Billy Badnewz, also known as Wanted Villain, is an American rapper, songwriter, and music producer from New Jersey. Billy Badnewz started rapping at 11 years old, after watching his older brother and his friends recording themselves rapping in his mother’s kitchen in Blackwood, New Jersey. Influenced by several notable artists such as Meek Mill, Jay-Z, Tupac, Curren$y, and Rick Ross, Billy has owned his record label since 2009. His latest singles, “Ride Or Die”, “Purpose” and “M.O.” are examples of Billy Badnewz’ songwriting ability.
The lyrics and Billy Badnewz’s performance throughout “Is It Real?” introduce him as driving with a desire to receive loyalty. The very title concept of the track is a fitting representation of this. The accompanying video suits the idea further, meeting the needs of the moment and continuing with the theme of this hard-hitting track. “Is It Real?” has a strong beat, those riffs offer up a slightly nostalgic vibe while the synths chosen have a mildly retro style about them, though the vocal rhythm and the references within undoubtedly tip their hats to the hip hop sound of today. There’s a melodic backbone to the track that helps make it a little more widely accessible, still, that rap confidence drives though. It’s a simple release with a good bounce to it. We’re looking forward to hearing more from Billy Badnewz!
Check out “Is It Real?” here and read more below in our exclusive interview with the artist!
Hey Billy Badnewz! Tell us all about your track “Is It Real?”! What inspired it?
Is It Real? is the first track on my EP release entitled Do You Love Me?. I produced the beat and wrote the lyrics to this track in about 20 minutes. That is to say that this song came to me naturally like a conversation. It's about real love and I think everybody wants that. Throughout the song, I ask questions that measure the intensity and realness of a woman's love for me. A lot of people just throw the word "love" around like its a greeting. Our world is moving fast and so are our relationships. And sometimes when "love" is expressed physically or verbally, we don't stop to ask how far does this love go? Is it real love? Unconditional? Reciprocal?
This song and the questions I ask about how real is your love has inspirations from my own life and relationship experiences. I asked, "Would you stick with me If I stayed on the block? Would you still love me If was on lock?" Because I have been in relationships were the woman said she loved me but if I made a couple bad decisions or if I hit a few obstacles in my life, her "love" for me would change. I don't want to go into much details but you can see how real a person's love is for you when you go through hard times. In "Is it Real?", I ask those questions about hard times or difficult situations like having trust in a relationship when I am touring.
What’s the concept behind the music video? What was the filming process like for you?
The concept was simple. I wanted the "Is It Real?" video to be personal. Just me asking these questions about real love with the viewer. I found a scenic lot by the bay water less than two minutes away from Atlantic City, New Jersey, where I reside. I contacted my director Vis3on, who shot my last two videos, Let's Ride and Time, and we got to work. He knows how to get some good shots and we get into grooves with the work flow, so I like working with him.
What future collaborations can we expect from you?
I've been doing a lot of solo work lately, working on my craft. I like a lot of artists in the industry right now and I can't wait to collab with some of them. In the near future, you will hear me work with a lot of new artists that are carving their own slice in this industry that you might not have heard of yet. But, the world is going to get real acquainted with us. Some of them are in my own camp, some from New Jersey - Philly - New York areas, and a couple artists internationally. Today, it is no reason not to connect with people from all over. Everybody is literally on social media. You just got to be open to collaboration. I am open to it. So if there is an artist looking to collaborate with me, just hit me up!
What do you think sets you apart from mainstream music today?
I think I am aligned with mainstream music but what is going to set me apart from everyone else is my unpredictability and vision. I do not just consider myself a rapper, I am a songwriter. I do not put my creativity in a box, so you will not hear the same thing from me all the time. I might drop a song about love, but then I might drop a song about how much I hate you. I might talk political but then I might be a villain and say fuck all that shit.
What do you hope to achieve through the remainder of 2019?
I hope to land a song on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 2019 - 2020 and get my latest single, Purpose, in a movie and a commercial. Also, I plan to drop three more singles before the end of 2019. And the rest of the music I am working on will go to a new project I will be releasing in 2020. Just stay tune on my socials for the whole experience.
Connect with Billy Badnewz on social media:
Instagram: www.Instagram.com/BillyBadnewz
Facebook: www.Facebook.com/BillyBadnewz