Ill Will Records

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Lore & Background

Ill Will Records carries the name of Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992, when both were teenagers. Nas co-founded the label in 1999 before the release of his fourth album, Nastradamus, with the help of his then-manager, Steve Stoute. The label was a vanity imprint, giving Nas control over his releases. After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched the label under the name The Jones Experience, as an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. In 2014, Nas co-founded Mass Appeal Records with Peter Bittenbender of the company Decon. The label is the music division of the Mass Appeal Media Group with distribution handled by The Orchard.

In Their Own Story

In 1999, Nas and his manager Steve Stoute co-founded Ill Will Records, naming it after Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend Willie "Ill Will" Graham, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992. The label launched just before Nas' fourth album, Nastradamus. Former artists included Nas, Bravehearts, Nature, Dirty Mouf, Tre Williams, and Nashawn. Former producers included Trackmasters, L.E.S., Salaam Remi, and Arkatech Beatz. After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched the label as The Jones Experience, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. Later, in 2014, Nas co-founded Mass Appeal Records with Peter Bittenbender of Decon, which became the music division of Mass Appeal Media Group, distributed by The Orchard.

Reader's Guide

Ill Will Records was a vanity label co-founded by Nas and Steve Stoute in 1999, before the release of Nastradamus. It was named after Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend killed on May 23, 1992. The label's roster included Nas, Bravehearts, Nature, Dirty Mouf, Tre Williams, and Nashawn. Production came from Trackmasters, L.E.S., Salaam Remi, and Arkatech Beatz. In 2005, after signing to Def Jam, Nas relaunched the label as The Jones Experience, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings. In 2014, Nas co-founded Mass Appeal Records with Peter Bittenbender of Decon; that label is the music division of Mass Appeal Media Group, with distribution by The Orchard.

Did You Know?

• Ill Will Records was named after Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992.
• Nas co-founded the label in 1999 before the release of his fourth album, Nastradamus.
• After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched the label under the name The Jones Experience, as an imprint of Def Jam Recordings.
• In 2014, Nas co-founded Mass Appeal Records with Peter Bittenbender of the company Decon.
• Mass Appeal Records is the music division of the Mass Appeal Media Group with distribution handled by The Orchard.