Freddy Will facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Freddy Will
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Freddy Will at Wansee in Berlin, Germany.
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Wilfred Kanu Jr. |
| Born | August 11, 1977 Brookfields, Freetown |
| Origin | United States of America |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | Author, recording artist, philanthropist |
| Years active | 2006–present |
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Wilfred Kanu Jr., known by his stage name Freddy Will, is a Sierra Leonean American author, music producer, publisher, recording artist, and philanthropist best known for releasing three consecutive albums with accompanying books. He launched his music career by mixing hip-hop with jazz, calypso, r&b, classical music, and Afrobeat. He writes books on history, philosophy, biography, poetry, personal development, and fiction. He is best known for his singles "City Boy" (2008), "Providence feat. Carvin Winans" (2009), "Endurance" (2010), "Mandingo Love" (2012), "2 Passports" (2014), "Livin' N' Toronto feat. Kao Denero" (2014), "Girl from Happy Hill" (2017), "IV U feat. King Boss LAJ" (2020) and "Natural Light" (2024).[1] He has also written several books in Europe.
Contents
Early life
Wilfred Kanu Jr. was born in Brookfields, Freetown, to parents who hailed from Sierra Leone. At 2, he relocated with his parents to Monrovia, Liberia. There, he discovered music, theater performance, and literary expression. As a teenager, he navigated through the tumultuous Liberian and Sierra Leonean civil conflicts, residing in Sierra Leone, The Gambia, and Senegal. Eventually, he became a naturalized citizen of the United States.
Toronto, Canada
In 2006, Freddy Will traveled to Toronto, Canada, to record his debut album. After revisiting the country a few times, he filed for permanent residency there. While living there he recorded a mixtape, two additional independent studio albums, an EP and released them off his independent record labels, Ghetto Breed Entertainment and Swift Nightz Entertainment. He also started his freelance writing career, launched his blog website, and authored three books that were self-published by Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing, as well as his publishing company, Freddy Will Publishing in Ontario, Canada. All three books were self-published in a book plus album concomitant. He also launched The Freddy Will Hope Foundation.
Literary, music, and theater influences
During his interview with award-winning Ghanaian journalist, Jefferson Sackey, Freddy Will stated that he started rapping when he was still living in Liberia. He credited Kool Moe Dee, LL Cool J., Queen Latifah, Ice-T, Naughty By Nature, legendary Sierra Leone rapper, Jimmy B, Dr. Dre, Tupac Shakur, Scarface, Snoop Dogg, The Notorious B. I. G., Nas, The Luniz and the LOX as some of his primary musical influences in hip-hop. For his writing, he credits his father, John Grisham, Shakespeare, Langston Hughes, Caresse Crosby, Maya Angelou and Pacesetter Novels as his primary influences and Idris Elba, Ice Cube, John Singleton and Spike Lee, his influences in theater and film.
Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough to Eat
In 2010, Freddy Will was among several musicians, music producers, spoken word artists, chefs and children's book authors who participated in a children's compilation album consisting of 60 selections of prose, poems, and songs about food, nutrition, and self-awareness that can be used as part of a childhood obesity awareness curriculum and to promote awareness for Type 2 Diabetes among school children. This album was executive produced in Philadelphia by the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods. In 2011, the Recording Academy nominated the Double CD charity album for a Grammy Award.
Discography
Albums
- While I'm Still Young – The Talking Drums (2008)
- While I'm Still Young – The Talking Drums 1.2v (2009)
- Dark Horse From Romarong – a City of Kings (2010)
- Laboramus Exspectantes (2014)
- Views From The 7 (2017)
- African Black: The Unreleased Anthems & Ballads (2020)
EP
- City of Kings: RELOADED (2012)
Mixtape
- Stay True (2006)
Collaboration
- Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat (2010)
Grammy Awards
| Year | Song/album | Category | Role | Result |
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| 2011 | Healthy Food For Thought, Good Enough to Eat | Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children | Vocals, lyrics, songwriting | Nominated |
