Big Will

Big Will was born and raised in the streets of St. Louis, MO. As a child, he watched his favorite artists like Kris Kross and Hammer, and made his decision that he would pursue his hip hop dream at the tender age of nine. Since then, he has had a monumental and highly influential career on the local scene. He has opened up for every major artist who has performed in his hometown from Jay-Z and 50 Cent (Roc da Mic, June 2003) to Nelly (Derrty Dj’s Mixtape Release, November 2005) and a host of others including multi-platinum recording artist Twista, The Youngbloodz, The Franchise Boys, and Maceo. He has won many battles on the local scene including a battle which involved over 100 emcees from across the entire mid-west (Roc da Mic qualifying battle) But the highlight of his career and his chance for mainstream stardom came in December 3, 2005, when he made his debut on the B.E.T Top 10 video countdown 106 & Park on the "Freestyle Friday" segment, as he embarrassed the competition week after week. During the time that Big Will was on 106 & Park, he nearly doubled the Freestyle Friday ratings by his last week. He went on to become the first Hall of Fame champion ever to come from the Mid-west.
Although the biggest breaks of his career came courtesy of battling, Big Will does not even consider himself to be a "battle rapper". His gift of lyrical combat is surpassed only by his gift of making quality music. Evidence of this is his success on St. Louis radio. While working with his legendary group called "Da Slu Cru", Big Will had two songs on radio entitled "Got My Mind Right" and "Who Want Who Need It", that ignited the local clubs scene. The single "Who Want it Who Need it" found it’s way on BDS Top 200 independent chart. He also has to his credit "History In The Making", a mix-tape that he sold over 10,000 copies of and created a cult like following in the process. Big Will merges The Notorious B.I.G’s raw grit, Jay-Z wittiness, Nas’s storytelling ability, and Tupac’s political awareness, and adds his own flare to it. Although he enjoys making commercial music, his "comfort zone" is making music relating to the struggles he endured during his short twenty-four years. He has a very rare gift of connecting with his listeners on an emotional level. With songs like "I’m Hood", which encourages young children to stay in school, and "St. Louis Blues", which gives a look into the hardships of ghetto life, Big Will is way more than a fly by night battle emcee.
Big Will has what it takes to take Hip Hop to the next level by never forgetting what made the icons of the past special, and what makes hip hop as a culture dynamic and unique in comparison to other art forms. Keep your eyes open for this young superstar.