Willie the Kid (rapper)

Willie Jackson (born September 25, 1985), known professionally as Willie the Kid, is an American rapper and entrepreneur from Grand Rapids, Michigan. He made his debut as a founding member of the Aphilliates, alongside DJ Drama and Don Cannon. He is the younger brother of Wu-Tang Clan affiliate La the Darkman.

Willie the Kid has guest appeared on DJ Drama's Gangsta Grillz: The Album (2007) and Gangsta Grillz: The Album (Vol. 2) (2009) as well as Lil Wayne's Dedication 2 (2006) and Dedication 3 (2008) mixtapes. He signed with Asylum Records to release his debut studio album, Absolute Greatness (2008), which entered the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. He is lauded for his collaborative EP Masterpiece Theatre (2013), with the Alchemist.

Outside of his musical career, Willie The Kid's business portfolio includes co-founding of GRUSA, Motu Viget Spirits Company, and co-owning of Motu Lakeshore Wine Bar, Prohibition Bar and Lounge, Sip Coffee and Cocktails, The Elite District in the historic Harris Building, Botanical Company (Boco) Middleville Cannabis Dispensary and The Gas Station Wayland Cannabis Dispensary along with his business partner Jonathan Jelks. He has invested in The Midwest Tech Project and the app Radi8er, and the non-profit Navigate Foundation. He has also co-executive produced I, Too, Sing America: Langston Hughes Unfurled, a PBS American Masters documentary produced by Datari Turner and directed by Kevin Willmott. He also wrote, co-produced and starred in his own short film The Fly in 2015.