No Ceilings
Wallo267 is the clever elder that hip-hop has been clamoring for. Eight years after serving a 20-year jail sentence, the podcasting powerhouse is on the forefront of a wave that has positively modified the sport.
Interview: Joey Echevarria
Editor’s Word: This story seems within the Fall 2025 problem of XXL Journal, on newsstands now and out there on the market on the XXL web site.

Wallo267 is not afraid to be actual with rappers, and he’s not hesitant to point out his feelings both. In 2022, throughout an impactful episode of his podcast, Million Dollaz Price of Sport, alongside cohost Gillie Da Child, the 46-year-old multimedia persona made a heartfelt plea to Lil Durk and a bunch of the rapper’s Solely The Members of the family. Wallo urged these younger males from the streets of Chicago to grab their alternatives and transfer away from a lifetime of crime. Despite the fact that Wallo’s phrases could have fallen on deaf ears for Durk, who’s presently in jail going through trial for a murder-for-hire plot, Wallo stays steadfast in his mission to make use of his personal decades-long expertise in jail as a way for motivation and progress.

Wallo267, whose actual identify is Wallace Peebles, entered the Pennsylvania felony justice system on the age of 11. All through his teenage years in North Philadelphia, he by no means spent an entire yr exterior of a penitentiary. In 1997, on the age of 17, he was convicted of armed theft and served 20 years in varied state prisons. Regardless of the challenges of incarceration, these 20 years grew to become a invaluable crash course in self-discipline and self-control for him.

After his launch in 2017, Wallo started documenting his new life on his Instagram account, @Wallo267, a reference to his former jail inmate quantity, DG-2670. His mix of humor and real human perception made his journey towards redemption more and more in style on social media. In 2019, he launched the podcast Million Dollaz Price of Sport, partnering as soon as once more along with his cousin Gillie Da Child, with whom he had beforehand collaborated as a part of rap group Main Figgas. Their mixture of candid and unfiltered interviews with high-profile company, together with their assured and humorous avenue information, set a brand new commonplace within the evolving hip-hop panorama.

Wallo has efficiently reworked from an ex-convict right into a mainstream media mogul, motivated by a need to encourage marginalized communities. One yr after having his 31-year parole utterly lifted, Wallo is a masterclass in motivation. Whether or not by means of his 2024 New York Instances best-selling e book, Armed With Good Intentions, or his participating YouTube reveals from Nanny’s Home Leisure, Wallo is at all times pushing ahead.

As some of the influential voices within the tradition, Wallo267 related by way of Zoom this previous August to debate the significance of sustaining self-discipline, how he makes use of comedy as a solution to ship his message, the way forward for Million Dollaz Price of Sport, the lasting affect he hopes to have in hip-hop and extra.

XXL: The Million Dollaz Price of Sport podcast has had such an affect on the tradition. What do you contemplate a number of the present’s most essential moments?

Wallo267: I can’t say a second. I can simply say the data that we’ve delivered to individuals, whether or not it was the enterprise highlight, whether or not it’s simply listening to anyone’s story, whether or not it’s simply humanizing the artist, at any time when it’s simply me talking the reality, it empowers. It’s so many various moments.

We’ve seen unimaginable issues, just like the well-known Lil Durk speech and what you mentioned to that room, and loads of different moments. Does it ever really feel like a unending uphill battle to ship your message?

To be completely sincere with you? No. And the rationale I say no is as a result of everyone’s alarm clock comes on at totally different instances in life, and I’ll at all times be actual thoughtful about mine. It took me a long time for me to get it proper, and simply since you’re telling anyone what’s proper, that don’t imply they’re going to be receptive to it at that second.

They may not be open, and their thoughts won’t be there. Their coronary heart won’t be there. So, everyone acquired a special time. I’m by no means going to be judgmental of individuals simply because I acquired one thing to say, and I feel it’s essential that they need to cease and hear. And it’d even be helpful to them, however they may not be at that place of life proper now. So, I’m understanding of that.

Each you and Gillie Da Child have many different enterprise ventures popping off. Have you ever ever mentioned an endgame for the present you guys do collectively, or do you each roll with it and develop accordingly?

I feel all the pieces has an finish. When that finish is? We’re not able to put that collectively but, nevertheless it’s positively an finish for all the pieces. You’ll be able to’t do one thing eternally. We speak about quite a bit, however we’re going to proceed to handle the individuals one of the simplest ways we will till we resolve to not.

Do the jokes and humorousness on Million Dollaz Price of Sport ever get in the way in which of delivering your total messages of hope and motivation?

You bought to consider it. If you may make ’em snicker, you may make ’em hear. A few of our best academics have been comedians: Paul Mooney, Richard Pryor, Redd Foxx. When you’ll be able to open anyone up by means of laughter, after which you’ll be able to slide the reality in there, it’s far more digestible and so they’re extra receptive to it. It performs hand-in-hand.

It’s one factor to have an viewers that understands the jokes and the nuances of the present, however do you ever really feel the necessity to entertain by way of sound bites on account of “clip tradition,” as they are saying?

What I do is natural. So, I don’t have to fret about that. What I notice, quite a lot of this clip tradition and all that stuff, it don’t final. I’ve been round for years, and I’ve seen individuals come and go. It don’t final. While you’re simply true to who you might be and genuine, that proper there, that’s timeless. You’re going to be OK. All you bought to do is proceed to be you.

With so many individuals realizing {that a} transition from hip-hop to media persona is a sound choice for the longer term, how do you keep your place as some of the outstanding individuals in your house?

I get up, do me, and all the pieces play alright for me. I ain’t acquired to be anyone else. Lots of people acquired to be all these totally different individuals, and it’s onerous. My mission assertion, “F what they assume,” proper? That alone permits me to be me. So, I ain’t acquired to maintain switching up. Most individuals don’t even acquired that mindset. They acquired to maintain switching up and check out to determine what individuals like, what they don’t like. In the event that they like me in the present day and so they don’t like me tomorrow, no matter division I could be in, it don’t matter to me.

What’s it that retains you motivated to assume that method?

It’s probably not about motivation. It’s extra about self-discipline. Motivation is a momentary factor. You’re hype in the present day. Are you going to be hype eternally? Are you disciplined sufficient to say, “What I’m doing in the present day, I’m going to do for a yr straight. I don’t care what occurred, why it occurred, the place it occurred, who it occurred with, I’m not deviating from what I’m doing.” That’s a special recreation.

Now that you just’re eight years faraway from jail and it’s been one yr because you have been let off parole utterly, what affect do you’re feeling you’ve left on rappers and followers who come from marginalized backgrounds?

I feel I’m an instance of change, an instance of what you might be regardless of how onerous the battle was to start with. You’ll be able to actually make it occur out right here and do some nice issues in case you actually imagine in your self and also you don’t overthink it.

You bought to be round the precise individuals. You bought to attach with the precise individuals. You simply acquired to have your thoughts proper and know what you need. You don’t should know, absolutely. You’ll be able to know simply 15 to twenty %, and simply keep devoted to that, and all the pieces will come in case you simply keep down.

Many contemplate you to be the OG that hip-hop wants within the fashionable period. You’re type of just like the elder within the recreation to point out the precise path.

Thanks.

What do you discover rewarding about that and is there a draw back?

I’m simply pleased to have the ability to lend some phrases or lend a serving to hand. So, I don’t actually have a look at it as a draw back. It’s not none. [Hip-hop is] the soundtrack of all the pieces that we’ve ever executed coming from the hood. So, I’m pleased to be in shut proximity to one thing that I like a lot. That’s the triumph.

How would you describe your home in hip-hop because it pertains to the music, your relationship with rappers and the tradition typically?

You recognize what’s loopy? Again within the day, I used to rap, and I by no means actually acquired it off as a result of I went to jail. However lately, I can say I went platinum. I’m on a platinum venture with BigXthaPlug. I’m on his [Take Care] album thrice. So, now it looks like I’m within the books. I would haven’t been capable of rap no extra, however talking on individuals’s albums, anyone from Hunxho to Toosii to Larry June to Conway the Machine to Smoke DZA, Coi Leray. That’s main.

It’s. However exterior of that, you’ve helped culminate a completely fashionable platform that’s one hundred pc hip-hop in each perspective and concept. When it’s all mentioned and executed, what would you like the tradition to say about Wallo267?

I simply need to have the ability to say that I used to be a contributor and I’m cool with that. [I want them to say] that I contributed a platform, me and Gillie, to the tradition another way. To have the ability to be part of that in some sort of method, I’m pleased.

As you proceed to develop as a mainstream media persona, do you ever attain a degree that’s greater than hip-hop for you, and what does that imply for the natural viewers you’ve developed?

It’s already past hip-hop. My true viewers, they like to go on the journey with me, and it’s my job to teach them about totally different concepts, totally different cultures, totally different outlooks as a result of that’s what life is about. Life is about progress as a result of you’ll be able to’t keep 10, 15, 20 [years old] eternally. I simply take individuals on a journey, and everyone that wish to go along with me, they might go.

Some individuals would possibly really feel as if they don’t wish to go that route. In the event that they don’t, I respect them, and I thank them for being part of no matter it was that we had, nevertheless it’s about progress and improvement always.

Do you ever see some extent through which your work reaches previous motivating individuals who have comparable experiences to yours?

I imagine it’s already previous that. It’s simply part of my story that I used to be incarcerated. I may communicate to that viewers, however I can even communicate to an viewers that’s Ivy League educated. That’s the entire level. That’s the true factor that you just actually wish to witness. You wish to see anyone that got here from the underside and go all the way in which as much as unimaginable locations.

You’ll be able to’t go to unimaginable locations while you’re stagnated, and also you’re simply so involved about your viewers that you just neglect about progress. Development supersedes viewers. There’s at all times new individuals coming. There’s at all times an viewers for greatness, and that’s the one viewers you’re speculated to give attention to.

The autumn 2025 problem of XXL journal that includes Wallo267’s interview is on the market to buy right here. The problem additionally consists of Joey Bada$$ and J.I.D’s cowl story interviews, conversations with Likelihood The Rapper, Rob49, Curren$y, Hit-Boy, KenTheMan, Bay Swag, Hanumankind, Babyfxce E, Ghostface Killah, Hurricane Knowledge, Conway The Machine, Pluto, TiaCorine, Isaiah Falls, comic Josh Joshson, Vice President of Music at SiriusXM and Pandora Joshua “J1” Raiford, a have a look at the change in album rollouts through the years highlighted by Clipse’s Let God Kind Em Out album and extra.

See Images From Joey Bada$$ and J.I.D’s XXL Journal Fall 2025 Cowl Shoot