WILCON | ‘Free Carlos’ , Reinventing Old-School Rap
WILCON is serving us up some chill rap with an old school, summery feel just in time for the weather to warm up. The Tuckahoe, New York native’s ‘Free Carlos’ is a careful blend of beats with a throwback feel paired with insightful lyrics. The songs in ‘Free Carlos’ showcase WILCON flexing his writing abilities and unique wordplay from top to bottom.
Although the emerging artist grew up in New York, he has also resided in various parts of the country. From New Jersey to Michigan, all the way out to Thousand Oaks, California, WILCON has experienced several parts of the U.S. at a young age. WILCON created his stage name by combining the first parts of his middle and last names.
WILCON’s love for music started in grade school when he began writing and crafting songs in the fourth grade using GarageBand. For the past five years, WILCON has been taking his music career much more seriously. Although his rap game struggled initially, WILCON didn’t let that deter him from working on his craft and continuously writing songs.
When I started rapping as a sophomore in high school, I was trash, like really trash. I was the butt of all the jokes at school, but as oblivious to it as I was, I kind of rolled with it. – WILCON
The slick rhymer moved from New York to Cali, continuously wrote songs for months, and changed his name to the artist now recognized as WILCON. WILCON’s daily work certainly paid off. ‘Free Carlos’ highlights the young musician’s clever lyrics alongside his unwrinkled flow.
Despite strict restrictions put in place during the peak of the coronavirus, WILCON was still able to pair with a fellow classmate to construct ‘Free Carlos.’ After being given 24 beats from his classmate, Max Crowe, WILCON narrowed it down to the 9 that make up his album. The project was complete after Joni Myllari mixed and mastered each song on ‘Free Carlos.’
The 10-track album includes unique beats that have an old-school feel to them. WILCON does an excellent job of showing off his ability to rap over any rhythm given to him. ‘Free Carlos’ features some beats that move quickly with invigorating energy as well as more relaxed, slow-moving rhythms. No matter the beat, WILCON’s flow, and lyrical structure are unmatched.
One of the most catchy aspects of WILCON’s lyrics is the way he ties in pop culture icons and events. Although referencing culture is a common occurrence in the rap game, WILCON does it on a different level. From Kim Kardashian to Billie Eilish and XXXTentacion to Mac Miller, WILCON is sure to touch on a subject matter you can relate to.
WILCON’s overall relaxed and light-hearted energy is definitely felt in the meaning behind his newest album. While traveling to California for school, WILCON’s car (named Carlos) broke down in Wyoming. He was forced to leave his car in the Cowboy State with a mechanic as he continued his journey to California.
I decided to name the project ‘Free Carlos’ because my car was locked up thousands of miles away.
Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait long for another fire album from WILCON. The rapper is already in the process of crafting another mixtape, and we’re here for it. Besides his next mixtape, WILCON is focusing on perfecting his craft and getting better every day.
To experience old-school rap with a clever modern twist, let ‘Free Carlos’ play through your speakers and enjoy WILCON spitting genius similes, metaphors, and rhyming schemes.
Stream “Free Carlos” Below:
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