Rising Stars: Meet Cedric Williams

Today we’d like to introduce you to Cedric Williams.

Hi Cedric, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
It all started in 2004 when I was seven years old. My cousin and I would always freestyle songs on our way home from school. We’d take turns rapping a verse and singing a chorus, but we never took it serious at the time. I was more into writing stories and drawing. I would grab some printer paper, fold it and then staple it to make it look like a book. My family & I eventually moved to Watts, CA, where I began writing poems. They were always about a little crush that I had at school and sometimes I would give the poems to them. I ended up meeting a few kids at school who happened to live in the same apartments as me. They were into rapping more than I was, but once I started hanging out with them more, we would write songs together and freestyle during recess & lunch. A year or so later, my siblings & I were taken into foster care. There were four of us at the time. Me, Keyshawn, Dj and Jeremiah. Keyshawn & I were placed together, meanwhile Dj & Jeremiah were separated. I got into a lot of altercations while being in foster care and ended up getting sent to multiple homes, with my brother alongside of me.

In November of 2008, Keyshawn, Jeremiah and I were taken in by our Aunt in San Dimas, CA. Dj was placed with his grandmother. We were together for a few months until Jeremiah was also placed with his grandmother. I met a few people on my first day of school. No one was into music though, it was all sports & dancing. I found an interest in football, so I played everyday at lunch and signed up for the flag football team. It wasn’t until the 8th grade when I met someone that was into music. His name is Tye Romero. We would always write & freestyle whenever we hung out. We started taking music much more serious in high school. We formed a group with a few other friends and named it “TRDL”, which stands for “Truth Really Doesn’t Lie”. It started out great. We had about eight members, but a few didn’t want to make music. They were more into photography and web design. I went by “AC” which stands for “Adept Cedric”. Tye went by “Jhon Flip”. We recorded our first song in a teacher’s class during lunch. It was called “New Day”. We released it on SoundCloud in 2013 and it got pretty good feedback. After that, we went on to record a couple more songs before the group broke apart. We were down to three members, but we still kept in touch with everyone. The three of us made music & had a performance before eventually losing another member. We collaborated with rapper Alex Wiley and released a song called “Pass Walls”. We also collaborated with producer Ronny J on our song called “AAPG”. Tye & I decided to become solo artists while still collaborating under TRDL. I eventually changed my stage name from “AC” to “Lil Ceddy”.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey have been a fairly smooth road?
I would say it’s been somewhat of a smooth road. The main struggles were my relationships. I would focus on another person more than my music. Learning how to express my feelings into art has helped me become a much better artist. I no longer allow my emotions to control me, I control them.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m a Rapper, Singer & Songwriter. I record my own music and I write songs & lyrics for other artists. I’m known for my features with Alex Wiley & Ronny J, my latest track “Make It Right”, with Jhon Flip and as a content creator on TikTok. My account was recently banned after I surpassed 11k followers. I had two videos with over 2 million views. My music has been on major platforms for about two years now and my listeners & fan base are growing each day. What sets me apart from others is my versatility. Every track you hear from me is different than the last one. It’s hard for me to stick to having one style because I have so many ideas. I get bored of doing the same things over and over. In order to grow, you have to try new things.

Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
My advice to those who are just starting out is to always believe in yourself. Trusting in your craft is essential to being an artist. No one will believe in you if you don’t believe in yourself. Also, never let emotions or hard times stop you from creating. Use that as motivation. Write about your story and your journey. Someone will always relate to what you’re going through.

Contact Info:

• Email: bookceddy@gmail.com
• Website: https://lilceddy.onuniverse.com
• Instagram: https://Instagram.com/lilceddyofficial
• Twitter: https://Twitter.com/reallilceddy
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/4jYFs1locqTxs96HPbPNza?si=x1U5qY3DQY65J4aOOcszuw&dl_branch=1

Image Credits:
Logan Bourbon