TJ Porter Talks Nearly Dying, Leaving Def Jam & Friendship With Skilla Baby

“I’ve really met God.”

TJ Porter has already lived several lives in Hip-Hop.

The Harlem rapper was once a highly regarded New York basketball prospect before injuries and the death of a close friend helped redirect his ambitions toward music. His breakout record “Tricky” generated millions of streams and helped lead to a Def Jam deal in 2018. His debut album, Voice of the Trenches, followed in 2019, establishing Porter as one of Harlem’s promising young voices.

But the road after the major-label push was considerably more complicated.

Now Porter says he is financing his career himself, distributing music independently and preparing a project appropriately titled Never Doubt Me. More importantly, he says he is coming back from something far bigger than music. Porter revealed to AllHipHop that he was stabbed in the neck in November and nearly died, an experience he says completely altered his perspective.

“I was on life support for five hours,” Porter said. “I’ve really met God.”

In this candid conversation, TJ Porter talks about survival, loyalty, Skilla Baby, industry friendships, cutting people off, leaving his old controversies behind and becoming, in his words, not Harlem’s prince, but “the president.”

AllHipHop: Last time we talked, you were in the process of leaving Def Jam. Who are you releasing the next project through?

TJ Porter: Really, I’m just dropping it through my own distribution. Everything right now I’m doing myself with my own dollar. Anything you see me doing is me pushing me.

Of course, I got Jazz as PR. I got Yemen managing me. Skilla helps me with anything I need. I got my man Zay too. He’s my day-to-day manager.

I’m just pushing myself with my team. That’s how I’m running right now.

AllHipHop: What has the transition been like, having to worry about everything yourself?

TJ Porter: I ain’t going to lie, it really hasn’t been a crazy transition. I feel like it’s only crazy when you’re struggling.

I’ve been in struggling moments where I felt crazy, but then I’ve got to sit back, be poised, remember who I am, lock in, run up some money and put it into my career.

AllHipHop: You’ve had attention on you since you were young. What’s the difference between young TJ and who you are now?

TJ Porter: I feel like there were a lot of things I was naive to.

I’m so genuine that if I felt like you were genuine, I would let you have an opinion on what I do. I feel like I was easily influenced because I was a kid. I was just a kid with a lot of clout and a lot of money.

Now I’m older. I got more control. I move at my pace with everything.

Young people with money are the worst people in the world. That’s why I understand young artists, because I was them before. You’ll self-destruct if you don’t have the right team.

AllHipHop: How do you cut the bad apples off?

TJ Porter: Really? Just cutting them n###as off. [Laughs.]

I’m mad blunt. Once I start feeling a way, you’re going to know. You’re going to get the energy.

AllHipHop: Where do you think you fit into what New York is doing musically right now?

TJ Porter: I don’t really watch too much of what’s going on in the towns. I’m not really an internet person like I used to be. The people around me keep me up to date.

For me, I feel like I’m making my own space when I come back through. It’s not even about where I fit. It’s about who fits around me and what fits around me.

I’m conducting myself like a boss. It’s bigger than the music. I’m coming with a whole movement. I’m coming to impact. The music is just the start.

I got apps I’m working on right now. I’m in meetings with big companies that I’ve got to keep quiet, because you can’t have people praying on your downfall.

AllHipHop: There was that controversial situation involving an R&B singer. Was that real?

TJ Porter: You know what’s so crazy? I really don’t even like talking about that s### because one of my friends is in jail over that s###.

The dumb drunk n###a was acting up and he got his ass smacked. That’s what it was.

AllHipHop: How do you separate yourself from those situations now?

TJ Porter: Right now, honestly, I’ve been staying out of trouble.

I put that past me, way past me. I don’t even focus on that. I saw him after and we spoke about it. That s### is way past both of us.

It’s about conducting yourself the right way. I don’t have a problem with him. I don’t know if he’s got a problem with me, but when I last saw him, he didn’t.

I’m focused on more of a positive note and building the brand of TJ Porter and We Gon Ball on a different scale.

I’m trying to clean my image back up, for real.

AllHipHop: How did you and Skilla Baby become so close?

TJ Porter: I was supposed to link Rowdy at the studio. We pulled up and he was in there with Skilla.

I didn’t really know who Skilla was at first. My little bro Polo knew. He was like, “You don’t know who that is? That’s Skilla Baby.”

Polo told him, “You and my son Porter got to lock in.”

Skilla was like, “TJ Porter? Yeah, I know who that is.”

We started chopping it up. He said, “Next time I’m in town, we’re going to lock in.” I’m thinking that’s the spin though. You know that industry talk. I’ve heard that s### before. [Laughs.]

Next time my son came to New York, he called me the first day. Came and picked me up. We got some food and locked in at the studio.

After that, it became real. I’m pulling up on him. He’s pulling up on me. I’m flying to Detroit. He comes to my block and checks in with my family.

That’s not my industry friend. That’s my real brother.

AllHipHop: What made that relationship different?

TJ Porter: Everybody knows TJ Porter. Everybody shows TJ Porter love when they see him.

But when it comes to the music, nobody shows no love. Nobody gives no features. N###as just f### with TJ Porter in person.

Whenever I need a song done, Skilla does that s### ASAP and we do a video immediately.

This is one of the biggest artists right now and this is my brother. I had relationships with people before him and they didn’t even move like that with me.

I don’t take that for granted.

AllHipHop: What’s the new project called?

TJ Porter: Never Doubt Me.

I feel like a lot of people probably feel like it’s over for me, or it was over for me at one point.

I went through mad s###. I went through controversy, management and getting out of those deals. I’m still pushing on my own.

People ain’t heard from me in a long time.

Then in November, I got stabbed in my neck. I almost died. I was on life support for five hours.

I’ve really met God. I had a whole life-changing experience.

AllHipHop: Did something like that change the way you look at life?

TJ Porter: I’m not going to say I was mad that it happened.

I’m like, “Yo, you moving too fast.”

Everything I’m doing was on my own. Even when I go somewhere, that’s not always good. I feel like I could take on 10, 30 n###as. I could have ran. I wasn’t doing that. That’s just because of who I am.

AllHipHop: Is there paranoia after something like that happens?

TJ Porter: Hell no.

I’m having more fun than I did before I got stabbed, dead ass.

When you see something happen to your mans or other people, that s### doesn’t hit the same as when something happens to you.

I never felt that other side.

I’m a soldier too, bro. Bosses are soldiers. S### happens. It’s just about how you move after and what happens after.

AllHipHop: What can people expect from Never Doubt Me? Any big features?

TJ Porter: Yeah, I got some big features. I don’t even want to reveal them yet.

I’ll tell y’all some of the upcoming artists. I got my brother. I got Nick Bucks on there. Favi on there. I got Skilla on there.

I ain’t going to tell you the other big features.

AllHipHop: One last thing. Are you still the Prince of Harlem?

TJ Porter: I’m not the Prince of Harlem.

I’m TJ Porter.

I’m the president.