Senior Will Levine knew a little something about hard work. For the past two years, he was producing his mix-tape S.U.M.M.E.R., which stands for Simply Using My Mind Effortlessly Rhyming. For as long as Levine can remember, he has been trying to make a name for himself in the Bellaire and Houston rapping communities.
Levine has always enjoyed rap, both as an activity and as a music genre. When asked about his favorite rap song, he struggled to name only one, “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” by Nas, who also happens to be his favorite rapper.
“I listen to rap a lot more for the lyrics,” Levine said. “I like it more that way, rather than just a funky beat that’s cool and sticks in your head. I also listen for the incredible vocabulary some rappers use.”
Like many other great rappers, Levine found inspiration for his raps from everyday events.
“I use anything that pops in my mind, whether it’s an object, an idea or a feeling,” Levine said.
Levine used rapping as a creative outlet. He finds rapping an effective way to relieve stress after a long day of school. Levine used rapping as a creative outlet and also to relieve stress.
“I’ll find myself walking around my house, just doing homework, and literally all of a sudden I’ll be typing up lyrics,” Levine said.
He enjoyed freestyling as well and became quite skilled at it. At famous rapper Jake Miller’s concert for B’nai Brith Youth Organization (BBYO), Miller declined to rap battle him, but Levine convinced Miller to provide a beat for him as he freestyled.
“Earlier that night, I had freestyled a little with friends and I was kind of in the moment,” Levine said. “I somehow typed it up on a phone, and it got to him. He said ‘Rap with Will Levine’ out loud. I got onstage and I asked if I could freestyle alongside him, not necessarily rap-battle him, just spit some rhymes with him. He said ‘No, I cannot’ and backed down. I replied, ‘Oh please, man, come on.’ He said ‘Fine, fine, I’ll give you a beat’ so he beat-boxed and I rapped.”
Despite his success with rapping and freestyling, however, there were many reasons Levine did not really envision himself becoming a professional rapper.
“The music industry is kind of corrupt,” Levine said. “You would have to have certain connections even with YouTube and social media; you really can’t just put out songs and get famous.”
Levine saw a career in business or economics as a more reliable career choice than rapping.
“You really have to know the right people, and that’s too much work.” Levine said. “In society nowadays, I can keep rap as a hobby and get lucky off of that while being a businessman or a lawyer.”
Still, the possibility of becoming a rapper remained.
“I guess as a rapper my goal is maybe to make it big, but that’s a hypothetical fantasy,” Levine said.
Fans, friends and teachers agree that Levine will succeed at anything he puts his mind to. Biology, Anatomy and Physiology teacher Abigail Decerbo believes that the sky is the limit for Levine.
“Will has the potential to be successful in the future at anything he does,” Decerbo said. “I know he said he wants to start businesses, but I think anything he pursues, he’s going to put in even more than 100 percent into anything he does.”
Levine was extremely grateful for the support he received from friends and family.
“When I released my first single, I lost track of the friends who shared the single, told a friend, reposted the link and all that stuff,” Levine said, “They’ve been supportive and helpful and criticizing, pretty much all the stuff that I need.”
Senior Matias Kopinsky, a fan and close friend of Levine’s admired his ability to freestyle.
“I’ve known Will for six years, and he is a good friend,” Kopinsky said. “I’m a fan of his rapping because he is his true self when he raps.”
Levine said that his little brother is his biggest fan. And while rap has not yet become his parents’ favorite genre of music, they are fine with the content Levine decided to put in his songs.
“My parents give me support and tell me ‘Will, whatever you say is fine,” Levine said. “I don’t cuss in my raps, but if I did I think they’d say ‘Your lyrics are your own expressions.”
Despite the competitive industry and challenges of producing a mixtape, Levine definitely saw rapping as a part of his future. He plans on attending college after graduation, listing UT Austin and Boston University as the top options.
“I really don’t have a number one,” Levine said. “It just depends on all of my scholarships and my acceptances.”
While he was still at Bellaire, Levine planned to stay focused on school and rapping and to finish his high school career very smoothly.
“Some goals I have as a student are to get into all the colleges I applied to and stay with straight A’s and B’s until I graduate, even with my senioritis,” Levine said.
Rapping or not, Levine has a bright future as he continues to work hard and do what he loves.
