Tre Williams

The LOX, DMX and Mary J. Blige have all took the music world by storm after hailing
from the streets of Yonkers, NY by way of Florida. Yet in still, Nas has managed to find
another gem in the pool of talent in the streets of NY. Ill Will Records’ vocalist, Tre
Williams, has a story to tell in the booth, but wants you to know what it took for him to get
here, staying focused, and what it feels like to have a veteran behind him.

What has the response been of your first mixtape?

Man, it’s been bananas. I got a lot of support from a lot of rappers on this one. It was
good to get a lot of artists to do joints and show love. Wait ‘til the next mixtape where it
will be more me, I am not cutting myself short

How did you get to this point?

I grew up in Yonkers and you know the LOX are from the same place so I ended up
hooking up with Styles from the group. Styles is the reason why I am talking to you now.
We did the “I-95” joint and from there Nas got a chance to hear me, the rest is a wrap.

Before all this, you had a joint on Petey Pablo’s album before you even were signed
right?

Yeah I did the intro on his album. I had been working with dudes in YO and they told him
about me. We had done some tracks on the way to Queens to meet Petey and they told
him I was coming. He was feelin my sound so I hopped on the track. Once I did that
song, it was a done deal.

What experiences in the game have taught you lessons that you keep with you today?

Back in the day, I was a special guest on the Apollo. With that opportunity handed to me,
that let me know right there that God wanted me to keep doing this. But even so, after
the show I felt like I made it, but I ended realizing that it was much more work to do. This
helped me understand that I could be there, but I realized that I was not as big as I
thought I was. I was the man in my own hood, but there was more to accomplish. I
realized that I had to stay focused.

What has having Nas behind you
meant so far?

I listen to all of Nas’ advice
obviously because he has done it
and been there. He has been
though a lot of the ups and downs
of the music industry. Experiences
he can tell me about, but I still will
go through them. Like a cookbook,
you can read the recipes in the
book, but you still ain’t never
cooked shit in it.


The Internet catches a lot of
negativity for the downloading and
so forth, how do you think it can
help or hurt your career?

It is just part of the music game, it
evolves. And so goes the times.
We went from 8 tracks to records
to CDs. It is a time where you can
not only reach people through a
magazine. With MySpace, you have
the opportunity to reach 75 million
people now. Big shouts out to
MySpace too.

What can we look forward to see
you doing in the near future?

I got the new album dropping in the
beginning of ’07. I also got a new mixtape coming out this summer as well. We doing
something with mixtapes that no one has done before. I'm tellin' you, I am not out to
make music, I am out to make history.

Anything else you want to say?

Shouts out to D12, I send my condolences to them. We need to stop the violence; no one
else needs to get shot down. Let’s keep the game peaceful.
- Treal Magazine

Nas' R&B Young Gunner Steps To The Mixtape Game
Big Mike teams up with Nas & Ill Will Records to bring you the official
Ill Will mixtape debut from R&B artist Tre Williams. This new R&B star's
been making waves in the mixtape game recently, popping up on R&B +
hip-hop mixtapes alike. This mixtape is his 1st full mixtape of new tracks,
R&B freestyles & cameos by Drag-On, J-Hood, T Waters, Petey Pablo.
- www.mixunit.com

TheOG: Are there any other emcees that you’re working with? There have been rumors of you working with Saigon, you and AZ doing a full length album together…is that maybe down the line somewhere?

Nas: I’m with it man you know. I mean we’ll get in the studio and knock it out. There’s a lot of new artists that I’m really feeling. There’s a new singer I’m feeling man. It’s really early to talk about him, this brother named Tre Williams, but I’m really thinking he might be the next one to sign. And as far as lyrically, I’ve been watching a lot of DVDs, and I put my ear to the street, there’s a lot of new up and coming New Yorkers that are getting ready to be the next Renaissance of New York rap; I really feel it.

TheOG: We really appreciate you giving us a few minutes backstage at the Summer Jam. Thank you - TheOG.net: Hip-Hop News From The OtherGround

Nas has signed Tre Williams, a new R&B singer to his Ill Will Records label. The singer was featured on the title track to Petey Pablo's album Diary of a Sinner. Williams has already completed songs with Nas, Styles P., Kanye West and others. Williams, who hails from Daytona Beach, Florida, has released a mix-CD titled Street Gospel that is hosted by Nas and DJ Big Mike. The crooner's first album under the deal will be titled The Depth of My Soul.

- All Hip Hop

The living legend Nas is one of Hip-Hop's all time greatest emcees. After releasing one of the most anticipated albums of 2006 with "Hip-Hop is Dead" Esco is now focused letting the music world hear the soaring vocals of Ill Will Records artist Tre Williams. Nas introudced Tre to a broader audience on his new album with the soulful cut "Let There Be Light".

HHNLive writer Quinton Hatfield sits down for an in-depth chat with Ill Will Records recording artist Tre Williams. They discuss in depth Tre's relationship with Nas and how he came to sign with Ill Will Records, how Hip-Hop affects his brand of R&B, his future aspirations outside of music, when we'll get an album and much more.

Q: First off what inspired Tre Williams to pursue a career in music?

TW: Music been in me all my life man. I'm from Florida so you know mom always had us in the church. I just knew that's what I always wanted to do, while my brothers and sisters was running around the church I was serious about learning them songs at a young age. At about four or five I needed the choir, so music is something I always inspired to do.
Q: Now tell me about the label you're signed to and how that came about?

TW: Right now I'm with Ill Will and most likely it will probably be through Def Jam. I happened to put out a song a while ago called "I-95" with me and Styles P. Somehow Nas got wind of it and sent his people to my house and basically wanted to know if I wanted to get down with him. When you have a legend coming to your house with his people that's an honor...like I said I'm a dude from the projects that never had anything. I struggled for everything I have. I lived in five projects, got kicked out of three so when he came to me it was a beautiful thing. I was excited and it was a beautiful thing so here I am today talking to you right now.

Q: How does it feel to be working with a legend like Nas?

TW: Aw man it's incredible. I'm glad I'm doing this interview right now as I just got my first opportunity to perform with him. We just did MTV Unplugged not too long ago and it was the first time stepping on the stage with the legend and it was real. I didn't know if I should watch him perform or do me [laughs], but it was a good performance so look out for it soon.

Q: Since you worked with Nas and you know what type of style he has, how has that influenced you as an R&B singer?

TW: That's what brought him to me out of the gate, it wasn't that I had to go off of his influence. My thing about music is that I have the platform to reach out to people telling them some good things that might help them. If I can save one soul out there I feel that's my duty. A lot of us get on these platforms and we just say things that don't help us out. Everything you make don't have to help society, but every now and then show some love and give a hand, because these kids look up to us big. They based they whole life on what we wear, how we wear our hair, walk, talk, what we put in they mouth and ears, it's all based on what we do. If we don't show no responsibility to them man then who will? It wasn't that I had to transform for him. He came and got me as I was already in this mode. I was already saying those things that he wanted to hear. Not saying that everything I say is positive, but at least 80% of what I say I try to make positive.

Q: Can you explain why you signed with Ill Will instead of the Jones Experience?

TW: Jones Experience and Ill Will is basically the same thing. It went into a transformation from Jones Experience to Ill Will, but with so many people knowing Ill Will they just put it into one Jones Experience/Ill Will.

Q: What artists had a big influence on your career and music?

TW: Luther Vandross was a big influence, because he was so pure. I tried to do a mixture man like Gerald Levert as that was one of my greatest opportunities to open up for him. That was a highlight of my career before he passed. Marvin Gaye's sound was incredible and the way he delivered the message to you was crazy. You wanted to bump n grind while he was telling you "Mother, mother". I even tried to take Pac's style a bit with his passion and delivery. I tried to use all those dudes in me, so when you put them all together that's what you will get. I felt those dudes big.

Q: What can we expect from your debut album?

TW: Were working on the album now so we are lookin' at the middle of '07 to get it out. The title of the album will be "The Depth of My Soul: Volume 1". What I decided I wanted to do with my career is I didn't just want to jump out to the public and start singing things across the board. The first thing I want to do with this album is allow people to understand who is Tre, what is Tre all about and what he stands for. When you go out and buy my stuff I want you to feel like you have a kinship to me already and on this album you will get that. I want you to feel like you know me. On this album you will get the story of my life, lives I watched, things that touched me, things that moved me and at the end of the day it will all come back to the depth of my soul. I can't sing about a lot of things. I can't sing about a lot of diamonds, big cars and all that, I can't sing about that because I don't know that. I'm not going to get up and sing about things I don't know nothing about. The second album I will have a little bit more than the first album, so I will let you see that.

Q: What do you think it will take to remain successful in this industry?

TW: Staying humble man. I watched a lot of people come and go. The people that stay and remain humble...people are willing to help them. Even when their down and out you say "how does this person keep coming back". Why is Mary still going so hard and other people faded away? Once you get to be a superstar and you all this and all that people don't wanna deal with you. People are happy to see you fall as they don't want to throw you a rope and pick you back up.

Q: You were on Amateur Night at The Apollo. How did something like that help fujrther your career?

TW: What was crazy about that was I went on to be a part of the amateur night show. When you come from the south, you can ask anybody, we don't know much about the industry. We know a little bit more now than we did before, but when you first come to the Apollo knowing someone will hear you it makes you feel good. I submitted my stuff to the director and he pulled me to the side and said "Is music what you wanna do?" then I said "Yeah that's what I want to do". He then said he would not put me on amateur night but put me on as a special guest. He said "With a voice like that, I have to show some love, you don't need that amatuer stamp on you." That really woke me up man. I have to say between that and doing the Petey Pablo album really put the batteries in my back.

Q: Besides working with Nas is there anybody you'd like to work with in the future?

TW: I would love to work with Mary J. I've been a big Mary fan forever. That's always been a dream of mine to do a song with her and Lauryn Hill. I find myself wanting to work more with artists rather than producers. I'm doing some things with Kanye's people now. I've always wanted to work with Rodney Jerkins and the ultimate is to work with Babyface. I would love to sit down with him and make it crazy. Babyface is a legend.

Q: Once the music careers pops off do you want to do anything outside of singing?

TW: Oh definitely man. I don't want to wait until the music slows down and then get into other things. Music for me is not business as I love doing this. There is a business part of it, but the music aspect of it as far as making it is not business to me. It's something I love to do. I'm just blessed that God has allowed me to make a living off of it. I would do this for free if it came down to it. The business aspect of corporate America is something I want to jump into and be successful at. I'm definitely going into acting, but I also have other ideas too. I can't say too much, because when you come up with an idea and throw it out there it will leave you quick, then you will be like "Damn I though about that first". We definitely coming with a lot of things, like the cologne, everything.

Q: What makes you stick out among everybody else in the industry?

TW: I think that most people when they listen to me will realize what I'm saying is real. I don't have no publicist on the other line telling me what to say or what not to say. I write all my music. The reason I do that is because I know what I want to say. I don't mind if it's crazy or it fits me. It's no ego involved in my career. I'm just pure in what I say and what I do. A lot of people that didn't know me put me in the Anthony Hamilton, Jahiem type category, but that's cool because I like them dudes a lot. At the end of the day what puts us together, especially me and Anthony is that we got soul. It's missing so bad in the game that when one dude does it he becomes a novelty, because it's only him. When you got the Omarion sound, Marques Houston sound, and Ne-Yo sound all them dudes are nice. I don't knock any man that's doing his thing. What will separate me is the passion, the soul, and the love for what I'm doing.
- HNNLive.com

Tre Williams isn’t your average R&B crooner. You won’t see him pop-lockin’ on a slick video set. You won’t see him being a fiend for 106 & Park scream teens. But you will see him alongside Nas. Particularly, on the track “Let There Be Light” off of the “Hip-Hop Is Dead” album.

The product of Daytona Beach’s rough Pine Haven projects overcame bullets and despair to eventually becoming one of the genres most brightest stars bulleting up the Billboard charts. This talented songwriter, inspired by his true life tales, sits down with NobodySmiling.com as he talks about his music found a kindred spirit and brother in Nas, how he feels his message shall related to the masses and why he’s not worried about 106 & Park giving him groupie love.

Nobodysmiling.com : You’ve built quite an underground following with your soulful voice. But the market isn’t really ripe with true R&B singers, as they usually have a hip-hop infused angle to increase sales. What has been one obstacle that has continued to plague your career?

Tre Williams : The biggest thing is the just pushing straight reality; coming real with my life. I don’t know about a lot of things like having a lot of money and driving big cars, but I know what I’ve seen. I know a lot of people have been through the same life that I’ve been through. They want you to come in with the big jewelry. I’m not like that. Honestly, that was the one thing that pulled me closer to Nas. It was real stuff that he was listening to. Music brings us happiness; there are a variety of songs that do that. There are a few songs that reflect my life personally. Really, all of it sums me up to a tee. Even with the title of my album, “Depths of My Soul” – it’s just to let people know that this is me.

Nobodysmiling.com : With artists seeming focused on monetary success, instead of artistic integrity, your songs seem to remind me of Anthony Hamilton. He hasn’t had the B2K-like success with fans, but is respected as a soul legend. If the crying girls don’t come and the 106 & Park spins are limited, what will keep you going?

Tre Williams : I think it’s coming. You know what I think? Me coming with this movement and being accepted so quickly is the reason why this success is coming. I think that people are going to move towards the real sound. They say that I sound like Anthony, but we both have something that is missing in the game. That’s soul. I won’t bend or break. That was a younger movement, so they’re going to do there numbers. But as long as we can hold respect.

Nobodysmiling.com : “Ready to Fall in Love” is a song to the special lady in your life. As most singers are apt to profess their love for their significant other – has there even been a time where you love was unrequited?

Tre Williams : Nah, I wouldn’t say that that has happened with me. I have been with my wife for awhile. Even my love stuff – it’s needed – you can’t be so straight up hard, so even with that is a beautiful thing. My relationship has had its ups and downs; you know that… nothing in life is ever so rosy. I have had my share of bad things that happened to me, growing up. But as far as the love aspect… it is what it is.

Nobodysmiling.com : You’ve linked up with Nas at a very opportune time. In your bio, it says that he heard the CD and met up with you that same night. What did Nas see in you that others, who may have passed over you, missed?


ns : I think that what Nas seen in me was a genuine dude and the genuineness was coming out through my music. I’d say that he took a chance on something that he saw other people shun. It’s not a B2K or Ne-Yo movement, so as far as Nas, everybody knows his music and what he stands for. That’s pretty much me on the R&B side. I’ve been through the struggle with the streets. Nas’s and mines views are very similar. To be totally honest, I never shopped anything to Nas. I never sent a CD over there or nothing. It was just by the grace of the God. If nobody believes in God or anything like that, then this is proof. This will make you a believer in a higher power.

Nobodysmiling.com : Nas doesn’t have the best history with singers. There was his association with Quan that kind of fizzled out. What if you get put on the backburner?

Tre Williams : Quan was a rapper who could sing. He never wanted to be a singer. As far as I know, he’s still over at Atlantic. He’s still a part of the family. I wouldn’t say that it fell apart. Before I even signed with Nas, I was making a movement. I had something that was picking up speed. It’s up to me to take that to the next level. Nas can’t sing, he can’t do my interviews, so if I don’t give credibility to who I am it wouldn’t matter who I’m with, I’m not going anywhere. It’s all about my work and I do believe that you get out what you put in.

Nobodysmiling.com : From what I heard so far, you’ve managed to stay away from the “bump ‘n grind” anthems that seems to be others tried-and-true formula. What is it about a song like “Michelle, Michelle” that would resonate with your listeners over a sultry, panties dropping joint?

Tre Williams : “Michelle, Michelle” is a song that deals with something that we see on a daily basis. Young girls are getting more mature faster and more dudes are seeing this and are ready to take advantage of them. The reality of that song is that someone’s daughter, sister, whoever is being taken advantage of. These dudes are leaving scars on these women. It’s a song that should draw attention. You have a lot of singers who won’t take the liberty to sing about something like that. The only other songs that have really touched people on that level is 2Pac’s “Brenda’s Got A Baby” and now, Luda’s “Runaway Love”. You can bump ‘n grind all you want, but you’ll have someone doing that to your little sister or your 12-year-old daughter. If I could save one out of the millions, then I’d be blessed. I’m not a teacher or a prophet, I have my faults like anyone else, but I know right from wrong.

Nobodysmiling.com : In a past interview, you said that once you’ve busted open the doors in the music world that you’d be ready to flood the corporate world. Do you believe that with the business mind that many musicians possess that that could lessen their musical impact?

Tre Williams : Nah, not really, because music is the love. Music is not a business. I love to do this. I would do this for free. It’s just that God has allowed me to earn a living from this. I don’t know about other artists, but I love to do it. I’ve been singing all my life and I’ll continue to do that. If the deal shuts down tomorrow, I’ll still be singing. As far as corporate, that’s just my business mind working and trying to venture out now. I’ve always had a mind for business. I am talking about designing cars to working on a sitcom. I have cologne that’s ready to hit the market. I don’t want to throw it all out there, but it’s a lot of ideas that I’m sitting down with; I’m not waiting. A lot of people like to just hop into clothing lines, but I want to go into other avenues of the corporate world, things that suit me.

Nobodysmiling.com : You appear on “Let There Be Light” – produced by Kanyé West. He’s been known to knock out a soulful, yet catchy, R&B joint for a few Grammy nominated singers. Are there any plans on working with him for your debut?

Tre Williams : It’s crazy that you said that, but I am working with one of his producers who’s under him. I just wrote to four of their tracks now. That’s a done deal. That’s something in the pipeline. Kanyé is someone who I wanted to work with from the gate. He’s from the left. He’ll give you something crazy. For me to do a song with Nas on a Kanyé track is just crazy. I think that it just fast-forwarded the process. By already doing the song, I was able to send a message to him saying that I sounded good on a track with Nas, so just imagine how good I would be on his track, on my own. It was a better audition than anyone could imagine.

Nobodysmiling.com : Most of our soul legends have passed. James Brown, Gerald Levert, Barry White have all made a mark on our lives and our parents lives. What do you think is missing in today’s R&B to where those impacting memories are missing?

Tre Williams : If I could say, I don’t think a lot of the artists are personable as those back in the day. People don’t have tact to how they act nowadays. With Marvin Gaye and the people from back in the day, folks felt like they knew those guys. I think that most of our artists today are so standoffish that they seem unreachable. They sound as if their interviews are scripted. What I’m giving you is what’s on my mind. I don’t need my publicist to speak for me. A lot of dudes aren’t doing to do that. When’s the last time you’ve seen a show where panties are thrown on the stage. There isn’t any passion anymore. Put together a great album. Take the people mentally on a rollercoaster. Make them think, make them want to love. If you do that I guarantee you that the people will love you for it. That’s what I’m trying to do. I was blessed to be able to do a show with Gerald [Levert] before he passed. The dude… I can’t say enough about the guy. He actually watched my show when we were in Nebraska. He gave me advice and told me how much he liked my show. You don’t have artists sharing that type of knowledge anymore. Why? Because they feel like the young artists are mainly out for a dollar. I may not rake in $2 million every album… but I’ll draw a nice fan base where I can touch lives. He said don’t sing over no more tracks, get a band, and when you do that you’ll see that your shows will be better and you can live comfortably off that. I took that to heart, man. I know he’s right because… Gerald did 60-grand that night [laughs]. The world lost a good one with that man. I make sure that I say that Gerald was something inspirational to me.

Nobodysmiling.com : You’ve been on a heralded album with Nasir Jones, co-signed by the streets and the Internet, and still seem humble after all of that. What’s next up for you, man?

Tre Williams : Just steady work man. I want to do my best to put out a great album. I’m not working with singles. I’m trying to come out with a great album. I don’t want to disappoint anyone. At the end of the day, I’m just a man who is blessed with a gift and an opportunity to share it with millions. I’m humble for real. Just give me the love that I give you. When I give out this album, that’s the love that I give them. As I grow, I want people to grow with me. The money is going to come, all the different things are going to come, but I want people to be welcomed into my world. You used to know when an artist was going through something. He didn’t close the world out… he let them in. They don’t do that anymore. I want y’all to get in the car with me and just ride out. When it’s over, you’ll know it. The goal for me is to finish out like Frank and them… on Vegas.
- Nobody Smiling.com

50 Cent-“Not Rich, Stop Lying”

Field Mob ft Ciara-“So What”

Ghostface -“Big Girl”

Christina Milian ft Young Jeezy-“Say I [Get It Popping]”

Nelly Furtado ft Timbaland- “Promisocious Girl”

Fonzworth Bentley-“Laid Back”

Mobb Deep-“Put Them In They Place:

Ne-Yo ft LL Cool J-‘So Sick [Remix]”

Clyde Carson-“Hyphy Juice"

Bubba Sparxx-“Ain’t Life Grand”

Stack Bundles ft Jim Jones and Max B-“Cold Rockin’ It “

Kanye West ft Papoose & Tre Williams-“Hey Mama [Remix]”

Apathy ft Blue Raspberry-“Winter Time”

Nelly Furtado & Timbaland-“Man Eater”

8Ball & MJG-“Outfit”

Chamillionare ft Jamie Foxx-“ Take You Home [Remix]”

Remy Martni ft Big Pun-Thug Love”

Letoya Luckeet ft Mike Jones & Killa Kyleon- “Gangsta Grills”

Papoose ft Thug-a-cation-“How Many Shots”

Dem Franchize Boyz ft Bun B-“My Music”

Beenie Man-“Hmm Hmm”

Bubba Sparxxx ft Petey Pablo -“The Otherside”

Big Boi ft Sleepy Brown and Killa Mike-“Running Away”

DJ Khaled ft Lil Wayne, Paul Wall, Rick Ross,Pitbull and Fat Joe-“Holla At Me:

Lil Scrappy ft Chyna White-“Shake My World”

Field Mob –“Blacker Da Berry”

DTP-“Family Affair”

DMX –“ We In Here”

- Foxxy's Weekly Report (Week 5)

1. Masta Killa/Ringing Bells/Nature Sounds
2. E-40 feat. Keak Da Sneak/Tell Me When To Go (Inst.)/WB
3. Tre Williams feat. Papoose/Broken Dreams/Ill Will
4. Blaq Poet/Watch Your Back/White Label
5. Blue Scholars/Bruise Brothers (Inst.)/BlueScholars.com
6. Eddie Gale/Song of Will(Jazznova's Rhythm Happening RMX)/Sonar Kollectiv
7. El Da Sensai/Crowd Pleasa/Fat Beats
8. Panacea/Colorful Storms/GITD Records
9. Nadir/Leave It Alone/Eclipse America Productions
10. Cheri Dennis/I Love You/Bad Boy
11. Public Enemy/Pump The Music, Pump The Sound/Guerilla Funk Recordings
12. Jimmy Castor Bunch/I Got Something for Ya!/JimmyCastor.com
13. KRS-1/Don't Give It Up/TempleofHipHop.org
14. Papoose/Flashbacks/Streeetsweepers
15. Del Ray & The Sun Kings/Nowhere to Land/Trakwerx
16. Juvenille/What's Happenin' (Inst.)/Atlantic
17. Defari/The Bizness/ABB Records
18. Conya Doss/Here We Go Again/Conyadoss Songs & Unique Beat
19. Ta'Neal/Strange Fruit RMX/FuseBox Media
20. Alexis/Go Sista/Kassopia Entertainment
21. Alia Marie/Pretend/White Label (via MySpace.com)
22. Veronica King/Cosmic/White Label (via MySpace.com)
23. Jianda/Sunrise Projector/White Label (via MySpace.com - The Industry Cosign

"Black Girl Lost" featuring Papoose and Tre Williams. - MTV.com News - Mixtape Mondays

Joints to check out include "Holy Ghost" and "Black Girl Lost (remix)." - The Source Magazine - April 06