Residing in Atlanta but originally from Queens, New York, rapper/entrepreneur Fly Ty is an A&R consultant at Sony/Columbia Records and the executive producer of hip-hop music for the hit television show Empire. Born Tyshawn Johnson, he was affiliated with the Desert Storm crew along with DJ Clue? and DJ Envy, as well as rappers such as Fabolous. He earned a GED and bachelor's degree in political science while serving a 15-year prison sentence, and appeared on DJ Clue?'s The Professional 2, recorded over the phone from jail. After turning his life around, he became motivated to urge others to do the same. He wrote two books (A Basic Guide to Getting in the Rap Game and Road to Redemption) and worked with two anti-violence organizations (Hip-Hop Against Gun & Gang Violence and End Black on Black Crime Project). He opened Room Service Lounge clubs in Atlanta and Miami. He also kept working on music, heavily inspired by Atlanta's trap scene as well as the Queens hip-hop he'd been affiliated with. The single "Smoking Mirrors" (featuring French Montana and Mark Murrille) was released by Ty's own Against da Grain Entertainment in 2014. However, he made a much bigger impact with the 2016 single "Large Bag," which featured Jadakiss (the Lox) and Offset (Migos). ~ Paul Simpson