Willie the Kid (rapper)

Last updated

Willie The Kid
Willie The Kid1.jpg
Background information
Birth nameWillie Jackson
Also known as
  • The Fly
  • TCP (The Crown Prince)
Born (1985-09-25) September 25, 1985 (age 38)
Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s)
  • Rapper
  • Producer
  • Entrepreneur
  • Investor
Years active2006–present
LabelsThe Fly LLC
Website watchthefly.com

Willie Jackson (born September 25, 1985), [1] known professionally as Willie The Kid, is an American rapper, songwriter, film producer, entrepreneur and tech investor from Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. Willie The Kid made his music debut as a founding member of The Aphilliates working closely with DJ Drama and Don Cannon. He is the younger brother of Wu-Tang Clan affiliate La the Darkman. [1]

Contents

Willie The Kid appeared on both of DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz: The Album and Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2) as well as Lil Wayne's Dedication 2 and Dedication 3 mixtapes. [2] He released his debut album, Absolute Greatness , in September 2008 on Warner Bros. Records. [3] He is lauded for his collaborative EP Masterpiece Theatre produced by The Alchemist in 2013. [4]

Willie The Kid is the co-executive producer of I, Too, Sing America: Langston Hughes Unfurled, the PBS American Masters documentary produced by Datari Turner and directed by Academy Award winner Kevin Willmott. [5] He also wrote, co-produced and starred in his own short film The Fly in 2015. [6]

Discography

Studio albums

EPs

Mixtapes

Related Research Articles

Lason Jackson, better known as La the Darkman, is a Wu-Tang Clan affiliated rapper and MC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Drama</span> American DJ and record executive

Tyree Cinque Simmons, known professionally as DJ Drama, is an American disc jockey (DJ), record executive and music promoter. He initially gained recognition as the DJ for Atlanta-based rapper T.I., and continued to gain prominence hosting mixtapes for other hip hop artists. His trademark Gangsta Grillz series is present on releases of which he has compiled; it has been popularized by artists including Lil Wayne, Tyler the Creator, Snoop Dogg, Yo Gotti, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, Fabolous, Jeezy, Meek Mill, and Gucci Mane, among others. Alongside record producer and fellow Philadelphia native Don Cannon, he co-founded the record label Generation Now in 2015, an imprint of Atlantic Records which has signed artists including Lil Uzi Vert and Jack Harlow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kurupt</span> American rapper and record producer (born 1972)

Ricardo Emmanuel Brown, better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has released eight albums. He also formed the hip hop group The Hrsmn in 1996, with whom he has released two albums. His debut solo album, Kuruption! (1998) was released by A&M Records and peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Don Cannon</span> American record producer and DJ from Pennsylvania

Donald Cannon is an American DJ, record producer, songwriter, and record executive. Cannon is a co-founder of the Atlantic Records imprint, Generation Now. He was also a member of the prominent Atlanta mixtape collective, Aphilliates Music Group, with his long-time collaborator and fellow Generation Now founder, DJ Drama. Over the course of his career, Cannon has produced tracks and albums for artists like Jeezy, Logic, Lil Uzi Vert, Lil Wayne, Ludacris, 50 Cent, and numerous others. He also served as the Vice President of A&R at Def Jam Recordings.

<i>Gangsta Grillz: The Album</i> 2007 studio album by DJ Drama

Gangsta Grillz: The Album is the debut album by hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama, bearing the name of his Gangsta Grillz mixtape series, that was released on December 4, 2007, by Aphilliates Music Group, Embassy Entertainment, Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records.

This is the discography of rapper Lil Scrappy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">5000 Ones</span> 2007 single by DJ Drama

"5000 Ones" is a song by American hip hop artist DJ Drama. The song serves as his debut single and the lead single from his debut studio album Gangsta Grillz: The Album. The hip hop song, produced by Jazze Pha, features vocals from several rappers, namely Nelly, T.I., Yung Joc, Willie the Kid, Young Jeezy and Twista, as well as Diddy on background vocals and ad-libs. The single peaked at #52 on the U.S. Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and peaked at #9 on the Hot Rap Tracks.

<i>Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2)</i> 2009 studio album by DJ Drama

Gangsta Grillz: The Album Vol. 2 is the second studio album by American hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama. It was released on May 19, 2009, by Grand Hustle Records and Atlantic Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Day Dreaming (DJ Drama song)</span> 2009 single by DJ Drama featuring Akon, Snoop Dogg and T.I.

"Day Dreaming" is a song by American hip hop artist DJ Drama. The song serves as the lead single from his second studio album Gangsta Grillz: The Album . The hip hop song, produced by Drumma Boy, features guest vocals from American singer Akon, as well as American rappers Snoop Dogg and T.I. The song was released onto iTunes on February 9, 2009. Originally, the song was meant for Akon's album Freedom, under the title "Go Go Dancer". The song peaked at #33 in New Zealand and #59 in Sweden, becoming DJ Drama's only entry in those countries.

This is the discography of American rap duo Tha Dogg Pound.

<i>Number 23 Gangsta Grillz</i> 2010 mixtape by Dorrough

Number 23 Gangsta Grillz is the first mixtape by American rapper Dorrough and American disc jockey DJ Drama, released on February 21, 2010. It is part of Drama's Gangsta Grillz series, and is also an advertisement mixtape for Dorrough's next studio album, Get Big.

<i>Third Power</i> (album) 2011 studio album by DJ Drama

Third Power is the third studio album by American hip hop disc jockey DJ Drama. It was released on October 11, 2011. It marks his first album not to be released in the Gangsta Grillz series, after his previous two studio albums Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2007) and Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2009). Featured guests on the album include Fabolous, Wiz Khalifa, Roscoe Dash, Freddie Gibbs, Young Jeezy, Wale, J. Cole, Chris Brown, Pusha T, French Montana, Crooked I, B.o.B, Gucci Mane, Ya Boy, Akon, Trey Songz, and Big Sean, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Currensy</span> American rapper (born 1981)

Shante Scott Franklin, better known by his stage name Currensy, is an American rapper. Born and raised in New Orleans, Louisiana, he was signed to hip hop labels such as Cash Money and Young Money before founding his own label Jet Life Recordings, in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">DJ Drama discography</span> Hip hop disc jockey discography

The discography of American disc jockey DJ Drama consists of six independent studio albums. His first, Gangsta Grillz: The Album, was released in December 2007 and spawned two singles: "5000 Ones" and "The Art of Storytellin' Part 4". Two years later, he released his second album Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2009), which likewise spawned two singles: "Day Dreaming" and "Ridiculous" —both of which failed to chart domestically.

William Thomas Trenell Brown, known professionally as Willie B or by the stage name The Ichiban Don, is an American hip hop record producer and recording artist from Los Angeles, California. He is an original member of West Coast hip hop production team Digi+Phonics of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE). He is also a member of the hip hop collective A Room Full of Mirrors, alongside fellow rappers Punch and Daylyt, among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dreamville Records</span> American record label

Dreamville Records is an American record label founded by American rapper J. Cole and his manager Ibrahim Hamad. The label is currently distributed through Interscope Records, a unit of Universal Music Group. The roster includes Bas, Ari Lennox, Cozz, Omen, Lute, JID, EarthGang, and Cole himself. Dreamville also houses American record producers Elite, Ron Gilmore, and Cedric Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skeme</span> American rapper (born 1990)

Lonnie Kimble, better known by his stage name Skeme, is an American rapper from Inglewood, California. Skeme has collaborated with various West Coast rappers such as the group Black Hippy, Bizzy Bone, The Game, Dom Kennedy, Nipsey Hussle, E-40, Casey Veggies and Problem among others. In 2012, Skeme released his debut studio album Alive & Living under RBC Records. His second studio album Ingleworld was released in 2013 by MADE Headlines.

<i>D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape</i> 2022 compilation album by Dreamville

D-Day: A Gangsta Grillz Mixtape is the fourth compilation album by American record label Dreamville. It was released on March 31, 2022, by Dreamville and Interscope as a Gangsta Grillz mixtape hosted by DJ Drama.

<i>Ma I Got a Family</i> YoungBoy Never Broke Again album

Ma' I Got a Family, also referred to by its full title Ma' I Got a Family, A Gangsta Grillz Special Edition Hosted by DJ Drama on streaming services, is the nineteenth solo mixtape by American rapper YoungBoy Never Broke Again. It was released through Never Broke Again and Atlantic Records on October 21, 2022. The mixtape is hosted by the American DJ, DJ Drama as an installment of his Gangsta Grillz mixtape series. The mixtape features guest appearances from rappers Nicki Minaj and Yeat. The mixtape also features production from 808 Mafia, Dmac, D-Roc, Drum Dummie, Mason Wu, Noah Mejia, TnTXD, and Chief Keef. The mixtape was mixed, mastered, recorded, and co-produced by Jason "Cheese" Goldberg and Khris James, two of YoungBoy's in-house engineers. The mixtape was backed by no singles and marks YoungBoy's sixth release of 2022.

<i>Coke Boys 6</i> 2023 mixtape by French Montana and DJ Drama

Coke Boys 6 is a collaborative mixtape by Moroccan-American rapper French Montana and American disc jockey DJ Drama. It was released through Coke Boys Records on January 6, 2023. The mixtape contains guest appearances from Stove God Cooks, Cheeze, the late Chinx, Smooky Margielaa, ASAP Rocky, Vory, Max B, Rob49, Ayoub, Jeremih, Benny the Butcher, DThang, EST Gee, Big30, Nav, King Combs, Kodak Black, and Pheelz. The "Money Heist Edition" of the mixtape was released simultaneously alongside the release of the original version. It contains additional guest appearances from Kenzo B, Mr.Chicken, LGP Qua, Tory Lanez, Chinese Kitty, YNP Maine, CJ, T Dot, Bando Gz, Viso, and Jhettaheat. Production was handled by a variety of record producers, including Harry Fraud, Cubeatz, SprngBrk, ISM, Boi-1da, Matthew Burnett, Young Martey, Sahara, Cool & Dre, YC, Pro Logic, Frost, Rippa on the Beat, Miichkel, and Oogie Mane. The project serves as a mixtape for Gangsta Grillz, a mixtape series hosted by DJ Drama. It was originally supposed to be released on December 9, 2022, but it was delayed due to the release of Chinx's third studio album, CR6, which serves as the rapper's third posthumous project and was released exactly one week before the original release date of Coke Boys 6.

References

  1. 1 2 "Willie The Kid". Djchuckt.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  2. "Willie the Kid Interview". Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  3. "Absolute Greatness". Amazon.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  4. "Willie the Kid Alchemist Masterpiece Theatre EP review". Xxl.mag.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  5. "Willie the Kid signs on as producer of PBS Langston Hughes documentary | REVOLT - UNAPOLOGETICALLY HIP HOP". Archived from the original on July 16, 2019. Retrieved July 16, 2019.
  6. "The Fly (2015)". IMDb.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  7. "Somewhere EP". HotNewHipHop.com. February 19, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  8. "Audiomack | Free Music Sharing and Discovery". Audiomack.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  9. "Willie The Kid Talks The Fly, Role of Mixtape in Hip Hop". HipHopDX.com. August 25, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2022.