Former Texas Tech football player Marlon Williams, who stars on MTV's "Real World: Portland", opened up about his budding rapper career and his controversial views on sexuality during his promo rounds. Meet the preacher's kid inside....
Marlon Williams, one of the stars of MTV's "Real World: Portland", opened up about his life and the interesting back story viewers will see unfold on the show this season. And to answer the question we know you're asking: No, we didn't know "Real World" still came on. Hence, why the network seems ready to stir up some controversy.
But alas, a new season is on deck and a black roommate is front and center. The former Texas Tech footballer player is the son of a preacher man and spent most of his young life traveling as a military brat. After failing to go "pro" following a successful football stint in college, he went through a period which led to a few interesting choices, including sex with a man. In interviews withXXL and The Advocate, he talks about sexuality, his budding rap career, and explains his views on religion. Here are the highlights:
The Advocate: OK, this is awkward. MTV tells us “Marlon has had intercourse with a man before and does identify with being bisexual. But he says that he is more attracted to women and doesn't think he would be with a man again.” We could just take their word for it, but we’d rather you tell us yourself how you identify and why.
Marlon Williams: Well, I don't consider myself bisexual, because I'm not sexually attracted to men. I did have sex with a man but my reasoning for it was different. It was in a hectic time of my life filled with fighting a lot of life battles. I was just making a lot of decisions that I would not normally make. At that time in my life the gay community embraced me, and it is one of those things that just happened. I have nothing against people who are bisexual or gay, but that is not my preference.
You’re the son of a preacher and were raised with conservative values. Does that cause conflict for you in terms of your sexuality?
Well, sex in any form is hard, because the beliefs of my parents say that you are supposed to wait for marriage. The big misconception used in religion is that some sin is worse than others. That isn't true. All sin is equal. Therefore, anything I do that is sinful can be forgiven if I repent and make changes. My belief is that God forgives anybody who believes and wants a new start in life.You were a star football player at Texas Tech and were under a lot of pressure to turn pro. Do you ever resent the way other people put those kind of expectations or dreams on your shoulders?
I feel that people having high expectations of me is a good thing. That means they see great things in your character and motivation. I don't agree with the how people treated me when I didn't meet their expectations, though. It's my life, I'm going to live it the way I want. I'm still the same person. It's just sometimes life throws you curveballs and you have to make adjustments.What are you working on now?
I’m in the studio a lot. I just performed at SXSW. I’ve opened up for Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Mike Jones, Ying Yang Twins. I’ve been doing it, bro. I’ve got two mixtapes out, you can check them out at www.wavysquad.com. Go get those jams. Actually while we were in Portland recording the show, me and Anastasia, another girl from the show, we did music there. We recorded stuff based on what we were going through out there and our life experiences during “The Real World.” We’re gonna put that out this summer.
"Real World: Portland" airs Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. By the way, MTV aired a vintage "Real World" marathon last weekend starting from season 1 in New york. It reminded us of how great this show used to be.
Watch Marlon aka Jay Dillinger's "So Sweet" here:
Photos via Ian Spanier