Freddy Will

Wilfred Kanu Jr. (born August 11, 1977), professionally known by his stage name Freddy Will, is an American Canadian author, philanthropist and hip-hop recording artist.[1] His pictures are on four "limited edition" postage stamps of Sierra Leone,[2] and he is the author of three successive books published with accompanying hip-hop albums.[3] He has collaborated with Juno Award winners and Canadian jazz musicians, Eddie Bullen and Liberty Silver, and five-time United States Grammy Award-winning Gospel singer, Carvin Winans.[4]

Freddy Will
Freddy Will at British Museum in February 2018.
Background information
Birth nameWilfred Kanu Jr.
Born (1977-08-11) August 11, 1977
OriginFreetown, Sierra Leone, West Africa
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)Author, rapper, blogger
Years active2006–present
Labels
  • Freddy Will Industries
  • Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing
Associated acts
Websitefreddywill.com

Early life

Freddy Will was born at the Brookland Maternity Center in Brookfields, Freetown, Sierra Leone.[5] He is the eldest son of Rev. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs Kanu,[6] former Plenipotentiary Minister of Sierra Leone to the United Nations and publisher of Sierra Leone's widely read Cocorioko Newspaper.[7] His mother, Mrs. Tigidankay B. Kanu is a Director of nursing (long-term care facility), a preacher and founder of Covenant Child World Ministry, a church in New Jersey, United States.[8] His father is from the Loko people, and his mother is from the Mandingo people.

Liberian and Sierra Leonean Civil Wars

In his biography, "My Book of Chrymes," he stated that when he was two years old, his parents moved to Monrovia, Liberia in West Africa where his father taught English as a high school teacher. The family later moved to Kakata, Liberia when his father became a lecturer in psychology. In the book, he also described his experiences from the First Liberian Civil War and his struggle as a refugee in West Africa during the Sierra Leone Civil War. When the Liberian civil war started, he and his family returned to Sierra Leone.[9] Being that his grandmother is an African American who lived in New Jersey with his grandfather, his parents immigrated to the United States. They left him to complete high school in Sierra Leone while waiting for the Immigration and Naturalization Service to process his Permanent residence (United States) application. When the civil war reached Freetown, he moved in with his uncle in The Gambia and then relocated to Dakar, Senegal.[9][10]

Education and Career

Freddy Will attended St. Mary's and St. Christopher's Catholic Elementary Schools in Monrovia and Kakata, Liberia respectively, Christ the King College (a Catholic high school) in Bo, Methodist Boys High School and Ansarul Muslim Secondary School in Freetown, Sierra Leone. He also attended Raritan Valley Community College where he studied Theater Arts and Edison Job Corps Academy where he studied Bookkeeping and Hospitality, both of which are in New Jersey, USA. He underwent training in Phlebotomy at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital during which time he naturalized to an American. He also trained as a Pirmary Care Paramedic at Trillium College on Burlington, Ontario.[11][12]

Toronto, Canada

In 2006 Freddy Will traveled to Toronto, Canada to record his debut album.[13] 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.[14] He also started his freelance writing career, launched his blog website and authored three books that were published by Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing, as well as his publishing company, Freddy Will Publishing in Ontario, Canada. [15] All three books were published in a book plus album concomitant. He also launched The Freddy Will Hope Foundation.[16][17]

Activism
"Bring back our girls" initiative supported by Freddy Will. CP24 interview (May 2014), Toronto Canada.

Freddy Will energetically advocate against mass shootings, police brutality and what he refers to as the "misconceptions of Hip Hop."[18] He believes that there is an unfair stigma on rappers who promote traditional cultures. Most notably are his three-part blog entitled Misconceptions where he claims that he is not homophobic, sexist, misogynistic, racist, anti law enforcement, materialistic or violent as some critics maliciously accuse some rappers of being.[18][19] He has stated that he launched his blog as his media platform so the public have a direct way of knowing the truth in what he speaks, raps or writes about. His blog website serves as a fact checker for fans and researchers to clarify misconstrued rumors that a critic may circulate about his image, and his perspectives on social and political controversies.[18][20][21]

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.[22] 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 acting.[23]

Brussels, Belgium

After living in Canada for ten years, he relocated to Brussels, Belgium in the winter of 2016 as a diplomat of an island in the West Indies to Belgium and the European Union. In Brussels, Belgium, Freddy Will published five new books by republishing an edited version of his blog entries, in a series called The Sandmann's Journal. These books, summing up to his eighth book published, talk about his assessment on Hip Hop culture, societal responsibilities to appropriate what he refers to as "the radical aspects of feminism," relationships, Abrahamic religious dogma, the social and political climate in the "court of public opinion" and social media. Freddy Will has never written on same-sex behavior in Canada though he wrote about the cultural and religious impact of LGBT rights in Africa.[24]

Impact in Canada and West Africa
Freddy Will interviewed by Sun during the Caribbean Carneval (2011) (left) and attending with Dewitt R. Lee III the Black history month in 2015 (right) at Toronto City hall, Canada.

Being a freelance blogger and author, he has made a significant impact and appeared in the mainstream Canadian media several times. However, there are many interviews and references to his music and writing in the Canadian media in general. He has toured Europe to promote his music and books and he is known as one of the most prolific Sierra Leonean authors of his time, as ranked in the Literature of Sierra Leone.[25]

Personal life

His books are recorded at the Library of Congress and the Library and Archives of Canada.[26][27][28] He is a member of the Rotary Club and a Master Mason under the Grand Lodge of Ontario, in Canada.

Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough to Eat (Grammy Nomination)
"Freddy Will, American rapper, songwriter and author has contributed to this CD project in the most wonderful way. The title of his track is Future and it speaks to us, as adults/parents about what children need from us and the things that are harmful to our children. He tells the kids that they are the Future and asks the adults to make the way for them. It is a great song that Freddy wrote for us to share with you. Please visit his page and learn about this multi-talented artist and listen to some of his tracks!"
– Health Food For Thought: Good Enough to Eat[29]

In 2010, Freddy Will was featured on a children's compilation album by the "New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods" that The Recording Academy nominated for a Grammy Award.[30] This nomination made Freddy Will the first artist from Sierra Leone to work on a musical work that was nominated for this award. Jim Cravero, Paula Lizzi, Steve Pullara and Kevin Mackie of the "East Coast Recording Company" produced the compilation album consisting of music and spoken word performances.

Freddy Will wrote and performed the song, "Future" which appears on the second disc of this double CD album. "Healthy Food for Thought: Good Enough To Eat" is a charity album with messages to parents and children about healthy eating. Various music and spoken word artists, children's book authors and chefs collaborated on this project to promote the awareness of Type 2 Diabetes. Some of the notable artists on this CD are Moby, Julian Lennon, Jessica Harper, Amy Otey, Sara Hickman, Tom Chapin, and Russell Simmons (to name a few).[31] The album was nominated for "Best Spoken Word Album for Children."

Limited Edition Postage Stamps of Sierra Leone
"October 22, 2011, was a historic day as the Sierra Leone postage stamps featuring the country's Grammy nominated Canada-based artist and author, Freddy Will (Real-named Wilfred Kanu Jr.) were unveiled in an impressive ceremony in Toronto. With authorization from the Sierra Leone postal administration prestigious Philatelic Agency representing more than 70 International Government Postal Authorities worldwide, including Sierra Leone; IGPC, Intergovernmental Postal Consultants, paid tribute to Sierra Leone's first Grammy nominated artist and author with his own postage stamp. The Limited Edition Postage Stamp folio features four stamps of Freddy Will."
– Phila Mirror[2]

Following the successful launch of his music and literary career, and a Grammy nomination, Freddy Will became the first Sierra Leonean musician who is also a published author who is featured on a musical work that received a Grammy nomination. With approval from the Sierra Leone postal administration the Philatelic Agency representing more than 70 International Government Postal Authorities worldwide, including Sierra Leone; IGPC, Intergovernmental Postal Consultants, paid tribute to Sierra Leone's first Grammy-nominated artist and author with four "Limited Edition" postage stamps.[2]

Discography

Albums
  • While I'm Still Young – The Talking Drums (2008)
  • Dark Horse From Romarong – a city of kings (2010)
  • Laboramus Exspectantes Vol. 1 (2014)

Mixed Albums
  • While I'm Still Young -The Talking Drums 1.2v (2009)
  • Views From The 7 (2017)

EP
  • City of Kings: RELOADED (2012)

Mixtape
  • Stay True (2006)

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

Bibliography

Books
  • My Book of Chrymes (2009)
  • The Dark Road From Romarong (2010)
  • Hip Hop Kruzade – Path of a Legend (2014)

eBooks
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 1 (2016)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 2 (2017)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 3 (2018)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 4 (2018)
  • The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 5 (2018)

Grammy Awards
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
gollark: Maybe you should rotate in bee-dimensional space.
gollark: I don't think you're as "forced" to do things as you claim.
gollark: States of matter aren't actually really a thing exactly.
gollark: Phases of matter are very general.
gollark: Arguably various gendercrystals.

References
  1. Kamara, Sally (January 30, 2017). "INTERVIEW WITH FREDDY WILL: AUTHOR, ENTREPRENEUR & ARTIST". irepsalone.com/. iRep Salone. Retrieved October 22, 2017.
  2. Mirror, Phila (November 2, 2011). "Sierra Leone :Stamps on Grammy-Nominated Artist". philamirror.info/. philamirror. Retrieved June 7, 2014.
  3. Cowle, Ken (December 10, 2014). "Hip Hop Kruzade". soulasylumpoetry.com//. Soul Asylum. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  4. Johnson, Andy (June 19, 2009). "While I'm Still Young – The Talking Drums 1.2v (Sierra Leone) 2009". myafrica.allafrica.com. Ghetto Breed. Retrieved December 3, 2011.
  5. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2009). My Book of Chrymes. Ontario, Canada: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. 5. ISBN 978-0-9812160-1-0. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  6. Kanu, Kabs (August 16, 2012). "The history and origins of the cocorioko newspaper". Cocorioko.net//. Cocorioko. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  7. Express, Sierra (March 29, 2012). "Kabs Kanu Tag". sierraexpressmedia.com//. Sierra Express. Retrieved September 18, 2014.
  8. Critique Echo, Newspaper (March 20, 2012). "memorial-1". critiqueecho.com. Critque Echo. Retrieved July 10, 2016.
  9. Editor's Pick, Jonah (November 2, 2010). "Freddy Will – Dark Horse From Romarong". discover.cdbaby.com. Discover Music. Retrieved April 4, 2013.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  10. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2009). My Book of Chrymes. Philadelphia, PA: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. chapter 1, 2, 3, 4. ISBN 978-0-9812160-1-0. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  11. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2009). My Book of Chrymes. Philadelphia, PA: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. chapter 4. ISBN 978-0-9812160-1-0. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  12. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2009). My Book of Chrymes. Philadelphia, PA: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. chapter 6. ISBN 978-0-9812160-1-0. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  13. Kanu, Wilfred (April 19, 2008). "Word to the streets". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  14. https://cocorioko.net/freddy-will-prepares-for-release-of-his-new-krio-album-and-second-book/
  15. Kanu, Wilfred (June 27, 2009). "SOUL ASYLUM POETRY & PUBLISHING". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  16. 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.
  17. 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.
  18. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2016). The Sandmann’s Journal Volume two. California, USA: E-Launch Media LLC. p. chapter 8. 17, 19. ISBN 9781483586540. Retrieved February 2, 2018.
  19. Kanu, Wilfred (April 8, 2012). "Misconceptions". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 7, 2019.
  20. Kanu, Wilfred (December 7, 2012). "Misconceptions Pt. 2". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  21. Kanu, Wilfred (December 11, 2012). "Misconceptions Pt. 3". blog.freddywill.com/. Wilfred Kanu Jr. Retrieved February 8, 2019.
  22. Sackey, Jefferson (March 11, 2015). "JSR FREDDY PROMO-people and blog". imperiya.by/. imperiya. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
  23. 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.
  24. https://www.amazon.ca/Sandmanns-Journal-Vol-4-ebook/dp/B07JK8N85R/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542830686&sr=1-1&keywords=the+sandmann%27s+journal
  25. https://cocorioko.net/freddy-will-talks-music-publishing-and-proposes-a-ministry-of-arts/
  26. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2009). My Book of Chrymes. Philadelphia, PA: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. copyright. ISBN 978-0-9812160-1-0. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  27. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2010). The Dark Road from Romarong. Pensylvenia, PA: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. copyright. ISBN 978-1926876092. Retrieved July 31, 2015.
  28. Kanu Jr., Wilfred (2014). Hip Hop Kruzade Path of a Legend. Philadelphia, PA: Soul Asylum Poetry & Publishing. p. copyright. ISBN 978-1926876504. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  29. Cravero, Jim (August 3, 2010). "Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat (A Children's CD)". facebook.com. Jim Cravero. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  30. Otey, Alex (August 3, 2010). "Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat (A Children's CD)". facebook.com. Alex Otey. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
  31. Scott-Hamilton, Carolyn (August 30, 2010). "Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat (A Children's CD)". healthyvoyager.com. Health Voyager. Retrieved May 10, 2013.
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