Filibustin' with Willie D - An Introduction

I had two natural gifts that I felt confident would help me break the cycle of poverty I grew up in and allow me to provide a better life for my children: boxing and rapping.  Boxing was my first love. There are few experiences that measure up to two people who climb inside of a ring and try to beat the hell out of each other. But as good as I was with boxing and as much as I enjoyed it, ultimately I chose rap. Like boxing, I discovered that I could earn a lot of money rapping and the girls loved it. But unlike boxing, I didn’t have headaches at the end of the day so I threw all the energy I had into making it as an emcee.

My big break came when a song I co-wrote called “My Mind’s Playin’ Tricks on Me” dominated the charts and radio playlists for months and made my group the Geto Boys, a household name. There had been many rap songs glorifying the dope game but not until we released “My Mind’s Playin’ Tricks On Me” was there a song that examined the dark, paranoid side of being a drug dealer. In the braggadocios testosterone-accelerated world of hip-hop, a move like that could have been career ending. But we thought it was important to tell the whole story. If we were going to talk about the glamorous side—excess cars, money, and women—then it was our responsibility to enlighten the cats who were contemplating getting into the game about the downside of being a drug dealer such as early death, lengthy prison sentences, and the paranoia associated with thinking everybody is out to get you.

It was taking bold chances with “My Mind’s Playing Trick’s On Me” and being true to myself by speaking out in my music against controversial topics like welfare fraud, gun control, police brutality, poverty, homelessness, child abuse, dead beat dads, racial profiling, and discrimination that has prepared me for the latest chapter in my life.

In my new VICE column, I will be dropping wisdom, Willie D style, every Monday on current events and issues that matter to me (hopefully you will dig them too).  If you’re not familiar with my name, Google me. I am the voice of the voiceless. I’m not a politician, but the people are my constituents. I work for the underserved. Those who have been abused and neglected are safe with me. I don’t like bullies. I am not afraid. I will exercise great measures to protect children and the elderly. I am a lover of knowledge and a research geek. I am not a boot licker or a sucka. I am a one hundred percent pure, stand-up, love the company of a classy woman, red-blooded man.

Don’t expect me to cater to a specific base or to straddle the fence on issues. I am clear and decisive about my convictions. But if proven wrong, I have no problem admitting it. Most of the articles I write will have a serious overtone. But my humorous side will also be on display from time to time. So tell Chris Rock I said, “Any time, anywhere.”

If you’re looking for mindless or divisive, mean spirited stories to fuel your appetite for hate, I’m not your man. I’m interested in unity through community. The primary focus here is to deliver passionate, informative stories that will make you think and become more objective when judging people and the issues that affect them.  But don’t get it twisted, if I have a problem with a public figure or anyone else you will be the first to know because I am going to use my platform here at VICE to tear a new hole in their ass.  If you can appreciate candid commentary on real issues from a cat that don’t scratch where he don’t itch, I’m your man.

So grab your drink, your smoke, or whatever your vice is (I had to go there at least once) and check me out on Mondays. In the microwave society we live in, with one too many weirdoes, breaking news happens by the minute. There are thousands of stories with an equal amount of hosts, analysts, pundits, and bloggers eager to chime in on the discussion to offer up their opinion. I encourage you to give them all a listen. When you’re done, holler at cha boy.  Because until Willie D speaks on it, it hasn’t been spoken on. Bam!

Willie D is a founding member of the legendary rap group the Geto Boys.

Check out the first installment of Filibustin' with Willie D: Servicing the Secret Service

Follow him Willie D on Twitter: @WillieDLIVE