Ines Izquierdo and Emma Warshofsky
You may know Wes as an up and coming rapper based in Ann Arbor who used to run track for the University of Michigan—we got to see him as much more than that. Earlier this week, we sat down with Wes to discuss his new album. We were interested in figuring out how his life led to this monumental release and we got to see a visionary; someone with drive who is prepared to take on the rap music scene by storm, and not just for personal gain. Wes’ ultimate goal is to positively impact people—all 7 billion on this planet. This Friday he embarks on this journey with the debut of his 12-track album, A Wessside Story.
The Decision to Pursue Music
Wes’ music career began relatively recently. Living homeless during high school in the Portland area, he did not have many options to pursue his passion in music. However, he saw an opportunity through track and field. “Sprinting wasn’t something I loved,” he divulged, “it was something that I was good at…and felt driven to do because of what it could help me accomplish in the future.” Wes’ legs carried him to the University of Michigan on a track and field scholarship, where he got the stability he needed to explore music. He would mess around with friends making beats and writing verses, and he soon realized that he wanted to pursue music in a more serious, dedicated manner. Not only did he want to create novel beats, but also to take rap lyrics in a new direction: one distant from the objectification of women and pitting people against each other. When he returned home the summer after freshman year, Wes explained to his father this fascination with rap music and the direction he wished he could pursue. His father asked, “it sounds like you’re really passionate about this, so what the fuck you going to do?” That was the catalyst.
Invigorated by his father’s motivating words, Wes bought a beat off his friend Kaniel, who produced “Go Crazy” by Chris Brown and Young Thug, and got in touch with sound engineer B MAJA who helped him put together a song. In one take, Wes laid down “Dreams,” his single that came out in the Fall of 2018. He explained that upon experiencing the release of his first song, there was a “hunger that [he] had, to…get more music out and really share with people.” Music was starting to become a driving force in his life.
The second event which pushed him to chase a career in music occurred when he went back home after that Fall semester. Wes was struck by the conversation he had with his younger sister Paloma (Palomita, as he affectionately called her), where she confessed that every time he went back to Michigan, she hated not knowing when she would see him again. Upon hearing this, Wes realized something: to justify being away from his family, he had to make the most of every day and channel everything he had into his aspirations. Those aspirations, the ones that made him feel “that fire in [his] chest,” were music and education. Wes explained his situation to his coach; that in order to dedicate himself to the most meaningful aspects of his life, he had to stop running track. Wes left the team, and with this change of course he fully launched his music career.
Influences
We asked Wes about artists that have influenced him, and the list was long. “Each artist that has influenced me throughout my life, and believe me it’s been a lot, has each done so in their own individual way,” Wes emphasized the wide array of musicians that he has learned from. Outside of rap, he mentioned both Michael Jackson and Frank Sinatra as having inspired him through their performances and outstanding stage presences. Wes gushed about Michael Jackson’s moonwalk as well as Frank Sinatra’s ability to work the crowd with his gentlemanly demeanor.
When it comes to rap, Wes credits Drake as one of his biggest influences. Wes has learned from the popular Canadian rapper not only how to be authentic with his emotions, but how to bring these emotions to his music as a rapper and producer. “Learning to have that vulnerable side of yourself...that can really reach people when they’re in dark times, when they’re depressed, when they’re having regrets,” Wes explained, “and then the other times when he can just flip the switch and go crazy...that’s definitely something that has rubbed off on me too.” Drake’s success in having multiple sides and feelings come across in his music is something that Wes emulates with his upcoming album, and is something that sets Wes apart from the cliches he has noticed in the music industry, “There’s a Drake song for fucking everything. I want there to be a Wes song for everything.”
While discussing his dream collaborations, Wes told us he’s excited to keep moving forward as an artist so he can work with people that are “better” than him. “They’ve got more projects than me, they’ve been in the game longer than me, they know how shit works. Those are the people I’m trying to get in the studio with. Those are the people that I’m trying to learn from and become better than one day.” Wes’ long list of dream collaborations included Drake, J.Cole, Nav, Future, Young Thug, among others. He emphasized his desire to learn from those that came before him whether it’s about their music, stage presence, or work ethic.
Goals
Wes has observed a lot of artists in the music industry lacking a deeper purpose. He notices repetition—people rapping to similar beats and rapping about the same things. “I know I have so much more to offer people,” Wes says, expressing how much he truly cares for the people he makes music for. He paints the picture of a hypothetical teenage boy that is procrastinating doing his homework, depressed, and cannot seem to find an escape from his problems. “He’s listening to music and one of my songs comes on shuffle, and he gets motivated because he starts visualizing himself succeeding and doing better because that’s the effect my music has on him. Maybe that makes him a little less depressed,” Wes imagines, “That’s the biggest thing I want to accomplish. Something deeper. Something real. Something Once in a generation.”
Speaking further about his industry goals, Wes expressed his big dreams. “I’m a very ambitious person and I don’t sugarcoat things...I want to be at a point where I’m being considered as the artist of the decade...as somebody having timeless music...and having a legacy and having music that goes past just three minutes and thirty seconds on that song.” In other words, Wes wants to be famous, but not just for the feeling of being famous.
“My biggest goal is having the money, resources, and platform to be able to positively impact others,” Wes says. He expressed his wishes to connect with his listeners and help them, building a legacy beyond music.
Reflecting on his growth as an artist since his first single, “Dreams,” Wes told us about how one dimensional that song seems now compared to Wessside Story. “It was good. I wouldn’t have put it out if it wasn’t good,” Wes said of his early song, “but it’s only one song. I can’t tell my story through one song.” Now, in his debut album, we get to hear all sides of Wes: “the lovey dovey sides, the savage sides, the sides that say fuck the police, the sides that miss an ex girlfriend, the sides that appreciate the woman that I love more than anything...all of it.”