Music
The best kept secret in music
Press
Written by Michael Sutton
Let's get it out of the way: Chil Will is not Eminem. Outside of
regional hip-hop scenes, there seems to be a misunderstanding of what it means to be a white rapper. Being caucasian automatically triggers comparisons to either Eminem or ? gasp! ? Vanilla Ice. But Chil Will is nowhere near as grim as Eminem nor is he silly like Vanilla Ice. Chil Will is Chil Will. Got that? Hailing from San Francisco, he has built everything from the ground up ? His musical career and his own record label, Fastrak Entertainment, which has already landed a distribution deal. How did he do it? Read on.
Michael Sutton: When did you begin to rap?
Chil Will: I remember about five years ago writing my first verse ever on paper titled, "Time to Shine." It took me only fifteen minutes to write. Shortly after, I was huddled under a cargo blanket that was pinched up by the closet door and the corner of the wall with a $30 microphone and a cheap four-track recorder. Instantly the rush of spitting emotions on paper captivated me and the addiction took over. That was when I officially began to write and record rap.
MS: What was the first hip-hop record that had the biggest impact on you and why?
CW: I'm from a later generation so listening to older pioneers was really going back in time. All kinds of music have been a huge impact in my life. I've always been open to many generations, new and old. My younger years (the late '80's / early '90's) were heavily influenced by West Coast rap. N.W. A., Too Short and E-40 were all setting the bar but the album that had the biggest impact on me was Dr. Dre's The Chronic. I felt this album set a whole new set of rules for hip-hop culture and music. Besides the trunk shipping production, the concepts of the songs were simple and at the same time a clear image of how they were living. That same formula is what I use for my music today.
MS: How do you feel about the Eminem comparisons because you are white?
CW: Personally, the Eminem issue doesn't bother me at all. The only comparison is that we are both white. We have lived separate lives in separate areas. I haven't gotten any heat at all for being a so-called "white-rapper" or any other relation to Eminem. I'm from the Bay Area where diversity in the music biz has been active for many years, even before Eminem. Hopefully in the years to come, my success as an artist can be a compared to any great artist, even Eminem.
MS: Why did you form your own label?
CW: A long-term goal of mine has always been to have my own successful business in the music industry and to hopefully contribute positive music to hip-hop. Following my bloodlines of entrepreneurs, any passion or ambition will give me the strength to overcome hardships on my way to success. I'm a hardheaded leader who believes that being your own boss is the only way to make a living, especially when you are getting paid for your passion.
MS: How has company progressed so far?
CW: I started Fastrak Entertainment in January of 2003 with limited resources and high expectations. On August 2, 2003, we released The Beginning..., a raw album mainly for the streets and to gain some credentials as a label. The album was not professionally mixed or mastered but still created a great buzz. Our first show was the album release party and actually turned out to be somewhat of a success with a turnout of 350 people. From then on, performing and throwing events became a natural talent that dramatically increased fan base and reputation. Currently, Fastrak has signed a nationwide distribution deal with AK Productions/KES Distribution through rap legend King George. This has taken the label to a new level that will let us expand and reach a higher potential. As we begin the ntionwide campaign for my album titled, Chil Will, Game Drastic, be on the lookout for Fastrak touring in 2006. Our talent as artists is phenomenal and we have gained much experience and knowledge of the industry in our anticipation to move to the top. Fastrak is ready to be put to work with world class marketing skills above industry together as a perfect team for the perfect outcome, success. - Michael Sutton
Discography
Still working on that hot first release.
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
His name has nothing to do with the frosty winter air; instead, it describes his rhymes, ice-cold and sleek. Part Terminator, part Man of Steel, Chil Will is the massive earthquake that San Francisco hasnt had since 1906. Raised on the rough edges of the West Coast hip-hop scene from the late 80s to the early 90s, Chil Will quickly emerged as a rapper to be reckoned with in the Bay Area.
Burning with a keen business sense, Chil Will decided to form his own company, Fastrak Entertainment, simultaneously with his recording career in 2003. He released the raw knockout The Beginning, an album for the streets that fueled a buzz for the newcomer. Its title was completely accurate as it was the launching pad for the rocket that is still throwing fireballs onto the pavement.
With Game Drastic, Chil Will burst from the underground with electrifying beats and snakeskin slick raps, drawing raves from the U.K. as well as the U.S. After signing a distribution deal with K.E.S. Music & Video Distribution (http://www.kesnetwork.com), Chil Will became one step closer to national recognition.
But Chil Will wasnt done yet.
In 2006, Chil Will became the first American independent hip-hop artist to receive a distribution deal in Southeast Asia through Broken Records/Mondo Distribution (http://www.mondodistribution.com), making his CDs available in every Tower Records store in the Philippines, a hotbed of hip-hop. It is another chapter in Chil Wills goal of conquering the map.
Now both national and international, Chil Will is going global - and no force on Earth can stop him.
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