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Interview
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Picture, if you
will, the future of street music. The coming of urban culture
led by an artist who was born to do it. A messiah, of some sort,
destine to recharge and accelerate the pulse of rap music.
Inspired by the essence of the craft, Willie the Kid is that
artist. Born and raised in Grand Rapids, Michigan, his is not
the typical rappers tale. Located two hours West and East of
Detroit and Chicago respectively, West Michigan didn't have much
to offer in the early 1980s. Like many urban areas, it offered
underprivileged African-American people nothing but the stark
contrast between their lives and that of their upper class
counterparts. With limited outlets for the urban youth, fast
money became the common alternative.
Yet rather than
fall prey to the convenient access to drugs and violence, Willie
The Kid uses the bleak landscape of his childhood stomping
grounds as inspiration for his music and motivation for his
career. The son of a DJ who was down with the culture from its
onset, Willie grew up in a home where Hip-Hop was the ideology
of choice. My father never did anything else, he says, wasn't
big on religion, wasn't big on sports. Wasn't big on anything,
but the music. In my house, that's what we grew up to. |
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We never got in
trouble for throwing footballs in the house, we got in trouble
for scratching a record, or playing a rap record and saying the
cuss words.
The result was a 4-year-old who became king of the playground by
memorizing Rakim and KRS-1 rhymes, knowing that none of his
friends would have ever heard the music to which he was exposed
at home. It was only a matter of time before Willie and his
brother starting coming up with their own rhymes, making
microphones from a pair of broken headphones, which they
connected to a boom box. Around the age of 12, as his brother,
La The Darkman, got his industry break through a deal with Wu
Tang, Willie the Kid got his first notebook and truly started
writing. This happened during the late 1980s, early 1990s, to
which he refers as the Golden Age of rap music. With influences
such as Nas, Wu Tang Clan, and Jay-Z, Willie the Kid is a true
writer, a story teller whose word play and vivid descriptions
put his listeners in a zone.
With the support of his Atlanta-based Aphilliates Crew, Willie
the Kid continues to bypass the norm as he releases his music
independently and build his very own brand--something which he
has done since moving to Atlanta and linking with fellow
Aphilliates member DJ Don Cannon. You can catch the young street
visionary making apperances on every Aphilliates mixtape release
from DJ Don Cannon's 28 Grams to DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz
series. The future is here, right now: Pay Attention as
Wu-International chops it up with WTK, his humble beginnings,
outlook on the game and his forth coming offering. Enjoy!! |
I like to say thanks first and foremost for
taking the time to answer these questions, highly
appreciated, and will also point out that nothing will be
altered, edited or changed when this is published online.
Wu-International: Peace, how are you WTK?
Willie The Kid:
Peace. I'm good, real
good!
Wu-International:
Formal introduction to those who dont already know, tell us
who you are, where you are from or reside etc?
Willie The Kid: Tis I, The Crown Prince Willie
the kid, I'm royalty man, feeling good, fresh from Gun Rule
Michigan, home of the champ Floyd Mayweather and soul legend
Al Green, I'm the flagship artist of the Aphilliates Music
Group, Embassy Entertainment, Sing Sing Regime, The Come Up
Boys...
Wu-International:
So whats the history or story behind the name Willie the
Kid?
Willie The Kid:
The older dudes always called me 'the
kid' around my way, then I saw the movie Dick Tracy when I
was real young, I liked the role of 'the kid' in the movie,
a young dude in the city surrounded by this on-going cops
and robbers element. I told my brother La ima use the name
'the kid' but he said I couldn't use it because of Kid from
Kid and Play, he told me to use Willie the kid, my actual
gov't name is Willie so it jus made perfect sense...Willie
'the kid'.
Wu-International: When did you realise you had the
gift and picked up the mic?
Willie The Kid:
When I was a baby man, I
always loved this hip hop shit man, I never played sports or
none that other shit, rap music has always been my thing...I
got tapes and footage from when I was real young. My father
was a Dj, my older brother been doing his thing, so, I was
born into it, born to do it!
Wu-International: Where you always a solo artist or
were involved in a group or
any groups?
Willie The Kid:
Yeah before I moved to
Atlanta I was in a group called the Shogun, it was me, my
cousin DB, my mans big Jonas, Sonny Black, and A1. From
middle school and high school we pretty much had a tight
grip on the city. We used to do all the talent shows, rap
battles, parties, all that shit, lil niggas coming thru, we
was on some real baby Wu-tang shit! LOL!
Wu-International:
I am sure your brother was a major influence? LA released
his heist of the century almost 10 years, where you too
young then to have been featured on that album?
Willie The Kid:
Yeah I was too young, but I wanted in, bad! LOL! I wasn't
ready yet tho. I knew it was going to be a classic from the
beginning, it feels good to hear people even today still
hold that album in such high regard. Its definitely the
foundation project of our movement, a bonified classic!
Wu-International: LAD is usually linked with the Wu,
you being his brother and coming under him has automatically
made Wu fans embrace you and sometimes even link you to the
Wu movement, how do you feel about this, and do you consider
yourself a distant Wu killa bee?
Willie The Kid:
Yeah, I guess so...that's
funny man, that Wu DNA is so potent! I never thought of
myself like that tho, I always considered that as something
my brother was a part of, but its definitely a honor to be a
distant aphilliate of that movement. But what we're doing
right now is starting a new chapter based on those same
original rules and principals. La was like that dude in that
movie 'The Abbot of Shoalin', when the temple fell, the
Abbot told his top student to continue the school and spread
the teachings by starting a new chapter, I guess you can say
I'm one of the first students from that new chapter. Its a
beautiful thing!
Wu-International: Have you had the chance to work
with any of the Wu members or their extended family apart
from La?
Willie The Kid: Nah not yet, but shout out to
Rae and Ghost, I be seeing them brothers in Atlanta all the
time, and its always love, shout out my nigga Trife too!
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Wu-International: While your brother is compared to
the likes of Jay-Z and 50 Cent, and you being compared to
Lil Wayne or perhaps T.I., this is a compliment as they are
on top of their game now, do you see yourself in this light
as the next big thing? |
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Willie The Kid: Yeah, without a doubt,
I know there is a huge fan base out there who miss
and deserve that top quality rap shit, and I see
myself as one of the first artists who will fill that void, for the first time in a
very long time. I'm excited about the music we've been
making and the business we've been conducting not jus as an
artist but as a fan too! |
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Wu-International: A number of people have faith in
you and waiting on your album to drop, what would you say
makes you stand out from emcees that are already out there?
Willie The Kid:
Quality man. Substance,
carefulness, artistry, wit, charm, charisma, definition,
being a part of a movement, standing for something,
accountability, history, lineage, I can go on and on, did I
mention quality? These are some of the things that hip hop
was built on
and designed to represent, I'm jus tryna uphold that, and
I'm grateful to the fans who appreciate it.
Wu-International:
So when can the fans
expect Crowned Prince to drop?
Willie The Kid: This
year, when snow starts to melt, the tops start to drop and
the skirts get shorter...LOL!
Wu-International: Could you please give us more info
as in featured guest spots, producers etc?
Willie The Kid: Oh yeah, La the Darkman is on
there, Dj Drama, Mario, Trey Songs... production from
Don Cannon, Dertiot Red, Brian Michael Cox, Focus from
Aftermath, Scott Storch, my man Fitzlef, Terrace Martin, the
Runners, shit is sound’n real good!
Wu-International: Crowned prince is an interesting
title, why have you called your album that?
Willie The Kid: We represent royalty man, my
movement represents the upper echelon of quality street
music. I'm the prince of the movement. Actually the Crown
Prince is a self titled album! I'm in the process of
changing the title tho, the music is starting to out grow
the title,
'The Crown Prince' may not be enough to contain the joints
I'm puttn together!
Wu-International: So tell me a little bit about the
album, some of the topics you're looking to hit on, some of
the things that may be different from what is out there or
what you have already done on the mixtapes you had out?
Willie The Kid: The album is like a motion
picture man, its action packed,
however we got enough drama, comedy and a few love scenes to
make it complete. I go in a lil deeper on the content, its a
lil more graphic as far as concepts, the rhymes are high
calibre of course and no 2 beats sound alike. On the album
you get a better look of who I am as an artist, than you may
have got from the mixtapes. Some of the most ground breaking
music we've been putt’n together has a better place on a
album than on a mixtape, niggas gone be like word? Yall
doing it like that?...we covering all ground, effectively,
we real musicians man, not jus hot 16 spitters and you gone
know it for sure when you here that
album!
Wu-International:
Sounds good, looking forward to your album man, was there
anyone you wanted to work with on that album that was not
possible?
Willie The Kid: Yeah, producers especially, of
course like Dre, Kanye West or Timberland for instance--when
I get that budget money right next time around lol, I wanna
work wit a couple producers I grew up to too like the Rza,
Pete Rock, Premiere, the late great Jay Dilla (RIP) and some
non-hip hop producers such as David Axelrod on some whole
other crazy shit.
Wu-International:
Fans would love to hear you on a RZA beats for sure, what
inspires you to write the rhymes you drop?
Willie The Kid: I'm inspired by my home town Gun Rule,
its a real place, for both positive and negative reasons its
a battery for me. I'm inspired by my upbringing and where
I'm tryna go, I'm inspired by my family, my brother's a huge
inspiration for reasons beyond the music. And good
production man, when the beat is right the words jus come
together effortlessly!
Wu-International: What would you say is the best song
you have ever worked on and why?
Willie The Kid: Word,
that's a big question, I don't think I made it yet!
Wu-International: I think La has been a major
influence in the game and would have inspired a lot of
upcoming rappers in the game, for someone like you who is
related and work closely with La, what would you say you
have learnt from him or being around him?
Willie The Kid: How to be a man, yo, straight
up, a stand up guy. Knowledge of self is essential. To be
accountable for what you do and say. Be just, in all ya
dealings and always do the right thing. Follow the rules and
don't break em. Do for yaself and take care ya family.
Loyalty, respect and honor is priceless. Fuck these niggas!
I learnt that there's a
difference between alright and aight, good and great. So
much man, everything you see here today came from a
blueprint La put together and it extends from our family
life to this music shit.
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Wu-International: If you were to name 5 top lyricists
in the game, past present and upcoming, who would
they be (excluding yourself and LA of course)? |
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Willie The Kid: Yeah ima real fan of what WE'RE
doing man. I'm hype about my shit and what La putting
together. Other than that I admire the greats, Big, Jay, Nas,
Wu, Rakim, Kane, KRS...feel me?
Wu-International: If you were to release an album to
be produced by only one producer who would that be and why?
Willie The Kid: Word good question.. I
would have to say Don Cannon. Our chemistry is the original
formula that got me here. The music we were putt’n together
is how I met Drama and eventually signed my deal. We like
Dre and Snoop, he know exactly what I needs and where I'm
tryna go, he knows how the world is supposed to hear Willie
the kid, its a natural thing. We got some absolute classic
shit on the album. |
Wu-International: What have you been working on,
outside of music?
Willie The Kid:
With promoting Dram
album, workn on my debut album, workn on my new mixtape,
workn on La album, La new Gangsta Grillz project, being on
the road, there's not a lot of room outside of music, cuz
even with the clothing line we starting, the movies I'm
writing and the couple investment companies I've been workn
wit, it all comes back to the
music...
Wu-International: So after the album, what is
next on the menu for Willie The
Kid as in mixtapes, movies, features etc?
Willie The Kid:
Keep pushing, we gone do the
3 man weave on these niggas, at least 4 albums a year, back
to back bangers, Dram, Me, La, then me and La with the Come
Up Boys album, back to back. Dropping mixtapes in between,
flooding the radio and TV. I got some fashion design courses
under my belt, been designing for the line we puttn
together. I wrote 2 movie scripts when I was younger, ima
see what I can do wit em, workn on a new one now, Dram keep
telln me to get into acting, but I wanna stay more on the
other side, we'll see...but really movies and fashion has
become so cliché tho as far as a rapper's career path after
the music, so right now I jus wanna concentrate on making
that good music!
Wu-International: Do you feel that alternative media
outlet like Myspace gives
you a more personal connection with your fans?
Willie The Kid:
Fasho, you get that
direct immediate connection and response. That shit is
priceless. Between myspace and youtube we as artists can do
for our self what niggas used to depend on the labels to do.
What so many artist failed from due to the absence of it.
That type of connection wit the fans is very important. I
love it.
Wu-International: Thanks very much, any last words,
message to fans or any
topic we have not covered?
Willie The Kid:
Go cop that Gangsta Grillz
album, Willie the kid coming soon La the Darkman coming
soon, support quality hip hop and keep the culture alive, we
all we got! Stay true, get money, take care of your family
and get out the way of all the bullshit. Peace.
True indeed, thanks, and
Peace!!
Catch up with Willie The Kid
at
www.myspace.com/thewilliethekid
[LA The Darkman: Heist
Of A Life Time Interview]
<Read Other Interviews> |
