Big Will has made a few changes in his rap career since his Freestyle Friday championship reign on BET’s 106 & Park. He’s moved from St. Louis to New York and now to Atlanta. Big Will has also blazed the mixtape circuit by allowing fans to listen to his music online for free. Now, he is preparing to do a lot more in 2008. Big Will has a new single, “Poster Girl”, he’s with a new label called Fall Back and he’s challenging anyone who wants to battle him. But you better have some money to put up when you step in the ring with him. Here is an emcee that can show the world that St. Louis can rap and he’s carrying the STL Hip Hop scene on his back to do it.

HipHopClub talks to Big Will about his plans for this year, who he’s working with and who he’s not working with and his past championship victory on BET’s 106 & Park Freestyle Friday.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Tell us about your new single “Poster Girl”.

Big Will: It was produced by this up and coming guy by the name of Rafael Andreas, you know what I’m sayin. Basically, it’s catered more towards females because everybody knows from seeing my 106 & Park run and knows my history that I can rhyme. I pretty much got that in the bag with the biggest question about my career is can I actually make music. The masses are going to feel whether or not it’s going to appeal to them. So we went in the lab, we came up with something. I heard the beat off of a beat CD that he gave me and we went to Stankonia Studios and we recorded it. Now it’s sounding like a hit.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So what have you been up to since your championship victory from Freestyle Fridays on BET?

Big Will: First of all I would like to make reference that this is one of the first interviews that I’ve really talked about it and it’s just a coincidence but this is like going into my 2 years. It’s been 2 years since I did what I did on 106 & Park. So it feels good. It feels like I accomplished something that most people only talk about. But since then I’ve been down here in Atlanta. I’ve had a lot of ups and downs since then. I’ve been through a whole lot. You know I’ve been staying up in New Jersey and New York and now I’m in Atlanta. You know I’ve just been cranking out music like a machine, man. We did a lot of shows. We did the Atlantis Music Conference which was a huge success. We did a couple fashion shows down here. Basically, I’ve just been trying my best to get my BET connections to come up there and fuck with the Midwest region because right now I feel like we’re being ignored. You know Twista had bad sales… I feel like the only thing that they feel like we have to offer right now is Kanye and I’m trying to prove that it’s not true.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: It’s definitely true that the Midwest has a lot to offer. As far as the culture of Hip Hop in the Midwest, how do you feel we stand right now?

Big Will: I feel like we have a lot of people that have been overlooked but if you paid attention the same thing happened to the south. I mean, they had they’re UGK’s, they’ve had a lot of people, they’re Gucci’s and they Three 6 Mafia’s and all that who got overlooked and then all of a sudden it took that one person to get on and then after that the south exploded. So we got our people that has been overlooked and that has been making music for years, especially in St. Louis. You know, you’ve got people like The All-Stars who charted as an independent and still got overlooked, you know what I’m sayin. It’s a lot of people. You’ve got people like back in the day, The Gatekeepers, you know what I’m sayin who had huge success on radio. It never equaled to any exposure from a global standpoint. But it should have. I just feel like history repeats itself and I feel like we’re going to do the same thing that the south has done as we get to where we have to together.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Okay. Speaking of which, as far as St. Louis, do you feel like that there is anybody that’s trying to make a monopoly here? Do you think that’s probably one of the reasons why no one has been able to make it from here?

Big Will: Well you know what? As an artist, it would be easy to say that. It would be easy to let that be the reason but as a man I feel like you can’t blame anybody for your success and lack there of. If you’re not having any success then basically it’s because you didn’t grind hard enough. You know? That’s how I feel about it. Or you weren’t willing to take the chances that the next man was willing to take to make you what that man has become. You know? I mean if anything, I feel like the monopoly is really the DJs. The DJs have the monopoly on the game. But if you look at it, it’s just Hip Hop repeating itself and going in a circle because Hip Hop started with the DJ and it’s going to end with the DJ. You know? So basically it’s all about what the DJs willing to get behind and willing to support. There’s no rapper that has a monopoly on the game because it’s never been a time where nobody could not just get no money. You know what I’m sayin? It’s always been a time where if you grind and work hard, you know, you could get your money. You know? It’s all about the DJs, the DJs have the monopoly on the game.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Okay, that’s real talk right there. And you spoke earlier about ups and downs. In particular one of the trials and tribulations that you’ve been through with the whole change and people that you’ve dealt with in the past. In a recent interview that HipHopClub had with your former partner of Da Slu Cru, Ty, what is your take on some of the statements he’s made as far as your past relationship and everything compared to how it is now?

Big Will: I feel like what he said for the most part was true but I just wanted to basically -- a lot of people have been asking me the question and everything like that. We’re not friends. I don’t consider him as a friend. You know? We can’t deny the history that we’ve had together. I look back on it and I feel like it’s a situation that could have made everybody so much money and put so many people at a better standpoint to what they are right now. But I felt like basically there was ego’s and there was people from different camps whispering things in different people’s ears and eventually if you hear lies and stuff so much it starts to sound like the truth. You know? If you see it enough times people are going to start believing that and I feel like it was different people in all of our ears. We wasn’t prepared for the success that we had received. We definitely wasn’t prepared for the success that I received on 106 & Park because I decided to get up and take that trip on my own. And the only person that went with me was my homie Blue. So I feel like I’ve seen a couple different spots where it was certain people from that faction taking credit for what I did. You know what I’m sayin. Luqmon and Odie groomed and prepared me, and Blue made it possible for me to take that trip but at the end of the day, there were no managers allowed in that room while I had to prove myself. And I felt like I put my career on the line doing that because if I would’ve lost that would’ve been it.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Yeah.

Big Will: It just so happened that I made history. If I would’ve lost that would’ve been the end of Big Will. (laughs) You feel me?

St. Louis Ben Grimm: So they helped you out?

Big Will: I mean Luqmon and Odie they groomed me, they showed me everything that I needed to know in terms of being a good battle rapper and a good showman. You know? At the end of the day, like I said, I give Luqmon, Odie and Blue some credit for my success. Because like I said if it wasn’t for Blue it wouldn’t have been possible for me to take the trip. If it wasn’t for Luqmon and Odie I wouldn’t be nearly as good of a battle rapper and a showman as I am right now.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Okay.

Big Will: So I give them their credit where their credit is due. You know? My hat goes off to them. You know? But nobody else can take any credit for what I did because I did that. That’s me.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Looking to the future. What’s coming up with Big Will?

Big Will: Well, I’m getting a lot of love down here in Atlanta. People are really remember me from the show and they show me all kinds of love here. I don’t really want to put anything out there because I don’t want to necessarily spoil anything before it manifests. But I’m going to have a real big ’08. You know? It’s a lot of people in the city that’s still asking when my album is coming out and everything like that. I say to them just be patient and I thank them so much for holding me down the way that they have. I wouldn’t be nothing without St. Louis man. They held me down for who I am and they’re the reason why I can come home and still be who I am.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Cool. Are you still battling?

Big Will: I got an invitation to Fight Klub. I heard my man Holla cleaned the house that night. So we’ll see how that turns out. And for anybody out there who sees what I’m doing and thinks they can battle, if your money is right we can definitely get it in.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: You say if the money is right?

Big Will: Yeah. If anybody wants to battle me, they gotta put some money up.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: (laughs!)

Big Will: We ain’t taking no more free battles, just for the fun. We talking about some money now!

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Is there anything else that you would like the HipHopClub readers to know?

Big Will: Make sure you visit my MySpace page for anybody that wants to support or whatever they want to show me www.myspace.com/bigwillofficial. 2008, Fall Back that’s the label that me and my manager J-Meeks put together and we’re going to have a real big year in 2008. I got my mixtape on my page that people can download for free if they want to hear something from me. But basically everyone should be looking out for Big Will because it’s going to be a big ’08.

St. Louis Ben Grimm: Thanks for the interview

Big Will: No problem man, it’s all good. You got my personal numbers. Ain’t too many people in the city that can say that. Straight up so just holla at me.

--By Marrio (St. Louis Ben Grimm) Gardner