WS Chronicle

By Busta Brown

“I had no plans to be a rapper but after I got shot and lived, I knew I survived for reason. Most people that got shot just one time died, but I was shot three times and lived. I decided to rap so I can tell my story, so young people don’t make the same mistakes that I made,” said Hip Hop star Woo2x (Woo 2 times). 

Woo2x is a Winston-Salem native. His mother Angela Gadson named her superstar son Shaquan Gadson. A graduate of Glenn High School, Gadson’s dream was to play in the NFL. “I stop playing football ‘cause I needed some money, so I turned to the streets and started hustling and gambling a lot,” he said. 

At age 18, Shaquan had graduated from Glenn High School and took his hustling lifestyle to the next level. He began making lots of money and made a name for himself in the streets. But that came with a price. “I have a great mother.  She raised me well. I was always a good kid and didn’t mess around with guns or nothing like that. But when I graduated from high school, I had to get that money. I was popular in the streets way before the rap game. When the money started coming in, I was in the clubs flashing a lot and I had a lot of girls. I was going crazy in those streets. My name was always in the mix of everything that was going on,” he said. 

Notorious B.I.G said it best: more money, more problems. As Gadson’s money, girls and popularity grew, so did his problems. One night he and his buddies went to a popular nightclub in Winston-Salem. That was the night his gift became his curse. “It was an altercation that broke out in the club before we even went in. A misunderstanding led to some guys jumping on my partner, so jumped in, and end up getting shot three times. As I was laying there, I asked God why did he let me live. It changed my life and my purpose.” 

Months after Shaquan was shot, a new man was born and his name is Woo2x (Woo 2 times). “I was sitting with my partners and we were talking about this dude we knew that got shot three months after I got shot; but he died. We were like, that’s crazy! We were thinking about all the crazy stuff going in the world. Then my partners said, ‘Woo you need to rap and tell your story.’ After that, my purpose was no longer just about getting that money for fame, but making money to make a difference and making my mother proud.” He continued, “Kids need to know they can do anything they want to do. If I can make it, they can make it. But they need to surround themselves with the right people. If you hang around people with a mindset on the wrong things, you going to end up dead or in jail. Because I could’ve easily died the night I was shot three times,” he said.  

Months later, Woo took his friends’ advice and headed to the studio. “One night I was in the studio listening to my partner cooking up some beats. He was about to add something else to the beat; I told him to leave it like it was. As the beat played, the first thing that came to my mind was, I don’t know what to do. I don’t know what to tell ’em. He told me to lay that down on the beat, and we recorded it,” Woo said. 

I asked if there was a reason those lyrics came to mind. “That’s just life. When people coming at you with their problems, sometimes you can’t handle it. And you just be saying, ‘I don’t know what to do, or what to tell you.’” 

Woo2x’s hit song, “IDK,” is in heavy rotation on all the national radio stations and has more than one million views on YouTube. He’s become a national celebrity. If you’re on a school or college campus anywhere in North Carolina, you’ll hear the students and even some teachers, singing the chorus to “IDK.”  As I’m typing, the song continues to play in my head. It’s extremely catchy. Woo’s mother, Angela, actually heard the song on the radio before he did. “She call me and said, ‘Boy I just heard you on the radio.’ I was like no way!” Woo2x is a pretty laid back and cool young man, but as he spoke about hearing “IDK” on the radio for the first time, all that cool went out the door, understandably so. 

I asked Woo about his fans’ reaction when they see him. “It’s crazy. For people to want pictures and autographs, it’s very humbling. A lot of people in the rap game don’t get that recognition and I only been doing this for a year, so that’s big. I truly appreciate my fans, and don’t take any of this for granted. I go to the schools and talk to the kids about doing the right thing. I tell them, ‘It’s not all about fame and money, but living a good life and staying out of trouble. Make your parents proud.’” 

What are Woo’s big plans with all of the money he’s made? “To get my baby girl and Mom Dukes straight and everything else will fall in place. I’m blessed to have a mother like mine, because with more money and fame, it’ll be more problems. And my mother is my rock. She keeps me straight and is always there to lift me up when I have those tough days.” 

Look out for Woo2x’s two new singles and videos in 2020. Woo is currently on tour promoting “IDK” and he doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon. You can stream his music on iTunes, YouTube and all major platforms. 

He shared one last word of advice: “To all the parents reading this, tell your kids to stay in school and stay focused, and they will accomplish their dreams.”