Brandon “Jinx” Jenkins is all about the fundamentals. The journalist, DJ and photographer has built a platform based on the roots of media through a traditional career path and education.
These days, it appears many of the top media personalities get more attention from hot takes and speculation than from the more traditional idea of an unbiased, central reporter. Recently, Jinx discussed his views on the industry and his new “Criminal Attorney” podcast under Wondery’s true crime series.
What is this new crime podcast you’re hosting all about?
I was working with another network when we did the Max B story. Max B is a celebrated figure within hip-hop. Where I’m from in New Jersey, he’s up there. We love Max, but Max got caught up in this criminal trial, this murder plot, and he’s still doing time.
Through that research, we found out that Max had a couple of lawyers. One of the lawyers he pursued was Paul Bergin, a lawyer out of Newark. Paul [approached] Max like, “Hey, I want to be your lawyer. I get everybody off.”
He’s a very talented lawyer, but then there was word out there that Paul might be mixed up in some trouble, and he might be on the other side of the law himself. So, Max deviated away from that and then Max’s story went the way it went.
That’s how we found out about Paul. My producer at the time, Matthew Nelson, worked on the story after that show, and he brought it to the wonderful people at Wondery and was like, “Hey. This is a story we found while reporting another criminal story. Let’s go this route.”
Without telling too much about Paul and his antics, what scared Max away from Paul was that Paul’s really in the mud. He’s getting his hands dirty. It’s not what you want out of your [lawyer]. You don’t want that from anybody, let alone your attorney.
So the story has all these twists and turns to it. Paul has this very front-facing persona as this very talented attorney. He used to work in the U.S. Attorney’s Office, but in sort of a Walter White moment, something forces him to go “Breaking Bad.” I think Paul has a similar arc.
We’re seeing a lot of hip-hop crime reporting coming from the more blog-style outlets, specifically in the YSL trial. What do you think of the state of hip-hop media?
I think things have been flagged into hot or not, entertainment or boring, but on the other side, these are real people: [Young Thug’s lawyer] Brian Steel, Thug, the other witnesses, the people who are testifying, the other the judge. Right now, there have been more than one.
You either feel that duty [to report with journalistic integrity], or you don’t.
Before, there used to be a barrier to entry to get in [journalism]. People resented that barrier of entry, because that keeps good people out, too.
Now it’s gone. It doesn’t exist. If you get your phone out, you can go to work. I think the foundation of journalism and the foundation of these things is still really important.
It’s election time. It should be more visible than [ever] now [that we need real, accurate reporting]. We have these crazy court cases. We’re seeing what else is taking place in hip-hop when it comes to the intersection of our figures in legality.
I think it’s important to do it the right way.
People who make content are just different, to me, than journalists. I see the content that comes through sometimes and it’s so dumb, insensitive and thoughtless … I think there will always be a home for people who want the real information, take their time [and read journalists] who are putting in that work and have made it their calling.
