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“Initially I was signed as a solo artist. Lil Jay asked me to
write some songs for the Geto Boys. I wrote Do It like a G.O.
and “Let a Hoe Be a Hoe. They didn’t like it, but Lil J and
whoever he was letting listening to it was loving it. So he told
them y’all either rap this shit or go solo. They decided to go
solo and J decided to revamp the group, that’s how I became a
Geto Boy.”
Considered the classic GB line up, Bushwick Bill, Scarface and
Willie D first emerged as the Geto Boys back in 1989 with their
monumental record Grip It on That Other Level. The record
contained classic songs “Gangsta of Love,” “Do It Like a GO” and
“Read these Nikes,” all penned by Willie D. Filled with raw and
gritty beats and pure ghetto angst, Grip It on That Other Level
became an instant classic with rap fans and earned them a deal
with the legendary hip hop producer/entrepreneur Rick Rubin, who
inked a split label deal with Rap-A-Lot to re-release a reworked
version of the LP on his Def American label. But as soon as word
about the kind of lyrics that was on the album reached the
powers that be the Geto Boys found themselves in the eye of a
political storm. PMRC founder Tipper Gore and Sen. Bob Dole
placed pressure on Time/Warner to drop the album altogether.
Fortunately the Geto Boys prevailed and their national debut The
Geto Boys was unleashed on the public. The record went gold with
no air play in spite of the mainstream media blackout. Willie
went on to record a string of critical and commercially
successful albums like We Can’t Be Stopped (Platinum), which
feature the classic “My Mind Playing Tricks On Me,” a greatest
hits collection called Geto Dope (Gold), Resurrection (Gold) The
Good, the Bad, the Ugly (Gold) and The Foundation.
Equally impressive is Willie D’s catalog as a solo artist. To
date he has done over five solo projects, which includes the
cult classic Controversy, the brilliant Going Out Like a
Soldier, the ultra hype Play With Ya Mama, the controversial
Loved by Few, Hated By Many and Relentless, which was released
on his own independent label, Relentless Music. Now with his
latest solo effort No Time 2 Die Willie D raises the bar on his
own high standards and delivers his rawest, most controversial
record. In fact, this may be his best album to date period.
“The primary difference between this project and previous solo
projects is my approach to writing,” says Willie. “On past solo
projects I was always too analytical of what I was saying. This
time I was completely unforgiving, the way I have always been on
Geto Boys albums. This album is really a testimony to my
emotional state.”
Produced by, Kano, The Machine, Seeme, Jo Traxx , Willie D and
others No Time 2 Die contains a bevy of hot beats and blazing
lyrics that will entertain as well as enlighten you.
For a taste of the light-hearted entertaining side of Willie D,
look no further than the album’s lead single “More Power.” a
bawdy song about the power of a woman’s money-maker, which
features Willie D’s protégés Huntzville.
"Before I ever met the group members I had an idea to produce a
group called Huntzville,” says Willie. “I always believed the name sounded
intriguing and aggressive because the city Huntsville, is the death penalty
capitol of the world. In terms of talent I wanted some witty cats who was not
talking about the same ol' same ol’ ( ice, crystal, girls, money). We cover all
of that but you also get a lot of depth out of them.”
On the controversial track “Uncle Sam” Willie D is joined by Huntzville to
kick rhymes exploring the Iraqi War from three different vantage points: pro,
con and indifferent. By offering three sides of the ongoing debate Willie D and
Huntzville offer a fair and balanced view point of a very touchy subject.
On “Houston,” Willie D does what he does best putting haters in their
place. This time he takes aim at anybody who is down on the South. He’s letting
them know that the South is where their origin begins. “Since you don’t know yo
roots, let me hip to something, I’m from the place where yo granny and yo
Grandpappy met, …… show some respect.”
With No Time 2 Die Willie D proves once again that he is still the realest
rapper in the game. His steadfast refusal to compromise his standards makes him
one of the most important MCs of our time. |
PEACE....