New era sound with delivery and wordplay. MagicWill is on a journey to meet these benchmarks as he pursues a career as an “artist, not just a rapper”. 

For many musical artists, reaching their ultimate goals means following the trends and the crowds; for Willie Morrow, also known as MagicWill, the opposite is true. 

“I try to keep it very classic,” said MagicWill. “I want it to be me, and I want it to be a story that can translate to my life, and hopefully help someone else.”

MagicWill grew up in Spokane with an appreciation for music from a very early age. Recalling that, at the age of four, he began listening and following all kinds of musical artists. It wasn’t until he entered middle school that he began testing his musical abilities with his father.

“He was able to make music and beats,” MagicWill said of his father. “That’s where I was really able to hear it on a personal note.”

MagicWill always grew up with the influence of some of the great rappers and musical artists of the 1990s and 2000s. From Michael Jackson to Busta Rhymes, MagicWill found beauty in the rhythm of music.

“I tried to go in on the microphone to rap over my dad’s beat one time when I was 13,” MagicWill recalled. “It was just inconsistent, I didn’t have flow. He told me ‘you’re not good enough’. Being at that age, it was hard to hear from your own dad.”

It was that moment, MagicWill said, which lit a fire in him to work. 

“He told me that my vocabulary needed to get better. So, I started from the top. I’d be constantly working with words that articulated my vocabulary. Through maturity, knowing more about the world, and learning more words, I was able to put it all together.”

Much of his musical influence came from his mother, who had introduced MagicWill to her favorite artist, Tupac. When she saw her son studying the rap and music scene, she lent a helping hand. 

“She got me a couple of vocabulary books to progress my intellectual abilities,” MagicWill said. “It definitely helped a lot. That was a big part of the journey. Having people say ‘it’s your time to go and do this’. I didn’t know where I would start, but I knew I had to start somewhere with what I had.”

From the ages of 13 to 15, MagicWill continued to practice his lyrical abilities, writing opposites of things and reading daily to progress in the academic aspects of the art. 

“Every year, there was a progression. As I continued to rap I got to the point where I began to think this is something that I needed to keep working with,” he said. 

But before the Magic, he was still just known as Willie “Will” Morrow. It wasn’t until his freshman year at Rogers High School that the name ‘MagicWill’ was born. Tragedy struck the school after a fellow classmate of Morrow unexpectedly passed away. Devastated by the shocking news, Morrow joined his friends at their lunch table.

“It was all quiet and somber. Everyone was visibly shaken up from the news,” said MagicWill.

It was at that point that a longtime friend of Morrow, Madela Kalu, started to sound off a beat. Kalu gained a good rhythm on the lunchroom table, then he asked Morrow to rap over it.

“All of my friends would always ask me to freestyle,” MagicWill said. “At that moment, I was like ‘No, not right now’, but then, for some reason, I just started busting a rap. Next thing you know, people are smiling. People started crowding our table a little bit, and everyone became joyful.”

As the lunch period ended, Kalu and Morrow walked to their next class together. They talked about the surreal experience that they had just shared. It was the first time during that sad day where some students were smiling. 

“That was magical, Will,” Kalu said to Morrow. “Magic…Magic Will.”

From that moment on, Morrow became more frequently known as ‘Magic’ or ‘Magic Will’ by his friends and schoolmates at Rogers. 

Eight years later, MagicWill still carries that memory with him. He has released eight singles to Spotify, Apple Music, SoundCloud and others. With many tracks to come in the future, MagicWill says he feels more equipped for success now than ever before. 

“It’s not going to be overnight. I’ve been at it on days where it seemed impossible,” MagicWill said. “But, I’ve known God’s got me. Hearing everyone’s encouragement keeps me going.”

Keeping the support team close is a critical component to MagicWill’s success, he said. At the forefront of that support is his girlfriend Melanie Remmers. 

“She helps me, she supports me, and makes me proud. She keeps me sane mentally, and lets me know that through this journey, she’s got my back and she’s proud of me too.”

The two have been together since 2018, right around the time where MagicWill began to see the fruits of his labor. That year was his first in Cheney as he attended EWU, where he was able to collaborate with an aspiring music producer. 

Prior to his arrival at EWU, MagicWill had made connections within the music industry. He had already paired up with Cale Fitzgerald, a producer whom MagicWill met while playing basketball during his high school years. 

The two made a couple of songs together before naturally parting ways, MagicWill said. As the first producer that MagicWill worked with, Fitzgerald opened the gateway to new opportunities for the young aspiring artist. 

“That’s when I was first able to start writing and seeing how the music gets made,” MagicWill said of his time working with Fitzgerald.  “I learned a lot about how I sounded, and how I could sound.”

At EWU, MagicWill continued to make connections, meeting Rene “Junior” Mendoza at Anderson Hall. Junior was a more experienced music producer who had mixed and produced songs and connections on the West Side of Washington. Together, he and MagicWill were able to create “Bloodhounds”, MagicWill’s Spotify and Apple Music debut song in May of 2019.

Junior went on to mix MagicWill’s “A Magic Summer”, “I’M BACK”, “FanGirl”, “John Stockton”, and more. 

MagicWill’’s “Bloodhounds” remains his most popular song to date, having over 1,200 plays. Upon his first song release over multiple music streaming services, MagicWill got a taste of the success he would continue to work for. 

“I would be hearing it play out of peoples cars while I was walking around Cheney,” MagicWill said of his releasing of “Bloodhounds”. 

In another single, “So Far Gone”, MagicWill had an opportunity to practice switching the flow of his voice, and working with adlibs. Around that time, MagicWill had been working with mixed beats sent to him by Diogo Junior “Bricks Beats”. Throughout the next couple of years, MagicWill continued to experiment with his sound and lyrical abilities. 

By working side by side with Junior, learning how to improve became addicting for MagicWill.

“He was able to get me good constructive criticism,” MagicWill said about working with Junior. “Since I was learning so much, I was able to challenge myself to take it to the next level. I try to be a sponge between listening to other artists and producers, and even people with more experience or less experience than me. I’ve met so many people along the way that have helped me get where I am now.”

MagicWill took it to the next level by identifying how he wanted to sound, be heard, and represented. In the beginning, he claims that wasn’t sticking true to himself. When he arrived in the rap scene, it was much different from what he grew up listening to. 

“The things I listened to and attempted to portray or study was now something different,” MagicWill said. “I recognized how people listened to and wanted this new era of rap. I would try to make my rap and myself into what was cool at the time, but it didn’t work out. 

With numerous stigmas and stereotypes surrounding the hip-hop and rap industries, MagicWill became aware of how others might perceive him. More importantly, he realized that he was not happy with the direction of his sound. 

“It wasn’t something that portrayed me,” MagicWill said. “I looked at myself and said ‘How far do you think you could go?’” 

He asked himself how much it would take to be genuinely himself versus continuing to portray an image that was not himself. MagicWill chose to emphasize his music flow with his impressive lyrical abilities. He aims to eliminate the common theme of violence, while also telling a story that people can relate to.

“I always knew in my heart that I would rather be true to myself and make it, than be fake and then make it,” MagicWill said. “I think I’ve got a lot that people can learn from and relate to. Sometimes they’re not even ready or able to speak on it. I can do that with my music for them. I can tell them how I persevered and made it through.”

MagicWill’s single “Switchin Lanes” speaks on the state of rap today. Gang violence, artists dying for their image, money or other avoidable situations. He began questioning if all of his years of work, trying to become a rapper will be worth it. 

“At times, it makes you want to shy away,” said MagicWill.” You don’t want to say that you’re a rapper. That’s why I say that I don’t just rap. I’m able to rap, and also melodize and flow by incorporating singing.”

Always thinking of ways to bring something new and better to the music industry, MagicWill plans to continue to create songs that show the layers of music which he’s been progressing with. 

“I want people of all ages to be able to listen to my music. Sometimes there are some subtle (explicit) words here and there, but I try to keep it relatable and something that can correlate to my story. I want music that parents can listen to with their kids. The parents can understand the meanings of the songs, and the kids can enjoy the energy of my music.”

MagicWill has hardships and a story to share as well. Stating that he knows what it’s like to be on the other side of happiness, getting through his parents divorce, and the tragic passing of his older sister in 2020 are a couple of the hardships he has been burdened with.

During that time, he says, MagicWill was unsure of how to feel, and how to recover from events in his life that were out of his control. He had people reaching out to support him and his family, and through that, he was able to find a reason to keep moving forward. 

“I knew that I could put aside my problem, and refocus my energy to help someone else. If the people around me can do it, why can’t I?,” MagicWill said. “I know what it’s like to go somewhere and need some calm through the storm, some normality. You never know which people you talk to are about to go home to an abusive situation or some other unfortunate life circumstances.”

Everything he had experienced led him to being able to control his emotions and relate to others. MagicWill says he got that strength from his mom, who always showed him the courage and strength it takes to keep going forward.

With his support team by his side, MagicWill feels he can continue to grow better as a person and as a musical artist for years to come. Having Demetrius Crosby, Terrance Norman, Ely Doyle, Zakeel Forest and Christian Mendoza, MagicWill says he knows he will always have open and honest feedback. 

After taking a break from recording songs due to family complications, and not having a producer or enough equipment, MagicWill began recording in the summer of 2022, releasing three songs in 2023 so far. His goal is to become consistent and frequent in his music releases, and he aims to be able to do it on his own and learn everything he can about the creation of his music.

“I want to leave Cheney knowing how to produce my songs. To be a great artist, you’ve got to be able to press all of the buttons. I’m a student of the game learning to become a professional.”

Currently, MagicWill has released 11 songs across various platforms. With many more on the way, he plays the game of chess, not checkers. Knowing that the number of plays can boost at any time, MagicWill feels that the key to success is to keep building his arsenal of musical abilities.

“I want to live a long life in this industry. I don’t care about that other stuff,” MagicWill said about the negative portrayals of rap. “There’s nothing in music that I feel I need to claim to be. I’m not in the streets and I won’t pretend to be. I care about being educated, I care about being articulate, I care about morals and values. I don’t want people to get hurt, and I don’t want to condone any of that.”

MagicWill says he plans to release his debut album by the end of this summer. Next month, he will be featured in Boogie “Boogie 2.0” Nobles music release concert party in Seattle. 

MagicWill credits Boogie 2.0 for introducing him to many aspects within the industry. Through showing him how to network and helping him build music connections, MagicWill says they have formed a brotherhood beyond music. The best lesson Boogie 2.0 gave him, he says, is the value in taking risks for the opportunity of reward. 

Now, MagicWill feels equipped to showcase his gift on a more consistent basis.

“I’ve been putting in a lot of work. I’m twenty million times more confident in when I can drop music now,” MagicWill said.

Looking further ahead, MagicWill plans to perform with Boogie 2.0 in Walla Walla this summer.

Even though the music scene in Cheney is small, MagicWill feels that there is a spot for him out there.With a plan and a goal locked in, MagicWill is on the move.

“I take pride in being able to rap on any beat, any type of flow, whenever and wherever.”