The instant classic Urban Renaissance was his debut album. Since then he has emerged as a greater force lyrically, as he has matured as an emcee with a fierce command of flow and a sense of humor to match. Willie Spade is definitely ahead of his time.
Red: Spade you are from the south right?
Spade: I was born in Chicago, but did most of my growing up in Germany my father was military, but it wasn't until i moved to Alabama that i started really doing music.
Red: Smashing the competition. How did it all begin?
Spade: I was born into it, not necessarily wanting to be a rap artist, just always around and creating music in a way. My father was always singing in the house, I used to dub tapes of me singing or even in a few instances rapping. My father ended up getting a computer somewhere down the line, and I would actually sample beats from a CD player run them into sound recorder and loop them, the record my vocals and mix them into sound recorder as well just to make songs...It wasn't until I met another local rapper named "Per'Pos" that I came into fruition about doing music seriously.
Red: To whom do you attribute some of your influence as a powerful emcee?
Spade: Too many to name, but as far as Mainstream, Em, Luda, Jada, Biggie & Pac of course, but as far as underground Loaded Lux, Joell Ortiz Serius Jones...
Red: I've seen you grow phenomenally over the past few years, but still keep it fresh...
Spade: ...Unlimited creativity, the premise that I can do anything I want to a track, the effort behind it and the expressions from people when they finally get a finish product... I'm also very hard to please...I get a thrill when I finish new joints, but I grow tired of them and just wanna see how much clever I can be and how much further I can stretch out.
Red: So explain the complex way in which you create a new joint?
Spade: It's not really that complex. I try to envision what a beat says to me, and embody a concept inside of it. Then I kind of go scatter brain and write lyrics or ideas down and patch them all together, and hopefully I'll come up with something..(laughing)
Red: What's popping in the studio these days?
Spade: I'm finishing the Gump Gumbo mixtape as we speak which is a southern genre album that's more upbeat and catchy then my prior darker and more concentrated material..it's a new Vibe for me, As well as finishing up The Civil War which is a mixtape I started with Na'Ledge who was born in NY. The idea behind it is to mesh a Yankee and southern sound and produce a solid project. So far our efforts have far exceeded his, mine, and everyone's expectations.
Red: You've gained so much, so rapidly. How?
Spade: Invest patience. Invest originality; and most importantly invest. There is a lot of money in this game. Still to get, but you'll spend a whole lot of cash before you will even create a buzz.
Red: Besides music, how do you occupy your time?
Spade: I'm a very creative media person. I direct, edit, and arrange all my own music vids, but I've always been big on making movies. Visual and vocal media really take the cake. I've made several little clips and vids on Youtube, as well as directed my own animated film. I'm also a big video game junkie if anyone has the heart to man-up on some fight night GET AT ME!
Red: New fans of Willie Spade can find albums online?
Spade: Google "Willie Spade" (laughing). I'm everywhere, but my most updated content is either on http://www.myspace.com/williespade or http://www.youtube.com/williespade My first studio album "The Urban Renaissance" is available on www.cdbaby.com/williespade or you can download my mixtape "The Famine" at http://datpiff.com/Willie-Spade-The-Famine-mid9522.html
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