Wesson Desir

When Wesson hears a beat, he doesn’t settle on ideas instantly. Each word—not each line— matters to him. His creative process is surgical, producing intricately detailed songs like May 2020’s “.22.” It’s his first release on all streaming services from him and it twists his carefully curated words of wisdom over a stretched synth.

This approach to recording has roots all the way in Wesson’s beginning — of life, not just music. He grew up in DeKalb County, Georgia for the first 12 years of his life, surrounded by siblings and a mother, a nursing assistant, and father, who worked in real estate. His parents were busy and he was distant from his siblings for the duration of his childhood so, in a sense, music raised him, shaping his mentality through smart rap that challenged his thinking. During these times, he was inspired by artists like Lil Wayne, Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole, and Childish Gambino.

In high school,, he was what he calls “the alternative,” because people took notice of the fact that he wasn’t doing what everyone else was. As he progresses through the rap industry, he’s still marching to the beat of his own drum.

Inspired by Lil Wayne’s abstract lyricism and complex vocabulary, Wesson started writing lyrics in his notebook before he ever thought about entering the booth. Wesson quietly observed his older brother, who was recording and releasing songs of his own, learning the tricks of the trade. After finding a group of peers who matched his fascination with rap, Wesson started making songs of his own, first in SoundCloud cyphers with his friends, and then remixing songs like Rocko’s UOENO” and Tyga’s “Dope.”

His initial songs were well-received, but soon he started to think about how he could separate himself from his peers. For him, his answer was using his music to work on understanding himself. This means weaving in and out of his beat’s orbit while working on cadence and delivery-based flows. He’s also working on making the music more cinematic because he sees it as a soundtrack to his life.

After spending his 10,000 hours nailing down his craft, Wesson has developed a singular signature rap style, combining pre-formulated concepts with instinctual melodies to make songs that fit his day-to-day mentality. He’s currently putting the finishing touches on a new EP–one whose title and concepts he’s purposely keeping vague–that mixes some of his acclaimed SoundCloud tracks with new material, packaged together so his growing fanbase can understand that era as he prepares to move onto another.

Beyond that, Wesson’s been working on other songs as well as the mysteries inside of them. Song structuring, ideas, and new concepts are at the center of his musical investigations, as well as “trying to make it tie into me.” While he’s not concrete with his future plans, he’s excited to see what’s in store for the future. “I know there’s untapped potential here,” he says.

Wesson’s story is relatable for all, and, at the end of the day, making fans understand who he is and what he wants to do with his music is his ultimate goal. “I want to make soundtrack music — not for movies, necessarily,” he says. If he can do this for each and every fan that clicks play on a song of his, he’ll have succeeded.