Ever since Wix jumped on the scene, he’s been running 100 miles an hour.
Success in music and sports requires a similar skill and mindset. Both involve deliberate, unceasing practice, failure, and a certain amount of self-confidence to achieve. Wix Patton can tell you what it takes to do both. Before he rose to stardom, he fought for a starting position on his high school football team and later to the University of Georgia as a tight end. His hard work and determination helped him get to one of the top schools in the country, but his love for music surreptitiously opened the door for his destiny. Four years later, Wix is on a journey to make his dream come true.
“I want to help everyone out with my music. I want to inspire them to be the best version of myself because whenever I focused on that, I had the best outcomes.”
Wix grew up in Peachtree City Georgia, a relatively affluent area outside of Atlanta and spent his early years playing football and loving music. The city’s stability and comfort afforded him a comfortable and safe life growing up but also prevented him from fully exploring his passion for music.
“For me, until I got out of high school and got to college, was when I really started rapping. I got to expand outside of my hometown,” says Wix.
Growing up in a religious household, Wix felt the limitations being placed upon him. Eager to escape that, Wix devoted his attention towards sports. In 9th grade, the coach cut Wix from his high school football team. Failing motivated him and so he went hard, playing basketball to hone his footwork and hand-eye coordination. Coincidentally, he went through a major growth spurt growing to six foot five.
In a brief window of time, Wix increased his profile, putting on weight to play the tight end position, which helped him to become a viable threat on the football field. By his junior year, Wix was catching a slew of touchdowns and almost overnight increased his marketability. When asked about how he transitioned, Wix states, “I just dialed all the way in. I went from visiting D3 schools at the beginning of my senior year to committing to Louisville and changing it to going to Georgia as the only tight end.”
Wix went to the University of Georgia in 2018, eager to prove himself the way he had done in high school. Little did he know that his life would change so quickly. During the 2018 Rose Bowl Weekend, Wix and a couple of his teammates were at a comedy club when they asked him to go on stage and freestyle for the crowd. “I didn’t even want to go on stage. I was super insecure and embarrassed”, says Wix.
Peer pressure from the coaches and his team got him on stage. What Wix and his teammate didn’t know, though, is that the moment was being recorded and shared on social media. The video went viral, with hundreds of thousands of views on Twitter almost overnight.
“I didn’t know it was going to change my life,” says Wix.
Emboldened by it, Wix and a friend got together and made a song, “Woah There” and uploaded it on SoundCloud. The momentum he generated from the viral moment and the song gave Wix the confidence he needed to pursue music full time. Almost right on cue, the NCAA heard about his song, “Go Dawgs”, and gave him an ultimatum, forcing him to choose between the NCAA or his dream.
“I had already been doing a lot of music. I probably had over a couple of hundred songs by then. There was no doubt. I saw the trajectory of my artistry. I want to submerge myself fully into it,” Wix says.
Out on his own, Wix dropped his first single, “100 Miles” to critical acclaim. One of Atlanta’s music moguls, Don Perry, invested in Wix and signed him to Atlanta Global Music in 2019. To help with his progression as an artist, Perry enlisted the help of Atlanta powerhouse, Big Oomp Records, and super-producer, Tricky Stewart.
In the three years since Wix came on the scene, his sound and aesthetic have undergone a major transformation. “I tell people I am an artist when they ask me who I am. I have different genres I put in my music.” Currently, Wix is touring with Roscoe Dash, honing his craft with live crowds and recording religiously. He’s living the dream, but it only came to be because of his relentless work ethic and commitment to the process. Tap in while you can.