Former Interscope executive Larry Jackson revealed that Chief Keef was placed on an FBI watchlist with a $50,000 bounty on his head while still a teenager. Jackson, now CEO of gamma., shared this previously untold story during an interview with The New York Times' Popcast.

Jackson learned about the situation through an FBI contact who warned him about the threat to Keef's life around the time Interscope signed him in 2012. Taking on a paternal role, Jackson personally intervened by writing a letter to a judge that helped keep the young rapper out of jail.

The revelation provides context for Chief Keef's tumultuous early career, which included:

• A $6 million Interscope deal in 2012 following "I Don't Like"
• Legal troubles beginning in 2011 with heroin-related charges
• A shootout with police at age 16
• Four weeks in detention for aggravated assault charges

Despite being dropped by Interscope in 2014 due to legal issues, Chief Keef, now 29, has largely avoided legal trouble since his last arrest in 2017 for cannabis possession in South Dakota. The relationship formed during this period between Jackson and Keef continues to this day.

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