They came back with their agreement, which didn’t address my concerns, and I knew what they wanted. They wanted a story that showed us getting along. They wanted me to make them look good in the eyes of the public, and that’s why that Zoom call was so important to them. It wasn’t important to me. I went along with it figuring maybe they’d keep at their word, but that didn’t happen.

After the many personal discussions, texts and insincere phone calls, I decided the best thing for me to do is rebrand myself, which is one of the reasons I asked for anything monetary. It’s only right that I should be able to rebrand myself in order to continue to serve my fans, my community and the artists and upcoming artists I mentor and teach along with my other community activities as an activist.

I’d never asked for a dime, but they weren’t listening to me, and I knew they weren’t being genuine. With being a real ally, you put your money where your mouth is [and] you put your words into action. They tell a story that I asked for $10 million, but they didn’t tell the true story, and they didn’t say why I did it. I saw this wasn’t going anywhere and they erased me. So what do you think I’m going to do? I have to rebrand myself. I don’t want to have to share a name with you. And you shouldn’t be allowed to just get a slap on the wrist. I wanted my name. All I ever wanted was to keep my name in the blues genre doing what I did. I should not have to bend to [the band’s] will because they’ve got money.