The Gonzales hip hop artist WillowBoo loves poetry and complex, multi-syllabic rhyme schemes. She refers to herself as not only a rapper, but as a spoken word artist. While the pacing might often be slow and the lyrics backed sometimes by guitar, the rhymes speak to personal drama, from the heart. There is emotion packed into every word.
WillowBoo was born as Rhiannon Black in 2004, the second eldest of nine children. As a teenager, Black developed an interest in hip hop and was highly influenced by industry giants such as Jay Z, Pharrell Williams, and Nas. It was during this time that Black adopted the stage name WillowBoo and decided to pursue her career as a musical artist. Initially, Black began writing spoken word poetry, which she would later combine with her passion for hip hop to write, produce, and record her first rap album.
Black began uploading her music online in 2019, but it was not until later that she decided to pursue a career in music. After adopting the stage name WillowBoo, Black began recording songs in her bedroom studio. She released her debut mixtape Wish Kid in 2019. Her follow-up mixtape Hustle Grind features the single “Breathe,” which went viral on TikTok in 2020.
In addition to her musical interests as a solo rap artist, Black also pursued an entrepreneurial venture in 2019 with the launch of a respiratory healthcare technology startup Airflowy, where she currently serves as founder and CEO. The company has gained recognition for its advancement in creating respiratory health solutions for patients suffering from chronic lung conditions. Airfowy is best known for its Airflowy pocket spirometer that allows patients to take control of their respiratory health remotely. It measures the amount of air that can be breathed and expelled in a single forced breath to check lung function. Airflowy secured a pre-seed funding round on October 13, 2021, led by Global VP Partners.
At 17-years-old, Black is considered one of the youngest entrepreneurs in the HealthTech industry. She is the founder and CEO of AirFlowy, a smart spirometry company that aims to make administering lung function testing easier for children and adults with chronic lung diseases.
Black has attracted widespread attention for her entrepreneurial accomplishments as well as her musical talents, resulting in her story being featured in media outlets like Yahoo Finance, Marketwatch, Disrupt Magazine, Thrive Global, and others.
The personal, passionate poetry of WillowBoo, a.k.a. Rhiannon Black, a Gonzales native, hits hard and stays with you.