Ill Will Records
Encyclopedia
Ill Will Records was an American
vanity record label
founded by Nasir "Nas" Jones
. The label was named after Willie Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, was shot dead on May 23, 1992 when both were teenagers. He launched the imprint in autumn 1999
with his fourth studio album Nastradamus
.
Ill Will had distributed The Bravehearts through Columbia Records
and former artist Quan
through Atlantic Records
. After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched Ill Will by the name The Jones Experience as an imprint under Def Jam.
As a teenager, Nas enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willy "Ill Will Graham" as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas.
Graham had a brother named Kennedy Odusanya, jr.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vanity record label
Vanity label
A vanity label is an informal name given sometimes to a record label founded as a wholly or partially owned subsidiary of another, larger and better established record label, where the subsidiary label is controlled by a successful recording artist, designed to allow this artist...
founded by Nasir "Nas" Jones
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
. The label was named after Willie Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, was shot dead on May 23, 1992 when both were teenagers. He launched the imprint in autumn 1999
1999 in music
-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
with his fourth studio album Nastradamus
Nastradamus
Nastradamus is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 23, 1999 on Columbia Records in the United States. It was originally scheduled to be released as a follow-up album composed of material from recording sessions for his third album, I Am… on October 26, 1999...
.
Ill Will had distributed The Bravehearts through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
and former artist Quan
Quan (rapper)
Clifford Peacock, better known by his stage name Quan or Don Ferquan, is an American rapper, affiliated with Nas and Ill Will Records...
through Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched Ill Will by the name The Jones Experience as an imprint under Def Jam.
Early life of Willie Graham
Willie Graham was Born 1972 in New York City,Queensbridge Houses. Willy Graham influenced Nas's interest in hip hop by playing him records.As a teenager, Nas enlisted his best friend and upstairs neighbor Willy "Ill Will Graham" as his DJ. Nas first went by the nickname Kid Wave before adopting his more commonly known alias of Nasty Nas.
Death of Willie Graham
Graham was shot and killed at on May 23, 1992. Nas younger brother Jabari Fret who assumes the alias Jungle and is a Member of The Bravehearts, tells the story of Graham's death on Nas, documentary, VH1.Graham had a brother named Kennedy Odusanya, jr.
Former producers
- TrackmastersTrackmastersThe Trackmasters are the successful production duo of Poke and Tone , sometimes credited as Poke & Tone, best known for their commercial hit records in the late 90s and early 2000s. Throughout their career they have worked with various hip-hop and R&B artists including R...
- L.E.S.L.E.S. (producer)Leshan David Lewis, better known as L.E.S., is a hip hop producer commonly associated with Nas. His first production credit was for Nas' popular song "Life's a Bitch" from the Illmatic album in 1994. He soon produced a single, "Sugar Hill", for AZ's album Doe Or Die...
- Salaam RemiSalaam RemiSalaam Remi Gibbs, better known as Salaam Remi, is a hip hop producer and keyboard player, known for his association with Nas, Amy Winehouse, and his reggae-tinged approach to production...
- The AlchemistThe Alchemist (producer)Alan Daniel Maman , better known as The Alchemist, is an American hip hop producer, DJ and rapper. He hails from Beverly Hills, California...
- Arkatech BeatzArkatech BeatzArkatech Beatz are a Grammy nominated hip-hop production duo from New York now based in Atlanta. They were affiliated with Loud Records/ Sony Music Entertainment as A&R's in the late '90s and has produced for artists such as Big Pun, Nas, Raekwon, Shawty Lo, Mýa, Alley Boy, Max B and others...
Discography
| Year | Information |
|---|---|
| 1999 | Nas - Nastradamus Nastradamus Nastradamus is the fourth studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 23, 1999 on Columbia Records in the United States. It was originally scheduled to be released as a follow-up album composed of material from recording sessions for his third album, I Am… on October 26, 1999...
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| 2000 | Nas and Various Artists - Nas and Ill Will Records Present QB's Finest Nas and Ill Will Records Present QB's Finest Nas and Ill Will Records Present QB's Finest is a 2000 collaborative album; the second release from rapper Nas' new Ill Will Records imprint, distributed by Columbia Records... Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : Oochie Wally Oochie Wally is the second single from the album QB's Finest. The single is a collaboration with Nas & The Bravehearts.-Chart positions:"Oochie Wally" was crossover hit in the U.S. as it peaked at #26 on the Billboard Hot 100.... " |
| 2001 | Nas - Stillmatic Stillmatic Stillmatic received generally positive reviews from most music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 69, based on 12 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews"... Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : Platinum Rule (song) "Rule" is the first single from rapper Nas' 2001 album Stillmatic. It features a chorus sung by Amerie and production provided by Poke and Tone of Trackmasters Entertainment. The song is known for both sampling and interpolating "Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears for Fears... ", "Got Ur Self A... Got Ur Self A... "Got Ur Self A..." is the second single from the 2001 album Stillmatic by the rapper Nas. The song samples "Woke Up This Morning" by Alabama 3. It reached #87 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Music video:... ", "One Mic One Mic "One Mic" is a song by American hip hop rapper Nas, released April 16, 2002 on Columbia Records and distributed through Ill Will Records in the United States. It was issued as the third single from his fifth studio album, Stillmatic . The song samples a portion of Phil Collins's "In The Air Tonight"... |
| 2002 | Nas - From Illmatic to Stillmatic: The Remixes
Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
| Nas - The Lost Tapes The Lost Tapes The Lost Tapes is a compilation album by American rapper Nas, released September 23, 2002, on Ill Will Records and Columbia Records. It follows his artistic comeback in 2001, which led to his record label's release of the album... Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
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| Nas - God's Son God's Son God's Son is the sixth studio album by American rapper Nas, released December 13, 2002 on Columbia-imprint Ill Will Records. Production for the album took place during 2001 to 2002 and was handled by several hip hop producers, including Salaam Remi, Chucky Thompson, Ron Browz, and The Alchemist... Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : platinum Made You Look "Made You Look" is the first single from Nas' 2002 album, God's Son. Built around several samples lifted from the Incredible Bongo Band's cover of "Apache", the single was important in establishing Nas' direction following his battle with Jay-Z and the Stillmatic album in its reliance on intricate... ", "Get Down |
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| 2003 | Bravehearts - Bravehearted Bravehearted Bravehearted is an album by Nas' proteges, the Queensbridge rap duo Bravehearts. The duo includes Nas' brother Jungle and fellow friend Wiz. The album, however, didn't do well in sales due to little promotion, it only came in at number 75 in the Billboard 200 Charts and 20 in the Hip Hop/R&B Charts... Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : |
| 2004 | Nas - Street's Disciple Street's Disciple Street's Disciple is the seventh studio album by American rapper Nas, released November 30, 2004 on Columbia Records in the United States. It is a double album entitled after one of his rhymes from "Live at the Barbeque" by Main Source, which was the song marking his musical debut... Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... RIAA certification In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards... : platinum Thief's Theme "Thief's Theme" is a single from Nas' double album Street's Disciple. The single contains vocals from Nas' song "The World Is Yours" from his first album Illmatic:... ", "Bridging the Gap Bridging the Gap (song) "Bridging the Gap", the second single from Nas' Street's Disciple, features his father, Olu Dara, and samples music from Muddy Waters' "Mannish Boy" composition. Olu Dara provides the hook of the song by talking about his path and how Nas was born. Nas and Olu Dara performed the song many times... ", "Just a Moment Just a Moment "Just a Moment" is the third and last single from Nas' Street's Disciple. It features his protégé Quan and is produced by L.E.S.. Its lyrics ask for moments of silence for many people worldwide who are going through different life struggles, from victims of violence in the ghetto to soldiers in... |