Will is an artist from the southwest side of Atlanta who released a free project called Stoned On MARTA late last year. Besides its title, which most Atlanta natives can relate to, the release showed a lot of promise. It was a lyrically heady effort, highlighted by some excellent beats and technically on-point rapping. In the first quarter of 2011, Will has been following up on his growing local buzz by releasing a few new songs and putting on several memorable live shows. BLVD St got the chance to talk to Will recently about himself, his background, and his nascent musical career.

Are you from Atlanta originally? What part?
I was actually born in Cleveland, Ohio, but moved to Atlanta at the age of 3 so it’s all I know. I’ve lived on every side of the city but grew up a lot in the S.W.A.T.S. and the south side.

What do you remember about your first time hearing rap music?
[Laughs] All I can remember about my first time hearing rap music is my mother saying “This is garbage.” and changing the station. I also remember having The Blueprint by Jay-Z in my room and her hiding it from me.

At what point did you figure out that you could rap?
April of 2010. All throughout school I was in music programs and played instruments. Once I graduated high school and there were no drums around to play, I had to find another way to get music out. I started writing seriously around 2008 and recorded for the first time on Ethereal’s 42 Degrees tape.

I really like that song you did on there. Catalyst and Clan Destined are good dudes. So what’s your association with Thumbs Up (*Note - not to be confused with Mac Miller)? How did you join up with them?
My manager Jamal, my homie Josh and I came up with Thumbs Up randomly outside of Wal-Mart one day. Since then, we’ve made it a point to just do everything better than everyone claiming to do the same thing in the city. We really had all been connected. I went to high school with Ethereal and met Kit shortly after. I stumbled upon some of the other members of the family like Keith Charles and my producers Introspective Minds.

Do you have an absolute number one favorite emcee of all time? Who would you put near the top?
No, simply because the artists that have been my favorites have tarnished their legacies trying to stay relevant. My top 5 consists of Andre 3000, Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas, and Lupe Fiasco, but I can’t say I’m a fan of any of these artists’ recent music besides Distant Relatives. The game needs some of these guys to step aside.

I notice your top 5 only includes one southern emcee. Are you a fan of southern hip hop?
I love it, not all of it though. I listen to a lot of Rocko, Rich Boy, Webbie, Grand Hu$tle, and like, southern street shit. I can’t get with the new, young, popcorn sound a lot of these kids put out.

I definitely hear that. A lot of your music seems to be pretty laid-back, low-key and jazzy . Is that an accurate representation of you as a person?
Yeah, definitely. The loudest person in the room is the weakest. I stay mellow. I don’t speak unless I have something to say, and I’m high a lot. So there’s not a lot of room to be hype.

What kind of reaction have you gotten so far to Stoned On Marta?
Stoned On Marta was a lot more successful than I expected. I was never necessarily popular in school, so I really only expected a few people to listen to it. Then I wake up one day and it’s on blogs like yours and Maurice Garland’s. It’s sweet because I know the people that do like it fuck with it because it’s jamming, not because they’re my friends. I barely have any of those [laughs].

Are you working on any projects currently?
Yeah, man. I plan on dropping a short EP this summer to follow up on Stoned On Marta called Stoned In A Stang. Otherwise I’ll just be putting out random jams on the site and featuring.

You can check out Will’s material and stay up on all his new releases at his BandCamp page.

These two are usually behind-the-scenes players at Slowmotion Soundz, but decided to get into the mix via R Dot’s excellent beat sampling the infamous “Stepping Into Tomorrow”. After this and this, the Block Beattaz better keep an eye on R Dot, who might give them a run for their money some day soon. Props are due to Steady Bloggin

DOWNLOAD: Codie G and CP - This Aint No Muthafucking Game (Produced by R Dot)

Dillon is a veteran of the Atlanta underground scene and has destroyed many, many shows in conjunction with the homies at Speakeasy Promo. This is a video for one of my favorite tracks of his, “Space Pimpin”. Give it a spin, and if you dig it, you can check out his very dope catalogue at DillonAteThat

DOWNLOAD: Big KRIT - ReturnOf4Eva

From time to time, KRIT is accused of being overly nostalgic - from relying too much on the likes of Pimp C and Willie Hutch for influence. While there are plenty of moments in his music where country rap tunes meets old school soul, what KRIT offers us is music that plays like a memoir - a journal read aloud to an accompanying record collection. What might be considered derivative by some is given unique life by KRIT’s heavy injection of personality into each song. It’s often the case when a guy creates rap single-handedly like this; you not only hear the beats, but you’re given a chance to understand the producer’s mindset because he’s the one rapping on them. The result is truly organic music. If you have the ability or willingness to buy into Big KRIT’s story and personality, his material is really rewarding. It’s easy to relate to it. Not just the heartfelt, serious songs, but also the fun, swaggering stuff. He gives us both with earnestness, but is also always clever enough in his lyrics to let the real rap heads know he’s making this for us. Besides, a little nostalgia never hurt anybody, especially in a genre that is essentially based of the revitalization of old influences.

Scotty and Bobby Creekwater shot this video a couple weeks ago in Atlanta. Nice concept visual.

Download: Scotty Ft. Bobby Creekwater - Gots to Getit

When DJ Burn One dropped the ‘Joints’ mixtape 2 weeks ago, this record quickly became one of the fan favorites. Some of the best Country Rap Tune records have been courtesy of collabs between the Midwest and the South and this record is another certified Southern/Midwest classic. Listen as KD and Freddie Gibbs take us on a ride through their native Birmingham, AL and Gary, IN respectively, two known OG cities. Also the last leak from KD’s upcoming “G-Fluid” street album coming 4.11.11

DOWNLOAD “Let Me Ride”