Atlanta rapper YFN Lucci will make his return to State Farm Arena, but as a halftime act instead of a headliner.
He’ll perform during halftime at the Atlanta Hawks game on Nov. 18, when the team plays against the Detroit Pistons. The appearance follows Lucci’s sold-out homecoming show at the venue in August.
“That’s gonna be big,” YFN Lucci told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution via Zoom. “I’ve never performed at the halftime (show), so to be able to do it for my city is going to be crazy.”
The chart-topping artist, best known for his 2016 hit “Everyday We Lit,” dropped his album “Already Legend” in September — his first since being released from prison earlier this year.
In 2021, YFN Lucci, whose real name is Rayshawn Bennett, surrendered to Atlanta police on racketeering charges and was placed in Fulton County Jail, where he stayed until last year after pleading guilty to a single gang charge. He was moved to Burruss Correctional Training Center in Forsyth and was released Jan. 31.
The 34-year-old is on parole until 2031.
He told the AJC he’s spent most of his postprison life with his four children and traveling. On his first day out, he celebrated with family and friends at The Bank, a Bankhead restaurant and event space (his first meal was red snapper, he fondly remembers).
Credit: SCOOT HOLLOWAY
Credit: SCOOT HOLLOWAY
After the celebration, he immediately started recording new music. Now, he’s making music every day, which is something he no longer takes for granted after his four-year incarceration.
“I was ready to hear my voice again, because I ain’t did that in so long. … When I did my first song, and I heard my voice again, it was just a great feeling of like, ‘Damn, I’m back.’ I’m really back doing what I love the most,” he shared.
YFN Lucci is ready to embrace his “new beginning.”
“I’m drug-free. I’m on top of my business. I own my masters (recordings). I’m just focused. I know this all could have been taken away from me in the blink of an eye, and I know I don’t want to ever have to deal with that feeling again.”
“Already Legend,” released on Sept. 26, includes fellow Atlanta rappers 21 Savage and Young Thug. The latter was a surprising addition, given the rappers’ longtime feud. But YFN Lucci said they’ve recently squashed their beef.
YFN Lucci is featured on Young Thug’s “Whaddup Jesus,” a track from “UY Scuti” — Young Thug’s first album postincarceration — which also dropped Sept. 26.
“We just wanted to change the narrative,” YFN Lucci said about his new friendship with Young Thug. “We almost lost our life to everything that was going on. We almost got taken away from our families, and we got a second chance, so we gotta make it better this time.”
Next year, YFN Lucci will tour behind “Already Legend.” Until then, he’s promoting the album, with plans to drop new videos for “Mixing My Problems” and “Pieces on My Neck.”
He’s already working on a new album.
“Time is very valuable,” he said. “You can’t take things for granted, and you always got to work to try to be the best you can be, no matter what you’re doing.”
Monday’s game will also feature the debut of Nike’s Peachtree City jerseys, which say “Peachtree” in block-style font across the chest.
IF YOU GO
Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks
7:30 p.m. Nov. 18. 1 State Farm Drive, Atlanta. 404-878-3000. statefarmarena.com
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