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JOLIET, Ill. (September 20, 2024) – When a guy spends his entire young life growing up in rough surroundings and looking in the eye at tough situations every day, he needs a positive outlet to release his feelings and frustrations.
For Michael (“Wachtel”) Barnes, that outlet is rap music.
Today, Wachtel is releasing the new single “Nutball” through his own independent record label, Yungns Entertainment.
Wachtel describes “Nutball” as him taking all the emotions from what happened in his past that had been building up and what people were saying about him and accepting it to become stronger in the long run.
“In life, we go through so much - and for a period of time it beats us up inside until we can develop the ability to embrace it,” he said. “In my case, what once was holding me hostage is now working for me to my ultimate advantage.”
Then he said with a smile: “Okay, so if you call me a nutball and that’s what you think I am, then I’m going to be the best.”
Wachtel grew up in Joliet, Ill., a rough town and home of the Stateville Correctional Center where his father served time when he was a child and while the family struggled financially.
With a dream to get his family out of poverty by any means possible, Wachtel was pulled to the streets, surrounded by gangs, drugs and guns – finding himself trapped in a no-win situation.
As he fought against the odds from the community and the law, he released his pain and his past into his music.
Wachtel said his music is inspired to a certain extent by Tupac. In particular, he said he likes the strong presence that the rapper continues to have and how he used his platform to speak out on issues that were important to him.
In addition, he said he admires JAY-Z for the way he conducts his business and pushes forward, regardless of whatever challenges or obstacles he may face.
“I guess you could say I look up to him as sort of a ‘superstar hero,’” Wachtel said. “And I don’t mind saying that because we all need heroes to look up to in life.”
With ambition and determination similar to JAY-Z, Wachtel created Yungns Entertainment as an independent record label in 2017. After this focus on putting out his own music, Wachtel said he plans on releasing music with other local artists, performing live shows, and building the brand with custom clothing and accessories.
“By choosing that name with its unique spelling, I want to create a home for the young – those that have been underestimated and are now striking back against the status quo,” he said. “We’re not accepting it anymore. It’s not a political thing, but rather just the openness of being who we truly are.”
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