Will
Francis aka “Dolla Bill” Shows Us His Two Sides on His Latest EP 3 Dolla
By Francis Galang
CLAYTON, North Carolina – Recently on November
29, 2022, the rapper and singer/songwriter Dolla Bill has released his latest
EP 3 Dolla.
3 Dolla is a collection of three previously released
singles, each reinventions of his older tracks. Dolla Bill elaborates, “I’m
currently on a creative high that I’ve been on since about two years ago. Much
of my year has been dedicated to remixing, producing, and engineering. I’ve
been experimenting with songs from across my discography and have produced this
EP around these three songs that have different and noticable voice edits from
the original versions. They’re kind of dark and almost diabolical. Some are
natural (radio edit). I’ve been given a lot of good feedback on them.”
Dolla Bill has two presences as a recording
artist. In his hip hop work, he uses the alias Dolla Bill, but in his
singer/songwriter work, he uses his name Will Francis. Throughout 2022, Will
has been bouncing back and forth between his two personas, unleashing two
different kinds of creative energy as he reflects upon the year.
He says, “Sometimes as a creative, we have
periods of downtime. And then all of a sudden, a spark hits us. That creative
drive or jones. It's that inspiration or it could be something about our
environment that gets us thinking and those wheels turning. This energy is what
motivates us to get up, start again and put pen to paper. Some of this
creativity comes out of a period of frustration. Writing comes from emotions
and sometimes this craft is forged from frustration, a rebellion against those
emotions.”
Growing up, Will has found deep inspiration in
the music he was surrounded by as a teen. His sister was an avid collector of
records and tapes, and as he became interested in her music collection, he grew
to be deeply connected with the songs of the time. Tracks like Judas Priest’s
“Beyond the Realms of Death” was the first song he connected with because it
captured the frustration, angst and rebellion he was going through as a typical
teenager. It touched him emotionally and it was the first time Will deeply
connected with how the lyricality of music can shape people.
As his listening evolved over the years, he
began listening to more rock and roll and singer/songwriters, inspired deeply
by Jackson Browne, Jim Croce, Billy Joel and The Doors. In college he took on a
writing minor, eventually coming to write and perform his own music. He says,
“After that, I dedicated my thirties to singer/songwriting, going to open mics,
auditions and showcases with a deep care for lyrics and melody.”
It is only within the past seven years that Will
Francis’ attention turned to hip hop. He says, “It’s not that I wasn’t aware of
it, but that I didn't fully discovered it until recently. I was given the
inspiration for hip hop/rap music before I was able to actually do it. It
happened one day on accident, when I converted singer/songwriter lyrics and
melody to spoken word with an emphasis on rhyming. I did this a couple times
and a flow emerged in the cadences. I played it back and was like...wow! This
sounds better than the melodic version. This is when I started listening to
more hip hop/rap music and becoming a creative in that genre. This experience
had impacts on my creativity and I’m at a high right now. I’ve been given
plenty of great feedback and I listen closely to the feedback I’m given. People
like influencers, curators, labels, and whoever I can send my music to have all
been inputs to refine myself.”
Dolla Bill is excited to see how audiences will
receive 3 Dolla. He says, “Even
though it is a project mostly about engineering, mixing, and editing, there’s a
lot of creativity behind it. I’m happy with how the voice turned out in the
songs. I’m happy with the album art too, it shows the image being split into
three parts, like the three songs.”
On SoundCloud, 3 Dolla has a bonus track: “Busta U-Turn”. He says, “I’ve gotten a
lot of good feedback on that track. So, I guess it’s really 4 Dollas on
SoundCloud!”
Aside from his work as Dolla Bill, Will Francis
has been active in writing is a singer/songwriter throughout 2022 as well.
“The Long Way” is a track that is psychedelic
and dreamlike, almost like a tunnel coming into view. The tunnel gives the song
cadence, with Will’s voice reverberating throughout the song.
“Done Got Me Down” is a bluesy track written
amidst the reflections of everyday life. He says, “It was one of those moments
where you are sitting down, and inspiration sparked or came over. It happened
so quick. I wrote the lyrics, made a melody, and recorded it all right there.”
Across both of these personas – Dolla Bill or
Will Francis – Will is excited to reach people and share music with them. He
looks forward to a bright year in 2023, continuing this creative high he has
been on throughout the 2020s.
For bookings, please email
lilbilly2499@yahoo.com or robinwill05@gmail.com.
Please follow Dolla Bill or Will Francis on all
platforms for new music, videos, and social posts.
Releases:
Dolla Bill – 3 Dolla EP Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/0bCaiWw2QBlCF1CCZ50sL8?si=rl2AuD9jQvWns_1NAMwCHA
Dolla Bill – 3 Dolla EP Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/album/3-dolla-single/1658299966
Dolla Bill – 3 Dolla EP SoundCloud (Bonus Track): https://soundcloud.com/user-407516429/sets/3-dolla
Will Francis – The Long Way: https://youtu.be/Z-AR-dmRp8Q
Will Francis – Done Got Me Down: https://youtu.be/Z-AR-dmRp8Q
Dolla Bill – Petty Cash: https://on.soundcloud.com/ruDLt
Streaming:
Spotify (Will Francis)https://open.spotify.com/artist/02k1GfSr7zdbqtUlKqJaYh?si=MckXmIV6S-uVmGFfXGE7eA
Spotify (Dolla Bill): https://open.spotify.com/artist/2XkwYIHUlvbL6eGD3n92rp?si=GEmwSHP2Taq4V7kmaIgh8Q
Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/20spot16
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/walkingdown12
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi7ksDpZ4qhP3llRebPFb6w
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@WillFrancis22
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