I get up, hold an eye fixed out for the snakes, yeah” —Nicki Minaj, “No Frauds”
Mykel Hawk noticed a blue checkmark and thought he was protected. It was 2022, and the rap upstart artist from Albuquerque, N.M., was exchanging direct messages over Instagram with an account he believed belonged to Benny The Butcher. @GetBenny was soliciting aspiring MCs like Hawk to hop on a brand new mixtape through which Benny The Butcher would current unbiased artists to the world. All they needed to do was ship their hardest monitor to @GetBenny on Instagram with a cost of $500. As a result of his Spidey senses advised him it wasn’t legit, Hawk saved some dignity and 500 bones, and skipped the chance. It was a great name on his half as a result of it wasn’t actually Benny The Butcher on the lookout for new artists, however quite a web-based scammer working underneath a digital cloak attempting to line his pockets off his prey’s hopes.
“There’s a complete financial system for scamming indie artists efficiently, primarily as a result of we permit our egos to be stroked so simply,” Mykel Hawk explains. “We need to imagine we’re so near our massive break and about to be found at any time, and most don’t have even probably the most primary understanding of the enterprise. So, we’re prime targets and able to imagine what we’re being advised.”
As a result of wishful rappers need so desperately to land a featured verse, or media protection, or sponsorship or a slot on Spotify’s RapCaviar playlist, they turn into straightforward marks—targets for volume-shooting con artists, who hit them up pretending to be established rappers, music journalists, music execs or media retailers.
The fraud impacts extra than simply rap newbies. Established expertise have discovered themselves a part of a rip-off, usually impersonated. Most scams go down on Instagram, however they are often discovered everywhere in the internet. Fraud is nothing new in enterprise, however it’s prevalent in at this time’s hip-hop local weather as a result of it impacts main acts, un-signed hopefuls, people behind the scenes and the assorted platforms used to advertise music. The arrival of social media has concurrently opened extra prospects and extra pitfalls for rappers attempting to make it massive. And for established acts to have their identification stolen within the identify of some shyster’s scheme.
Cardi B put a perpetrator on blast for impersonating her in a faux donation autism electronic mail rip-off in 2019. This 12 months, Child Cudi needed to inform his followers on X, previously often known as Twitter, that somebody was impersonating him and asking followers to ship their bank card data to fund the fraudulent individual’s “pursuit of happiness.” Okay Camp posted on Instagram that promotions for occasions he wasn’t concerned in had been taking place and shared his legit contacts for anybody with questions. Juvenile needed to alert followers by way of IG {that a} faux efficiency supervisor on the lookout for opening acts for an upcoming present was a faux. These are just a few examples that established artists and hip-hop heavyweights are coping with.
Rising rapper BigXthaPlug has constructed his profile to over 750,000 followers on Instagram. But, earlier than he had established a reputation for himself, scammers had been zeroing in on him. “I used to be getting so many DMs from so many faux accounts that I used to be pondering had been actual labels and whatnot,” says the Dallas artist, who even uncovered a scammer taking up the rhymer’s web site to attempt to promote again to him. “They had been attempting to get me to signal some kind of deal, they usually weren’t even the label they saying they is. They simply pondering I’m going to have a look at it and say, ‘Oh, I do know this label identify,’ and simply signal no matter. I used to be quite a bit smarter than that.”
Sadly, the fixed makes an attempt to commit fraud in opposition to him made BigXthaPlug much more cautious about speaking with individuals on social media. “I had simply stopped all of the DMs from labels as a result of I believed they was all faux,” he admits. “If they need me, they gonna pull up at my doorstep or one thing.”
And it’s not simply artists in danger. Executives have been victims, too. “It’s occurred to me,” explains BigXthaPlug’s supervisor Brandon Farmer, accomplice at Strong Basis Administration. “I’ve had individuals fake to be me, gather cash for engagements… exhibits, promos, commerce contracts. Put my identify on it; now I’m viable. I don’t even suppose you may keep away from it. You’ll be able to’t keep away from it. It’s simply gonna occur. Individuals simply gotta do their due diligence and do their analysis.”
A sufferer of fraud himself, Bun B empathizes with aspiring artists who don’t but perceive how the business operates. The rap icon has handled crooks and swindlers his complete profession. He sees rip-off tradition as adjoining to the hip-hop enterprise. “We transfer in areas the place individuals settle for it a bit bit extra,” says Bun B, who notes that bootlegging and faux merchandise has been round without end and touches all genres of music.
Along with having UGK songs bootlegged or uploaded to Napster again within the Nineteen Nineties with out compensation, Bun remembers phony live performance promoters promoting Pimp C exhibits when the late UGK rapper was nonetheless behind bars. UGK has additionally needed to shut down “entrepreneurs” who had been creating unauthorized merch of the group, promoting T-shirts with their likeness, or co-opting Bun’s “Trill” trademark for his or her revenue.
In August of 2023, Bun B needed to warn his hungry followers of a copycat Uber Eats operation pretending to promote his Trill Burgers. “That was a bizarre one due to the thought of a faux Uber Eats account,” Bun conveys. “You’d assume that there can be a better stage of verification to permit these firms to exist on probably the most distinguished functions on the planet. That was very surprising to me. Now, they obtained on it and shut it down in a short time. However simply the truth that an organization that enormous is prone to fraud ought to fear most individuals.”
Bun defined that he might discover and shut down the counterfeit account as a result of considered one of his enterprise companions had a direct line of communication with Uber Eats. He understands that the common mom-and-pop store would get caught up in a irritating cycle of purple tape and ready for replies and motion.
It’s the identical for social media websites, on which it’s simpler to arrange a bogus profile than get one eliminated. Instagram, for instance, welcomes reviews from the person who’s being impersonated. The onus falls on the sufferer, not the scammer, to file a criticism and add proof that they’re the unique individual, together with a photograph of a government-issued ID. “It’s not the fraud account that has to show who they’re,” Bun explains. “It’s you, the actual individual, who has to show who you might be, which is sort of loopy.”
XXL reached out to X, previously often known as Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Fb a number of occasions to get them to weigh in on this fraud situation and clarify how they assist fight it because it predominantly occurs by way of their platforms, however nobody responded. Most artists and business folks reached out to for this story didn’t need to remark both. That is likely to be what helps the scamming proceed—the truth that only a few individuals even need to communicate on the problem.
With assistance from expertise, it’s comparatively straightforward for an invisible scammer to pop up with a brand new faux profile, pretending to be, say, a journalist representing this very model or many others. XXL has handled fraud for over a decade and has been proactive in combating it. Scammers have recurrently posed as previous or current XXL editors, providing protection in trade for cost. Scammers usually goal people on Instagram, utilizing stolen photographs from present or ex-employee’s accounts. In addition they depend on generic Gmail addresses, a transparent signal of a possible rip-off. Real communications from XXL and different respected media retailers normally come from a company-owned electronic mail tackle or the model’s official social account.
XXLMag.com, as an example, supplies an inventory of present workers members and their electronic mail addresses, enabling artists to confirm claims made by potential scammers. The web site additionally affords fraud alerts and emphasizes that any request for cost in trade for protection will not be reliable, as respected media manufacturers don’t settle for cash for write-ups. XXL has additionally revealed articles and posted warnings about this downside on its social accounts. Rolling Stone, Billboard and lots of different music retailers have fought fraud utilizing related strategies. XXL encourages workers members, previous and current, to assert fraudulent accounts, however the model normally encounters the identical obstacles as most individuals when making claims: little to no response or motion.
Former XXL staffer Emmanuel “Manny” Maduakolam, who’s now Lead, Males’s Model Artistic Narrative NA at Nike, has been impersonated many occasions on social media. He finds the rip-off “tiring.” Since 2022, Instagram and X ditched verification, and Maduakolam has been bombarded with DMs from aspiring rappers contacted by a phony Manny asking for $100 or extra to get protection on XXL’s web site. “I didn’t understand how massive of a rip-off this was till I began to get hit up by artists each week,” Maduakolam shares. “I’ve, in my inbox on Instagram, possibly over 100 artists hit me up and say, ‘Hey, my identify is such-and-such. Is that this you?’ I obtained one at this time.”
Maduakolam has messaged his imposters, asking them to cease. He raised the issue with direct connections at Instagram and obtained nothing past an automatic response. He posted his warning of imposters on his IG account, as did XXL on the primary account. Maduakolam believes that the prevalence of scammers makes it tougher for music journalists to do their work. Worse, it has skewed perceptions of how media retailers cowl artists. “Now individuals suppose that as a result of this [artist] is posted on this web site, they in all probability paid for it, which is why it’s so mistaken in each means. It simply makes issues muddled. Individuals suppose that is how music goes, which is gloomy. They suppose, ‘Oh, if I can get a leg up, I may be on the positioning, after which I can present those that I’m on the positioning.’ It’s loopy as a result of no revered journal or music web site will put up your music since you paid them.”
In August of 2023, Stereogum Senior Editor Tom Breihan confronted considered one of his impersonators, who was charging indie artists $100 for “protection,” in a sequence of direct messages and revealed an article concerning the dialog. In the end, the scammer’s last response was: “I’m making cool cash off your identify.”
Matt Fulton is an legal professional with Manhattan’s Romano Legislation, representing a roster of musicians, together with hip-hop acts, which he declined to call. He lays out how artists are legally protected when others commit fraud through the use of their names and likenesses. “Artists are protected by mental property rights,” Fulton says. “These are mostly considered copyright and trademark regulation. However there’s additionally different rights, like the fitting of publicity, that permit artists to manage how their names, photos are related to merchandise or utilized in any kind of industrial goal. If an artist feels that their publicity has been infringed, then they’ll pursue authorized motion to hunt compensation for damages.”
Bun B advises established rappers to have sturdy profiles throughout all platforms. It will make it tougher for a scammer to make use of their likeness to commit fraud. “It’s actually about informing them about each potential income stream that’s out there to them as an artist,” Bun B relays. “Then they’ll get forward of the ball. Earlier than somebody even will get an opportunity to misrepresent them, they’re already representing themselves. It’s tougher for individuals to benefit from you for those who’re already lively in these areas.”
Fulton positions the artist’s relationship with social media as a double-edged sword. “It’s essential for artists to sort of management and leverage their social media presence in order that it’s apparent what account is actual,” he says. “You already know, if an artist doesn’t preserve their Instagram web page, and there’s solely 5,000 or 6,000 followers, it is likely to be tough to discern which one is the actual one. Whereas you probably have an artist that actually takes helm of their social media and has a whole bunch of hundreds of followers and a verification mark, it’s fairly apparent to see which one is actual.”
Fulton insists artists can regain a few of their energy by defending considered one of their most important belongings. “On the finish of the day, artists can’t management what goes on on the planet, however what they’ll do is they’ll defend their model and be sure that it’s sturdy and discernible,” he provides.
Unsigned rap acts with ambition already reside on-line. Instagram, YouTube, X, previously often known as Twitter, and TikTok are their antennae for first-time listeners, contemporary platforms, and their subsequent break. They’re already looking for validation and alternative. When a worm slides into their DMs, they get hooked.
Josh Ocampo, a.okay.a. The Jackal, is considered one of many aspiring artists contacted by way of Instagram by a scammer perpetrating an XXL worker. The phony journalist requested Jackal for cash in trade for getting featured within the journal, once more, a apply no respected publication would permit. The expertise left Ocampo pissed off and skeptical.
“Once you’re an unbiased artist, self-promotion is arguably crucial a part of your job,” explains the San Francisco rhymer. “Social media has offered a platform for artists like myself to get individuals our music, which is nice. Nevertheless, it opens the chance for malicious douchebags to attempt to exploit artists looking forward to extra publicity by pretending to be writers, artists, producers, etcetera.”
These scammers enchantment to their targets’ self-worth, telling the little-heard artists how their music is fireplace and inquiring about their subsequent drop. “After they requested about an article, my first thought wasn’t: I’m gonna show that you just’re a scammer. My first thought was: Lastly, somebody stumbled upon me, they usually noticed my potential and expertise. So, it’s disheartening, to say the least,” The Jackal says.
The second a stranger on-line requests cash, an antenna ought to be raised, not blind religion. “I take into consideration what it should have been like for Eminem, having simply returned dwelling, feeling defeated after shedding the battle at Scribble Jam, to get that cellphone name from Dr. Dre and being advised he’s heard your music and needs to fly you to Los Angeles to fulfill with you,” Mykel Hawk says, wistfully. “That’s how it will be performed in my thoughts.”
Much less shady enterprise is completed that means.
Learn the tales on the continuing scamming and fraud plaguing hip-hop‘s interview within the Freshman situation, on newsstands now. Along with interviews with the 2024 Freshman Class and producer Southside, there are additionally conversations with Sexyy Crimson, Mustard, Ski Masks The Droop God, Rubi Rose, Ken Carson, Ghostface Killah, Lola Brooke and extra, plus, a glance again at what the 2023 XXL Freshman Class has been doing. Additionally, there are tales on the continuing scamming and fraud plaguing hip-hop and the way podcasters and streamers are taking part in a significant function in rap beef. The difficulty is on sale right here, together with some unique Freshman merch.