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Freddy Will

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Freddy Will
Freddy Will at Wansee in Berlin, Germany.
Freddy Will at Wansee in Berlin, Germany.
Background information
Birth nameWilfred Kanu Jr.
Born (1977-08-11) August 11, 1977 (age 47)
Brookfields, Freetown
OriginUnited States of America
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Author, recording artist, philanthropist
Years active2006–present
Labels
  • Theatre of Literary & Performing Arts
  • Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing
Websitefreddywill.com

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.[1] 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.

Early life

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Wilfred Kanu Jr. was born in Brookfields, Freetown, to parents who hailed from Sierra Leone.[2] 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.[3]

Toronto, Canada

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In 2006, Freddy Will traveled to Toronto, Canada, to record his debut album.[4] 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.[5] 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.[6] All three books were self-published in a book plus album concomitant. He also launched The Freddy Will Hope Foundation.[7][8]

Literary, music, and theater influences

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During his interview with award-winning Ghanaian journalist, Jefferson Sackey, Freddy Will stated that he started rapping when he was still living in Liberia.[9] 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.[10]

Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough to Eat

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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.[11] 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.[12][13][14]

Discography

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Albums

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  • 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

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  • City of Kings: RELOADED (2012)

Mixtape

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  • Stay True (2006)

Collaboration

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  • Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough to Eat (2010)

Bibliography

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Paperback

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  • My Book of Chrymes – published August 11, 2009 (ISBN 0-981-21601-3)
  • The Dark Road from Romarong – published October 10, 2010 (ISBN 1-926-87609-1)
  • Hip Hop Kruzade - Path of a Legend – published November 22, 2014 (ISBN 1-926-87650-4)
  • My Book of Chrymes (Definitive Edition) – published January 11, 2024 (ISBN 979-8-89269-294-6)
  • The Dark Road from Romarong (Definitive Edition) – published January 25, 2024 (ISBN 979-8-89298-094-4)
  • Hip Hop Kru Zade: Path beyond clichés – published February 21, 2024 (ISBN 979-8-89372-905-4)
  • Crime Rhymez – published April 25, 2024 (ISBN 979-8-89443-841-2)
  • Theatre, Dance & Poetry – published June 10, 2024 (ISBN 979-8-89480-466-8)
  • Brazenitout – published September 13, 2024 (ISBN 979-8-89589-679-2)

eBooks

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  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 1 – published June 6, 2016 (ISBN 1-483-57305-2)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 2 – published November 15, 2016 (ISBN 978-1-483-58654-0)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 3 – published August 8, 2018 (ISBN 978-1-644-40966-4)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 4 – published October 10, 2018 (ISBN 978-1-644-67715-5)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 5 – published March 5, 2019 (ISBN 978-1-645-16095-3)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 6 – published February 22, 2020 (ISBN 978-1-648-26437-5)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 7 – published February 22, 2022 (ISBN 979-8-891-21460-6)

Grammy Awards

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Year Song/album Category Role Result
2011 Healthy Food For Thought, Good Enough to Eat Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for Children Vocals, lyrics, songwriting Nominated

References

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  1. ^ Kamara, Sally (January 30, 2017). "Interview With Freddy Will: Author, Entrepreneur & Artist". irepsalone.com/. iRep Salone. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  2. ^ Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2019). Crime Rhymez. Berlin, Germany: Badson Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 9798894438412. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  3. ^ Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2019). My Book of Chrymes (Definitive ed.). Berlin, Germany: Badson Publishing. ISBN 979-8-89269-294-6. Retrieved June 2, 2024.
  4. ^ Kanu, Wilfred (April 19, 2008). "Word to the streets". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  5. ^ "Freddy Will prepares for release of his new Krio album and second book – Cocorioko". Retrieved September 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Kanu, Wilfred (June 27, 2009). "Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  7. ^ Kanu, Wilfred (July 25, 2009). "My Book Of Chrymes & While I'm Still Young – The Talking Drums 1. 2v". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  8. ^ Records, Double K (October 19, 2010). "Freddy Will – Dark Horse From Romarong ...a city of kings (Sierra Leone 2010)". myafrica.allafrica.com. Double K Records. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  9. ^ Sackey, Jefferson (March 11, 2015). "JSR FREDDY PROMO-people and blog". imperiya.by/. imperiya. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  10. ^ Kanu Jr., Wilfred (September 8, 2016). "My Top 10 Influences in Literary & Publishing Pt. 2". blog.freddywill.com. Freddy Will's Blog. Retrieved December 10, 2017.
  11. ^ Dean, Kitty Chen. "Healthy Food for Thought". slj.com. School Library Journal. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  12. ^ Field, General (March 12, 2014). "Grammy Awards 2011: Winners and nominees for 53rd Grammy Awards". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 9, 2021.
  13. ^ Scott-Hamilton, Carolyn (August 30, 2010). "Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat (A Children's CD)". healthyvoyager.com. The Healthy Voyager. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  14. ^ Cowle, Ken. "GRAMMY nomination 2011". soulasylumpoetry.com. Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing Inc. Retrieved July 5, 2021.
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