B-Well
Billy WEATHERS
“A lot of my raps have emotions behind them, I try to make it that way at least, and it’s just based off of things I’ve experienced in my life, people I’ve encountered, things I’ve learned and hopefully taught and reflected towards others”
12
Without a fancy recording studio or a sound engineer by his side, senior Billy Weathers lives up to the saying “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” “Most people always ask me if I go to a studio to record, but I don’t,” said Weathers. “I do it in my dorm room. I just close the door and tell people to not be loud.” The first song Weathers recorded was in his friend’s room in Kresge — using the closet as a sound booth. With only three years into his career, Weathers has produced two mix tapes, done several performances at Simpson College and landed a couple of gigs at Vaudville Mews in Des Moines. “My biggest accomplishment was going from sitting in my dorm room in Buxton, and writing on my laptop, to actually having a show in Des Moines,” said Weathers. But even before things started looking up for Weathers, he was only a teenager in high school with a thing for poetry. “I started writing poetry my freshman year of high school, but I kept it to myself because I was always conscious that someone wouldn’t think I was good or something,” said Weathers. Although Weathers grew up, he struggled to overcome his fear of letting people judge his talent. Still, by his freshman year of college, he did not feel confident enough to show people his work. “I didn’t start showing anyone until my sophomore or junior year in college,” said Weathers. “I remember I showed a couple of friends what I was doing and they told me I should start recording and getting [my work] out.” Weathers followed his friends’ advice, and things could not be better. Weathers hopes to keep up with his music and use it to help make a difference in people’s lives. “Whether it’s two people or two million, it doesn’t really matter to me. I just hope that someone can listen to my music, relate it to their life, see the positivity and see the motivation I’m trying to get across. ID MAGAZINE