Iyanla, Help My Son: Mickey "Memphitz" Wright

Iyanla: Fix My Life

OWN The Oprah Winfrey Network

Society & Culture

4.7 • 827 Ratings

🗓️ 16 July 2019

⏱️ 38 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mickey Wright Jr., better known as Memphitz, found himself at the pinnacle of the music industry at exactly the right time: he worked as a rising executive under L.A. Reid and founded his own record label under Jive Records. He also helped establish some of today's most influential artists, including Nicki Minaj and T-Pain. After being falsely accused of domestic violence by former girlfriend, K. Michelle, Mickey was ostracized by his record label and the music industry. Eventually, his accuser recanted, but it was far too late to undo the damage done to his reputation, career and marriage. Having lost everything and without the required love and support, Mickey began to self-medicate using a cocktail of drugs. With her only son's life spiraling out of control, Mickey's mother, Francis, wrote in to Iyanla in hopes of getting clarity around Mickey's struggles and help to get his life back on track.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Let me tell you who I am.
0:02.0	I am a survivor, a teenage mother, a welfare recipient, and a woman.
0:08.0	I am a teacher, life coach, minister, lawyer, and author.
0:13.0	I've had my share of breakups, breakdowns, and breakthroughs.
0:18.0	I did my work and put my life back together piece by piece. I am I Yonla Van Zand,
0:24.4	and I am here to help you do your work. This is a story that began when a mother wrote in
0:34.4	about her son, a one successful hip-hop producer who is still reeling from the trauma
0:40.8	of his father's murder.
0:42.6	My son is Mickey Wright, aka. M. M. Fitts.
0:46.3	You would know me as the guy that signed and discovered T. Payne, Nikki Minaj, Waka,
0:51.3	Waka, L.A. Reid took him under his wing. He got with Drive Records.
0:56.0	They gave him his own record label.
0:58.0	It was surreal to me, coming from nothing to all of a sudden I was riding around with Puffy and L.A. Reed
1:03.0	and to just have everything that I wanted in my house and my cars and been with so many women.
1:09.0	It's like a blur.
1:11.2	This is a cautionary tale about the falsity and the flash of fame.
1:17.6	And what happens when you fill your life up with things and then lose all of those things?
1:24.5	Eventually he met one particular woman and that relationship was the demise of his career.
1:30.3	When allegations of domestic abuse surfaced, everything he had worked for disappeared.
1:37.3	Like I achieved all of this success, and then all of a sudden, start losing it all,
1:41.3	that just was like really messed up. I feel like I'm in a situation where I do need help.
1:46.0	I want a second chance like everybody else.
	...

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