1. Willie D emerged as a member of the hip hop group Geto Boys, which he formed in 1986 alongside fellow Houston rappers Bushwick Bill and Scarface.
19 Facts About Willie D
1. 2.
Willie D signed with the regionally-based label Rap-A-Lot Records to release his albums Controversy and I'm Goin' Out Lika Soldier, the latter of which entered the Billboard 200.
3.
Willie D attended Forest Brook High School but in 1984, two months prior to his scheduled graduation, he was expelled for fighting.
4.
Willie D's reputation reached J Prince, founder of Rap-A-Lot Records.
5.
At the time Prince was looking to revamp the Geto Boys and knew that Willie D would be a key factor in the group's success.
6.
Once Willie D was on board, Scarface was added to complete the group.
7.
In 2009, Willie D was featured on a song called "Down South Hustlaz", along with Young Buck, Trae, Bun B, and Rick Ross.
8.
Willie D was featured on a track on Mike E Clark's Extra Pop Emporium along with Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid called Scrubstitute Teachers.
9.
Willie D's mother, Marvelous Dennis, who later became Marvelous Basey through marriage, was born in Houston, Texas.
10.
Willie D was a cafeteria cook for the Houston Independent School District for several years.
11.
Willie D was a carpenter and construction worker by trade.
12.
Willie D was raised by his mother in Houston after his parents separated when he was four-years old.
13.
Willie D has stated in interviews that both his parents were alcoholics and that his mother was physically and verbally abusive.
14.
Willie D has four siblings, Karen Williams, Warren Vann, Ernestine Dennis, and Isaac Dennis.
15.
Willie D began boxing at the age of 11, and won the Golden Gloves for the state of Texas in 1985.
16.
Willie D went on to choose a career as a rapper over turning professional, but he eventually returned to boxing during the 1990s.
17.
Willie D won his first professional fight in 1992, knocking out Melle Mel at a charity boxing show by accident after the two bumped heads in the first round.
18.
Willie D had two more fights between 1999 and 2000, beating Charles Aguilera by TKO in October 1999 and John Tarmon by KO in June 2000, and drew against John Washington on August 24,2000.
19.
Willie D was sentenced to a year in federal prison in December 2010 after pleading guilty to all charges.