Wilfred Kanu Jr. (born August 11, 1977), is also known by his stage name Freddy Will, is an

American Canadian American Canadians are Canadians of American descent. The term is most often used to refer to Canadians who migrated from or have ancestry from the United States. Demography According to the 2016 Census, 29,590 Canadians reported American as ...

author, philanthropist and hip-hop recording artist of Sierra Leone origin. He is the author of three self-published books published with accompanying hip-hop albums.

Early life

Freddy Will was born at the Brookland Maternity Center in Brookfields,

Freetown Freetown is the capital and largest city of Sierra Leone. It is a major port city on the Atlantic Ocean and is located in the Western Area of the country. Freetown is Sierra Leone's major urban, economic, financial, cultural, educational and p ...

, Sierra Leone. He is the eldest son of Amb. Leeroy Wilfred Kabs Kanu ESQ, former

Plenipotentiary A ''plenipotentiary'' (from the Latin ''plenus'' "full" and ''potens'' "powerful") is a diplomat who has full powers—authorization to sign a treaty or convention on behalf of his or her sovereign. When used as a noun more generally, the word ...

Minister of Sierra Leone to the United Nations and publisher of Sierra Leone's widely read ''Cocorioko'' newspaper. He was naturalized in the United States and Canada.

Toronto, Canada

In 2006 Freddy Will traveled to

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, 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 A mixtape (alternatively mix-tape, mix tape or mixed tape) is a compilation of music, typically from multiple sources, recorded onto a medium. With origins in the 1980s, the term normally describes a homemade compilation of music onto a cassette ...

, 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 Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in Ghana–Ivory Coast border, the west, Burkina ...

journalist, Jefferson Sackey, Freddy Will stated that he started

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

when he was still living in

Liberia Liberia (), officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to its north, Ivory Coast to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean ...

. He credited

Kool Moe Dee Mohandas Dewese (born August 8, 1962), better known by his stage name Kool Moe Dee, is an American rapper, writer and actor. Considered one of the forerunners of the new jack swing sound in hip hop, he gained fame in the 1980s as a member of one ...

, LL Cool J.,

Queen Latifah Dana Elaine Owens (born March 18, 1970), known professionally as Queen Latifah, is an American rapper, actress, and singer. Born in Newark, New Jersey, she signed with Tommy Boy Records in 1989 and released her debut album ''All Hail the Que ...

, Ice-T, Naughty By Nature, legendary Sierra Leone rapper, Jimmy B,

Dr. Dre Andre Romelle Young (born February 18, 1965), known professionally as Dr. Dre, is an American rapper and record producer. He is the founder and CEO of Aftermath Entertainment and Beats Electronics, and previously co-founded, co-owned, and ...

Tupac Shakur Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the Li ...

, Scarface,

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, " ...

, The Notorious B. I. G.,

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air ( ...

The Luniz Luniz (formerly the LuniTunes) is an American hip hop duo from Oakland, California, formed by Yukmouth and Numskull. They were signed to Virgin Records, Noo Trybe Records, and C-Note Records. They were the flagship act for C-Note Records. The g ...

and the

LOX Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an applica ...

as some of his primary musical influences in hip-hop. For his writing, he credits his father,

John Grisham John Ray Grisham Jr. (; born February 8, 1955 in Jonesboro, Arkansas) is an American novelist, lawyer and former member of the 7th district of the Mississippi House of Representatives, known for his popular legal thrillers. According to the Am ...

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

Caresse Crosby Caresse Crosby (born Mary Phelps Jacob; April 20, 1892 – January 24, 1970) was the first recipient of a patent for the modern bra, an American patron of the arts, publisher, and the "literary godmother to the Lost Generation of expatriate writ ...

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, popular poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and ...

and

Pacesetter Novels Pacesetter Novels are a collection of 130 works of popular fiction written by notable African authors, published by Macmillan. The series was started in 1977, with the first book being ''Director!'' by Agbo Areo. Writing style The Pacesetters s ...

as his primary influences and

Idris Elba Idrissa Akuna Elba (; born 6 September 1972) is an English actor.

Ice Cube An ice cube is a small piece of ice, which is typically rectangular as viewed from above and trapezoidal as viewed from the side. Ice cubes are products of mechanical refrigeration and are usually produced to cool beverages. They may be produc ...

John Singleton John Daniel Singleton (January 6, 1968 April 28, 2019) was an American director, screenwriter, and producer. He made his feature film debut writing and directing ''Boyz n the Hood'' (1991), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for B ...

and

Spike Lee Shelton Jackson "Spike" Lee (born March 20, 1957) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. His production company, 40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983. He made his directorial debut ...

, his influences in theater and film.

Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough to Eat

In 2010, Freddy Will was among several musicians,

music producers A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure.Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

spoken word Spoken word refers to an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a late 20th century continuation of an ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetics of ...

artists,

chefs A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...

and children's book authors who participated in a children's compilation album consisting of 60 selections of

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

, poems, and songs about food, nutrition, and

self-awareness In philosophy of self, self-awareness is the experience of one's own personality or individuality. It is not to be confused with consciousness in the sense of qualia. While consciousness is being aware of one's environment and body and lifesty ...

that can be used as part of a

childhood obesity Childhood obesity is a condition where excess body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on BMI. Due to the rising prevalence of ...

awareness curriculum and to promote awareness for

Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes, formerly known as adult-onset diabetes, is a form of diabetes mellitus that is characterized by high blood sugar, insulin resistance, and relative lack of insulin. Common symptoms include increased thirst, frequent urination, ...

among school children. This album was

executive produced Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights o ...

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

by the New York Coalition for Healthy School Foods. In 2011,

the Recording Academy The Recording Academy (formally the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; abbreviated NARAS) is an American learned academy of musicians, producers, recording engineers, and other musical professionals. It is famous for its Grammy Aw ...

nominated the Double CD charity album for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

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) * ''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)

Bibliography

Novels

* ''My Book of Chrymes'' – released August 11, 2009 (ISBN 0-981-21601-3) * ''The Dark Road from Romarong'' – released on October 10, 2010 (ISBN 1-926-87609-1) * ''Hip Hop Kruzade – Path of a Legend'' – published November 22, 2014 (ISBN 1-926-87650-4)

eBooks

* ''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) * ''Crime Rhymez: Tenth Anniversary Edition of My Book of Chrymes'' – published August 26, 2019 (ISBN 978-1-646-69579-9) * ''The Sandmann's Journal Vol. 6'' – published February 22, 2020 (ISBN 978-1-648-26437-5)

Grammy Awards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Will, Freddy Living people 1977 births People from Freetown Canadian male non-fiction writers Canadian philanthropists Canadian activists Canadian male rappers 21st-century Canadian rappers Black Canadian musicians Black Canadian writers Sierra Leonean emigrants to Canada 21st-century Canadian male musicians