Full circle moments provide the realization of how far we have come. Director and producer Michael J. Payton experienced this firsthand when he met Jay-Z.
The first documentary Payton created centered on the famed rapper when he had signed a groundbreaking ten-year $150 million deal with Live Nation, which paved the way for Roc Nation.
This would ultimately fuel Paytonās interest in creating documentaries that shed light on untold angles of those who have championed the music industry.
Shawn Carter Foundation Scholarship Supported His Education
Jay-Zās impact extended even further as Payton received a scholarship from the Shawn Carter Foundation. The contribution supported his education while he pursued a degree in radio and television broadcasting at San Francisco State University.
āGrowing up I didnāt have a whole lot of money. My family didnāt have a ton of money. So, I had to rely on scholarships and student loans. The big contributor to my education when I was studying media production was the Shawn Carter Foundation, which is of course Jay-Zās scholarship foundation,ā Payton told AfroTech in an exclusive interview.
Jay-Zās @ShawnCarterSF helped put me through undergrad at @SFSU where I studied TV broadcasting. This year, I was blessed to interview Mr. Carter in my first ever TV documentary that I directed. Life man šš¾#FullCircle #JayZ #RocNation pic.twitter.com/EKcYabMfQA
ā Michael J. Payton (@CSUITEMUSIC_) August 11, 2022
Itās not every day we get the chance to meet our idols in the flesh and thank them for inspiring our journeys. So, Payton didnāt shy away from the opportunity when he came face to face with Jay-Z while interviewing him for the docuseries āThe Murder Inc. Story.ā
Payton Meets Jay-Z For The First Time
āThe first thing I did, after I picked up my jaw off the floor, I said āThank you. I just want to say thank you.ā He was like, āWhyā and said āOf course, Iām happy to do the interview.ā I said, āNo, like Iām your student. I came from your foundationā and he was awestruck because he was like, āWow, you came from that and youāre here.ā And he just kept saying āLife, man, thatās crazy,'ā Payton explained.
The surreal moment is one memory that will forever be cemented in his mind. Another milestone for Payton was the completion of his five-part documentary.
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"The Murder Inc. Story"
The documentary details the rise and fall of the record label created by Irv Gotti and his brother Chris in the late 1990s. Payton was most interested in the labelās āfall from graceā and he believed there were misconceptions that needed to be uncovered.
āThe real story here is not just about the glitz and the glam and the hits. Thatās all there. Thatās been well documented. Itās the why did this label fall from grace. Now thereās a lot of misconception, but when you really look at it, and weāre having this conversation in the country right now around justice reform and unfair justice being handed to, particularly African Americans, here is this group of individuals who are doing everything right in terms of being taxpayers and contributing to giving people jobs and because of who they were and who they knew from their neighborhood, their whole empire came crashing down because of racial profiling. Irv and his brother Chris and Murder Inc. were ultimately acquitted for something that they didnāt even do, but because of who they were and who they affiliated with, they lost their entire empire,ā Payton said.
Even though the documentary aired on BET Aug. 9, 2022, Payton believes the underlying message is still timely.
āWhen people are watching this, I hope they have an eye out for that,ā he told AfroTech. āYes, thereās a lot of stuff in there, Weāre talking about Ashanti, and weāre talking about the good times and the bad times. But really I think we should hone in on and look at that because it says a lot about where we are. I mean, itās only 20 years ago. It may seem like a lot for some people, but itās not that far removed from us and we see it still going on today when we see whatās happening with [Young] Thug and Gunna. I just hope that people get that itās more than just a story about music and guys who are on top of the world and suddenly something happens. It gives space into something deeper about how can something like this happen to such a thriving good group of guys and women who are just trying to make their dreams come true.ā
