LA’s @IamBillyDee recently released the single “Top Down” ft. Fat Boy SSE and EDI Mean from Tupac’s Outlaws, produced by A.I of Illegal Productions. Below is his Thizzler interview covering his process and what’s next for him! (Artist Submitted)
Thizzler: Where are you from? How was your upbringing?
IamBillyDee: I was born in Los Angeles, California and raised in Hollywood till the age of 10. Then, my family and I moved to Covina, California. During my time growing up, there was a lot of music, a lot of love, and a lot of creativity that I was exposed to. My Mom and Dad had a lot of musician friends and they would come and share their talent and would even give me pointers and teach me things.
T: How did you begin making music?
BillyDee: One of my father’s very good friends Mr. Ronnie Jones, a super funky bass guitar master, took me under his wing and begin to show me how to do what it is that I do today. He began my training to be a recording artist. He began to talk to me about the importance of writing lyrics about how to record them. He had a little 4 track recorder and I think I recorded about 2 or 3 raps that I had and that was my start. From there, I eventually got my own 4 track and began to duplicate the process. I went on progressing from then, till this very day.
T: How did you get your rap name?
BillyDee: I’ve had a lot of rap names since I’ve been doing this but the name that I go by today is the name that I was given by my parents. Billy Dee is my name, given to me at birth. So I, in fact, am Billy Dee.