When one thinks of Arizona, rarely does Hip Hop come to mind. For many, Arizona conjures images of an unrelenting sun and overweight tourists marveling at the state’s plethora of red-colored rocks. Yet for Phoenix native and Def Jam/Disturbing Tha Peace artist Willy Northpole, Arizona is home, and on June 23 when his debut Tha Connect drops, Arizona will also be his kingdom.
“Everybody wants to know the truth, what’s going on in Arizona,” said Willy. “I’m the first artist born and raised here. Nobody’s going to give it to you. If you’re concerned about what the sound is, you’re going to find it all on June 23. Tha Connect, that’s the Arizona sound. I’ve definitely developed into an artist to where [Arizona’s sound] is somewhere between the south and the west. I’m a fan of southern music, I’m a fan of west coast music, and I’m a fan of east coast music, so I feel like the trend that I set and the standards that I set from my freestyles to my album, I’m going to define that Arizona sound…it’s more than just the sound, it’s the person that represents it.”
Willy promises that his album Tha Connect to be more than just an album. He says that his debut will prove to be a slice of his own life transcribed to the rhythms of Hip Hop.
“The thing about the album is that I really took my time on it,” noted Willy. “Being that it is my first project and my first look nationally, I had to [take my time], which I’m going to do on every album, but especially this album. You’re going to hear that hunger in a new artist. Being that I was born a lyricist [and] I grew up listening to Hip Hop music, I know all the elements of putting together a great album. Each song on my album has a concept, whether it’s going to make you upset, maybe it’s going to make you cry.”
Later, he added, “I’ve got songs that are going to make you happy, feel good, and want to celebrate. I’ve got a song called ‘Heaven,’ and if you remember the Dirty Rotten Scoundrals, the D.R.S. boys [from] back in the day with the ‘Dead Homies’ record, I feel like…certain songs like that are what Hip Hop’s missing…I’ve got another record called ‘Vegas.’ That’s more of a [celebratory record], as far as where I came from. It’s not a floss record, [but] it’s kind of like how [Notorious] B.I.G. did ‘Juicy,’ you know, ‘It was all a dream,’ and now it’s here. I’ve got songs for the ladies…[I’ve got songs] that are going to make you want to get up and party.”
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Tha Connect was originally intended for a June 2 release, a whole three weeks before its current date of June 23. Yet to Willy, the pushing the release date back afforded him the opportunity to make the album that much more special.
“[June 2] was the original date, [but] the thing about albums and record labels… is that everything is subject to change,” said Willy. “The timing has to be right. I feel like album has to come out. I’m more an artist. Everybody’s focused on first week’s numbers and things like that, and of course I want to do well and I feel like I’m going to do well, but I just want people to understand that it’s a great body of work. That’s why we went from June 2 to June 23 because I just wanted to stress it to people that this album is definitely going to be, I feel in my heart, that it’s going to be the best album of the year. It’s the difference between coming out smashing opposed to [like it’s Jay-Z’s] Reasonable Doubt, my first album…I’m just glad I can share it with people and put it out there.”
The album boasts the single “Hood Dreamer” [click to view], featuring Grand Hustle emcee Bobby Ray, also known as B.o.B. [click to read]. Willy describes the inspiration for the song was inspiration itself and how its message transcends personal and socio-economic boundaries.
“Everybody has an inspiration, everybody has a dream,” explained Willy. “[Only] a small percentage of people…are born with millions of dollars in their pockets. You’ve got kids in their dorms studying for finals, you’ve got homeless folks on the streets, you’ve got young gangbangers up-and-coming, you’ve got people dying every single day, you’ve got people in prison, you’ve got people studying to be journalists, you’ve got people practicing to be basketball [and] football players, and everybody just has that dream, that inspiration, that hood dream…I wanted my first single to represent me. I lived my hood dream, now to the point where I have an album coming out…anybody can get their dreams if they try.”
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Willy went on to say that the album’s second single is “Number One Side-Chick,” featuring R&B singer Bobby Valentino [click to read]. Although different from “Hood Dreamers,” Willy explains how the song will be a fitting follow-up in its ability to appeal to both men and women.
“When a lot of people hear [the title], they automatically think, ‘Okay, he has a side-chick,’ but it’s actually an emotional record. It shows that you can have to listen to people, and that’s why we’re shooting the video the way we are…It’s female appealing, but the guys are definitely going to be able to relate to this record, because everyone has had a side-chick. Everyone has had a girl on the side, whether she was the girl you were cheating with, or the girl you’re in-and-out of relationships with and you may start something new, but you always go back to her. She’s just that number one side-chick. At the end of the day, if she’s that number one side-chick [and] your main chick messes up, [then now] she’s the main chick. That’s what this song represents.”
Despite the diverse song content, Willy makes it clear that the one thing that anchors the album is truth. He explains how honesty is so important to his artistic perspective, making him the perfect first emcee to emerge from the sun-baked streets of Arizona.
“Basically, everything [I speak about on the album] is based on a true story, so when I put [Tha Connect] out, you guys are going to see how the southwest gets down,” said Willy. “If you come to the southwest, everybody says, ‘The west coast, southwest, whatever.’ But when you come to the southwest, you’re going to say, ‘This is what Willy was talking about in this song…’ I had a cousin who passed away who was a big inspiration in my life. When he died, he had a son on the way, and…he got killed [before] his son…met him. [In the video for ‘Hood Dreamers,’ the son] re-enacted his father’s death. That was all a true story. That was his son, that was my real mother in the video. There were no actors. That was my real grandmother, that was my grandmother’s house. Everything in that video was 100% Willy. That’s why I feel…I’m the best qualified, as far as where I’m coming from, to represent us.”
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He then added, “I’ve said things in my lyrics, even on mixtapes, that were the truth to the point where my family would get offended. If I’m dealing with my family and their opinions and their criticism, I could care less what anybody thinks from the outside. My thing is what I try to stress to them [is] as a man, I’m going to tell my story regardless of how it comes out. I’m going to tell the truth. So, if 80% of my family was on drugs and crack-cocaine, I’m going to say that. That’s the way that I am, that’s what made me the person I am. I’m not doing it to glorify it, I’m not doing it to make it sound good or bad, but it is what it is, and it’s the truth…I’m just going to do what I do and I’m going to represent Willy the best way that Willy can.”
Tha Connect drops June 23 on Def Jam/DTP.
