UI Features

Raised on the streets of Lakeland, FL, Fella spent a good deal of his younger years developing his mic and writing skills and tangling with the legal system. In 2005, Fella faced a possible ten-year prison stint related to felony drug charges. He wound up doing two years, and emerged as a free man on a mission to make music his number one. Fella eventually signed with Big Gates Records, and with the help of label-mate, Plies, Fella released, Pill & A Half in 2009. One year later, Fella is back in the spotlight, hitting the pavement and stages to promote his follow-up mix tape, 2 Pills & A Half.

URBAN INK: Many people that have as many tats as you think of ink as an addiction. Do you consider getting tatted as an addiction, or is every piece something that you felt needed to be put on your skin?
Fella: It’s an addiction. Each tattoo is a reflection of my life, the good and the bad. They are all important to me.

How did spending two years in prison affect you as a person, and how did the experience impact your writing?
It ain’t affect me at all. It just made me wiser. I got better with the time. I ain’t have nothing but time, so I just wrote a lot of music.

At one point, you faced ten years in prison. Do you ever think about the direction your life would have taken if you had to do the whole ten years?
Nah, I just thank God for pulling me through that situation.

Of all your tattoos, which would you say is the most autobiographical?
My son, I got a picture of him over my heart. Take him away, and I’m buck-naked.

Stars are a big theme in your ink. What do stars represent to you?
What I stand for, what I represent and whoever reps what I rep and knows what I’m talking about.


Do you have any pieces that reflect your arrest and time in prison?
Yes, my right bicep. I have a time clock that says, “MINOR SET BACK,” and under it, I got the prison bars and gun tower.

How has working with Plies influenced your music?
A lot— he makes me work harder, ‘cause I know, every time he gets on a track, he’s going to snap, so it just makes me step my game up.

Are you excited about 2 Pills & A Half? How has your writing and music grown since your last mix tape?
Yeah, 2 Pills & A Half is gonna tear the streets up. I don’t like to talk a lot. I want you to be the judge. Just listen to Pill & A Half, and then play 2 Pills & A Half, and you will get your answer.

On your MySpace page, you mention that you are a “major ingredient of what the music industry needs.” Can you describe what the ingredient is, and how you are bringing that ingredient to the scene?
To describe that in one word, “authentic.” Because one thing about, and two things for sure, you can’t fool the streets. And if you ain’t heard, I got the streets amped up right now. Name on fire. Just mention, “Fella.”

Where can fans find you online?
MySpace.com/fellamusik, or just follow me on Twitter, @FELLAONYAC.

Photography by Dan Howell
Article by Clive Young

Hair: Inga Provolovich
www.HairbyInga.com

Wardrobe: Splurge Studios Isabelle Scott
www.splurgestudios.com

The Twins Credits-
The M&M Twins
www.top12models.com
 
Myammee Credits-
Angela “Myammee” Pitts

BIG GATES MANAGEMENT GROUP INTERNATIONAL
BigGatesMGMT@gmail.com