Payroll Giovanni

A product of Detroit’s underground hip-hop scene, Payroll Giovanni is a highly respected veteran MC known for illustrative tales of hustling and an unrelenting if coolheaded flow. He came up with Cashoutboyz and Doughboyz Cashout, related groups that developed during the latter half of the 2000s. He released his solo statement of purpose, Get Money Stay Humble, in 2013, and hasn’t slowed down, juggling an array of additional solo projects, duo recordings, and intermittent Doughboyz activity. Among Payroll’s career highlights are multiple volumes of Big Bossin (2016-2018) — slick modern G-funk collaborations with producer Cardo — and generally grittier mixtapes such as Giovanni’s Way (2021), Ghost Mode (2023), and Hustle Muzik (2024). Born Dior Giovanni Petty in 1988, Payroll got his start in Cashoutboyz, formed with Oak Park High School classmates HBK and Chaz Bling. In 2006, Cashoutboyz combined with Doughboyz, a five-member crew out of Southfield High School, to become Doughboyz Cashout. Influenced by local legends like Street Lord’z and the late Blade Icewood, Doughboyz Cashout began to build their own legacy of unfiltered street narratives when they issued We Run the City, their first of several mixtapes, in 2007. Jeezy signed the group to his CTE World label in 2013, the same year Payroll made his solo debut with Get Money Stay Humble, a mixtape containing tracks such as the origin story “My First 10” and the tense “Best Friends.” Following the more cinematic and personal Stack Season in 2015, Payroll linked with Cardo, a producer known for his modernized take on slick, funk-rooted West Coast hip-hop. The duo released Big Bossin, Vol. 1 in 2016. Before the end of that year, Payroll was behind another tape, Sosa Dreamz, issued on his own BYLUG Entertainment label. (BYLUG is short for Boss Your Life Up Gang.) Payface, produced by Helluva and released in 2017, was highlighted by the third installment of Payroll’s “Hustle Muzik” track series and “How We Move It,” which transformed Montell Jordan’s club classic “This Is How We Do It” into a hustler’s anthem. Payroll became increasingly prolific as the decade drew to a close. Most notably, he and Cardo returned as a duo in 2018 with another G-funk-inspired set, Big Bossin, Vol. 2, issued by major-label Def Jam. Also that year, Payroll offered a pair of solo efforts, 4-1P and 10 Stack Commandments. He started 2019 with January 30th, a short set released on that day. Later in the year, he connected with Hoggy D for Boss Chronicles and was back mere months later with No Validation Necessary. Over the course of the early 2020s, the veteran rapper expanded his catalog with titles like Spirit of a Boss, Giovanni’s Way, Back 2 the Ba$ics, Ghost Mode, and Kid & Pay (with HBK) all released from 2020 through 2023. The second of those projects featured “Turn into 20,” containing a guest verse from Tee Grizzley, one of the MCs who cites Payroll as an inspiration. Payroll’s 2024 activity included Hustle Muzik, boasting appearances from E-40, Slim Thug, and Benny the Butcher, plus the fifth “Hustle Muzik” track. ~ Andy Kellman & Neil Z. Yeung