Search - Willy Northpole :: Tha Connect

WILLY NORTHPOLE is the first true Arizona rapper to break out of the confines of the state. Yet, with the release of Willy Northpole's stunning debut Tha Connect that limited perspective is about to change, we are introduced to a world of marked gangsters, midnight crack slingers and strong family bonds. On his first single "Body Marked Up," an ode to the numerous tattoos that cover his body, Willy drops verbal bombs onto an unsuspecting audience. Utilizing a minimal beat that was produced by a 14 year old new-jack named Wonka, "Body Marked Up" is a hypnotic banger that has enticed more than a few industry ears. Through his child hood friend & manager Tiffany J. of Family Tree Entertainment he inked a deal with Ludacris' powerhouse label Disturbing tha Peace. A mere child at the time of his neighborhood's metamorphosis in the mid-`80s, the introduction of crack changed Willy's life in many ways. Enticed simultaneously by the chaos of the streets and the sound of early hip-hop, Willy's mom entered him in a few talent shows. Still, at that point in his life, the streets had a stronger pull than the stage. On the moving track "Heaven," produced by Jelly Roll, Willy revisits the pain of the violet deaths that have befallen on many of his homies. Willy was locked-up for robbery at the age of 15 which may have just saved his life. In the youth detention for three years, Willy hung posters of Jay-Z, DMX and others on his cell walls and continued to write rhymes on a regular. Released when he was 18, Willy was determined to do the right thing. He got a real job and started buying his own equipment. He started going to the studio, and the engineer who worked there taught him how to make beats. However, taking a cue from 50 Cent, Willy released a diss single called "Garbage Disposal," and others started paying attention too. Dissing local crews, he went digging deep to get dirt on his rivals. Ironically, through the help of his friend Hot Rod, "Garbage Disposal" also caught the ears of the G-Unit maestro himself. "I'll always have respect for 50 and Hot Rod, but some of the people around him..." Another standout track from Willy Northpole's includes the Black Elvis produced "The Life," a feel good song that features Def Jam soul man Ne-Yo on the hook. "I had left the song without a hook, because I wanted to get an R&B singer on it, but Ne-Yo was the last person I expected to get. Man, when I heard Ne-Yo on my track `The Life,' I knew my life was about to change." In truth, after listening to Tha Connect, your life too will be changed.