In celebration of Black History Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to contribute a series of essays exploring themes of identity, music, culture, inclusion, and more.
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Today, the acclaimed rapper from South Los Angeles, WIL$ON, presents his essay titled ‘I Deserve It All,’ reflecting on his artistic journey while navigating life, as part of Atwood Magazine’s Black History Month series! WIL$ON aims directly for the heart with his music, delivering intentional, intricate, and unique rhymes grounded in authentic truth. He grew up in one of South Los Angeles's most dangerous areas, known as “The Hundreds.” Raised by his mother alongside three sisters and never having met his father, music was always a part of his environment. After spending two years in college aspiring to be an ESPN anchor, he picked up a pen and started writing poetry. Encouraged by friends, he assembled a D.I.Y. studio complete with a microphone and dedicated countless hours to rapping over internet beats. Producers cook&jango invited him to their studio in Compton, where they discovered an undeniable creative synergy. He generated buzz with several projects, including the ‘Extended Family’ EP [2018], ‘A Blue Phase’ EP [2019], and ‘Lil Boy’ EP [2020].
“Heartbreak Anonymous” marked a pivotal moment, amassing 1.8 million streams on Spotify and paving the way for ‘1-800-HEARTBREAK’ in 2022. He furthered the narrative with the ‘Method Acting: act I’ EP and ‘Method Acting act II: The Blue Note’ in 2023. In the interim, he opened for various artists, including Smino and Kalan.FrFr, and received accolades from Complex and The FADER, who commended his personal lyrics addressing struggles, social awareness, and an unwavering belief in his success.
With a visionary outlook for the future of hip-hop, he now presents an intriguing and sophisticated body of work on his debut with Def Jam Recordings, ‘Method Acting: act III.’ In doing so, he positions himself as the distinctive voice the 21st Century rap scene needs.
“Real music isn’t dead, man,” he asserts. “You never have to adhere to what you think the masses want to hear. The most successful artists create music with substance that resonates with people, and that’s what I aim to do. Above all, my music will always carry soul.”
Read WIL$ON’s Black History Month essay below!
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by WIL$ON
Throughout my life, I’ve been quite fortunate – with a loving mother and sisters, good friends, and I’ve often ended up in the right places at the right times.
I recall back in school (when the Clippers were struggling), my entire history class attended a game, and during the usual t-shirt cannon activity, I randomly caught a shirt. A classmate turned to me and said, “Of course, you of all people caught one,” and for some reason, that remark has always resonated with me.
Seriously, every time something even slightly positive occurs, I envision her face and hear her voice saying, “You of all people.” I’ve never really considered myself the hardest worker or the smartest individual, so when good things happen, I feel a strange sense of guilt.
“Why me?”
When I signed my first modeling contract, the voice grew louder. “People have spent their entire lives trying to reach this point, and you got signed because of Instagram?!”
And when I signed with Def Jam, I felt embarrassed to share the news with people around me because I didn’t want to come off as boastful.
Enter “Man At The Garden.”
I grew up in one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in South-Central Los Angeles, known as “the 100’s.” I’ve personally known over 30 individuals who lost their lives, from family to friends to a kid I saw biking around the area. Therefore, it’s been difficult to savor the rewards of my efforts while being aware of so many who didn’t make it this far.
I deserve it all.
This past year, I lost one of my dear cousins, Lamont, who would always say, “Mark, you gotta stop the humble act because sometimes it’s okay to let folks know!”
I deserve it all.
While I continue to struggle with accepting things as they come, I now view my journey as living for those who couldn’t be present – and the best way to honor their memory is to live fully and stop labeling myself as “lucky.”
I deserve it all. – WIL$ON
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:: stream/purchase Method Acting: act III here ::
:: connect with WIL$ON here ::
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WIL$ON, a rapper from South Los Angeles, presents his essay titled ‘I Deserve It All,’ in which he reflects on his experiences as an artist while managing life. This piece is part of Atwood Magazine's series for Black History Month!