Convivir: Willis Takes the 805 to Spain

hero 9:16 | Video courtesy of Willis

Willis has been telling us what Convivir means.

Now he’s living it.

The Santa Barbara artist recently took the energy behind his first Spanish-language EP overseas to Spain, and the timing couldn’t have been better.

Convivir, produced by Willis, Lorde Sanctus and Connect the Coast, is rooted in the two cultures that raised him: hip-hop and his Latin heritage.

The sound is hard to box in.

Think Timbaland producing corridos.

Heavy drums. Spanish records. Hip-hop bounce. Melody. Tradition flipped through Willis’s own lens.

But the deeper meaning of Convivir has always been bigger than the production.

“Conviviendo is the action of ‘Convivir,’” Willis says. “When one allows themselves to be immersed into different cultures, they allow themselves to experience and understand traditions on a more personal level. All while making memories.”

That idea followed him all the way to Spain.

FROM SANTA BARBARA TO SPAIN

Willis made the trip to watch one of his closest friends get married.

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“I recently had the pleasure of witnessing my good friend, my brother, marry the love of his life,” he says. “A beautiful moment and an honor to experience and be present.”

You travel across the world expecting everything to feel different.

Then somebody puts food on the table.

Music starts playing.

Family starts laughing.

Everybody’s celebrating.

And suddenly it doesn’t feel that far from home.

“On this trip I was also able to experience a different culture, but in so many ways also similar to the things I’ve grown up accustomed to.”

That’s really the whole point.

Different country. Different customs. Same feeling.

Connection.

THAT’S CONVIVIR

Willis comes from Santa Barbara and the larger 805 music scene, but his music pulls from more than one world.

Hip-hop is home.

Latin culture is home.

Spanish is part of the story.

So instead of separating those things, Convivir puts them in the same room.

That’s where the record gets interesting.

Willis isn’t trying to sound like a traditional corridos artist who discovered hip-hop.

He’s not making a rap record with Latin sounds thrown on top either.

This is what happens when both are already part of you.

And being in Spain gave him another way to understand that.

“I believe that the magic of life is making meaningful connections,” Willis says.

“That’s the thing all people crave and strive for.”

Simple, but real.

Because years later, you probably won’t remember every detail of a trip.

You’ll remember the people.

The wedding.

The song everybody lost their mind to.

The toast.

The picture.

The hug.

The moment.

“The memories LIVE FOR EVER!”

LIVE A LITTLE

There’s also something refreshing about hearing an artist talk about life outside of streams, drops and content.

Willis wants the music to move.

But he also wants people to actually live.

“We make time, and as life goes on we crave more. Never stop experiencing the treasures that life has to offer.”

His advice is even simpler:

“Make THAT TOAST! Dance to THE SONG! Hug YOUR FRIENDS, and take those PICTURES!”

That might be the best explanation of Convivir there is.

Be there.

Don’t overthink it.

Experience something.

Love people while they’re around.

Make the memory.

THE 805 GOES INTERNATIONAL

For Connxct, this is also the fun part.

Watching a Santa Barbara artist build a Spanish-language hip-hop project on the Central Coast is one thing.

Watching him take that same energy to Spain and find pieces of himself there makes the project hit differently.

16:9 Paddling the Costa Brava

Convivir started as music.

Now it feels more like a way of moving through the world.

Love.

Intent.

Connection.

Legacy.

“Wishes and Dreams are one action away from becoming a possibility,” Willis says. “This is your Reality, Live it.”

From Santa Barbara to Spain, that’s exactly what he’s doing.

And Connxct Magazine is along for the ride.