The mixtape builds on 2018sSwervo, which takes the name of his alter ego.
One of my friends just gave me that name.
I was making a lot of money at a young age, and we used to call it swerves.
With Southside (left) at an album release celebration forSwervoin New York, 2018Shareif Ziyadat/Getty Images
SoBig Swervis me coming into my adulthood, Herb,28, adds.
But its also him doing something he hasnt previously been able to do: let loose with his music.
The music is a lot more mature than anything Ive probably ever put out.
Its me having fun, though, too.
(He has a daughter, Emmy, though she came after the medallion.)
He had like the best, like purest soul, Herbo says of Juice.
In November 2018, Herb was on tour with the producer Southside.
I did it really pretty much so I could sleep at night.
I still have nightmares to this day.
At one point,Herbo says, the bus driver mentioned that cops were pulling the bus over.
Herb wasnt too worried; he figured it was because someone on the bus caught a warrant.
Soon, though, he learned this stop was anything but routine.
It was, like, 30, 40 police cars outside, he says.
You know those interrogation vans thats shaped like an ice cream truck?
But then he was awoken and moved to one of the interrogation vans.
I get on the truck, and theyre investigating me.
They asked me about this name of course, I wont disclose the name.
And Im like, What the fuck?
At one point, the investigators began asking him about wire fraud.
As soon as they said that, I got, like, a big relief.
I dont even know how to really work my cell phone.
I barely check my emails, unless its having something to do with business.
And they didnt care about none of that shit, Herb notes.)
I was fully relaxed, he says.
Im like, Bro, what the fuck?
I dont even know that guy.
You know what Im saying?
But I was lying.
I did know him, he says.
I always got, like, investigated by Chicago police and [for], like, state-police cases.
This is a federal case.
Lying to a federal agent is a federal offense.
Im not finna tell you anything anyways.
Herb tells me he met Strong at some point through the tight-knit Chicago rap and club scene.
But, he insists, they were not close.
He was never a guy that I hung out with, he says.
Hes not from my neighborhood.
I didnt grow up with him.
So I didnt reach out to him or anybody that they asked me about.
And, you know, time went on and they never came back.
And then, two years later, in October 2020, shit hit the fan.
Herb and the other men were accused of participating in a nationwide wire-fraud and identity-theft scheme.
Herb was also later charged with making false statements to a federal agent.
I was doing music, I had some success.
I was making money, I was selling records already, Herb says.
Im not looking into hows he purchasing it, he admits, but I never got anything for free.
That wasnt his business or issue, he thought.
His sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 19.
A lawyer for Strong declined to comment toRolling Stoneon behalf of Strong.
Despite his assertion that he himself did not commit wire fraud, Herb took responsibility for his actions.
HE DOESNT NO [sic] ANYTHING ELSE BUT DARREN; Wright: I gotchu bro he good.
Just answer when I call you Ima need you.
It still bothers Herb how the case was portrayed both in court and in public.
I had already been accustomed to the life and everything that I was doing.
Thats why it was so easy for me to purchase the things that I purchased, he says.
I was just living my regular lifestyle.
And, you know, he gave me grace, he granted me mercy.
I was able to stay home with my family.
Im super grateful for that.
But it was definitely a rough patch.
In that rough patch between the indictment and his sentencing, things went from bad to nearly unsurvivable.
Shortly after Herb was indicted in late 2020, Lil Greg died.
So Herb turned to alcohol.
That was like the hardest time I ever went through in my life.
I literally just resorted to drinking.
I fell into alcoholism so bad.
I drunk every single day.
Like, I almost lost my life, he says.
He escaped with no major injuries but knew he was in a bad way.
In 2023, Herb sued his former manager, Joseph JB Bowden, and label Machine Entertainment Group.
The case was settled out of court and was dismissed in March.
While Herb is happy with the deal, it was not an easy decision to sue.
There was also love and respect that came from years of working together, which complicated things further.
I did look at [Bowden] like family.
It wasnt a business relationship for me, you know.
There were certain things that I would have signed without a lawyer because I trusted him that much.
Herbs confessional storytelling flavors Candyman, which outlines his recent tribulations.
And theres also the hard-hitting, raspily rapped Splat, which infuses his ambition amid clever wordplay.
Strike You (Intro) setsBig Swervs intentions, and its among Herbs favorites.
The first line is like, And no none of this should get me excited.
Therefore, I dont get upset if I dont get invited.
Thats why if I dont feel respect, then flames get ignited, he tells me.
Herb wants to get their feedback on sequencing for the album.
And on Sept. 6 his alter ego will emerge once again withBig Swerv.
Herbs more than ready for his next, freeing chapter.
Not everybody has been in the streets.
And not everybody had to experience violence to the levels that Ive experienced violence.
I was always vulnerable and talked about it through my music, he says of his past material.
But withBig Swerv,he showcases his growth as a rapper and looks toward better times.
