Amil | |
|---|---|
 Amil in 2014 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Amil Kahala Whitehead |
| Born | September 19, 1973 New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, gangsta rap, hardcore hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
|
| Years active | 1994–2014 |
| Labels |
|
Amil Kahala Whitehead (born September 19, 1973) is an American former rapper and singer.[1] Based in New York City, she signed to Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records label imprint in 1997. The following year, she appeared alongside Ja Rule on his single "Can I Get A..." for the Rush Hour film soundtrack.
Amil's debut studio album, All Money Is Legal (2000), peaked at number 45 on the US Billboard 200 chart and spawned two singles, "I Got That" (featuring Beyoncé) and "4 da Fam" (featuring Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel). The album, released in a joint venture with Columbia Records, saw generally mixed reception and Amil would subsequently leave both labels shortly after.
Early life
Amil was born in New York City to a Caucasian mother and African-American and partial Native American (Cherokee) father. At age 18, she had a son, Pape (b. 1992) with then boyfriend Kendal Morgan. Over the next several years, her aunt passed away and her former partner was killed as a result of a homicide. As a result of these tragedies she turned to music as an outlet.
She briefly dated fellow rapper and noted Wu-Tang Clan affiliate, Killah Priest in the late 1990s and Early 2000s.
Career
In 1997, Amil was a member of Major Coins, an all-female group. The group met Jay-Z, who was looking for a woman to provide vocals on his third album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. Jay-Z asked Amil to freestyle and liked it, and selected her for the role.[2]
When Major Coins broke up, Amil decided to follow a solo career with Jay-Z's label, Roc-A-Fella Records, and joined the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour. After the tour, she appeared on songs with Mariah Carey, Beyoncé, Jermaine Dupri, AZ, DJ Kay Slay, LL Cool J, and Funkmaster Flex.[3][4]
She has appeared on Jay-Z songs such as "Nigga What, Nigga Who", "Can I Get A...", "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)", "S Carter", "You, Me, Him and Her", and "Pop 4 Roc".[5] In August 2000, Amil released her debut solo album, All Money Is Legal. The album featured the single "I Got That", a duet with Beyoncé,[6] and All-Star Roc-A-Fella single "4 Da Fam". The album also featured Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Carl Thomas, Eve, and Beanie Sigel.
Album sales were disappointing, and the singles did not sell well either. Following that album, her last Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam single, "Hey Papi", a song from the soundtrack to the feature film Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, was released. In 2002, Amil had a small role in State Property.[7]
In 2005, Amil temporarily re-formed "Major Coinz" and released songs on the mixtape circuit including the single "Glamorous Life" which was featured on MTV's Mixtape Monday.[8]
In 2008, Amil released mixtapes titled Az Iz and Amil Returns: The Lost Classics Edition, delivering lyrically with songs such as the emotional "Tears of a Teenage Mother" and the Caribbean vibed "Don't Worry".[9][10]
Amil released the song "Stop" in July 2012. The song was intended to promote the rapper's unreleased mixtape, A Time to Kill.[11][12] Amil released the song "Remember" in 2014. It was also intended to promote a mixtape titled Another Moment in Life, which remains unreleased.[13]
Discography
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart positions | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US | US R&B | ||
| 2000 | All Money Is Legal
|
45 | 12 |
| 2008 | Amil Az Iz
|
— | — |
Singles
| Year | Single | Chart positions | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US | US Rap |
US R&B |
UK | |||
| 1998 | "Can I Get A..." (Jay-Z featuring Ja Rule and Amil) | 19 | 22 | 6 | 24 | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life |
| 1999 | "Jigga What, Jigga Who" (Jay-Z featuring Amil and Big Jaz) | 83 | 24 | 6 | 19 | |
| "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" (Jay-Z featuring Amil and Beanie Sigel) | 65 | 9 | 11 | — | Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter | |
| 2000 | "Get None" (Tamar Braxton featuring Jermaine Dupri and Amil) | — | — | 59 | — | Tamar |
| "Hey Papi" (Jay-Z featuring Amil and Memphis Bleek) | 76 | 12 | 16 | — | Nutty Professor II Soundtrack | |
| "I Got That" (featuring Beyoncé) | — | — | 101 | — | A.M.I.L | |
| "4 Da Fam" (featuring Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel) | 99 | 48 | 29 | — | ||
| "That's Right/Get Down" (promo only) | — | — | — | — | ||
Album appearances
| Year | Song | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | "Can I Get A..." (Jay-Z featuring Ja Rule and Amil) | Rush Hour O.S.T |
| "Can I Get A..." (Jay-Z featuring Ja Rule and Amil) | Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life | |
| "Jigga What, Jigga Who" (Jay-Z featuring Amil and Jaz-O) | ||
| 1999 | "Playa" (Beanie Sigel featuring Amil and Jay-Z) | The Truth |
| "First One Hit" (Amil and Solé) | Light It Up O.S.T | |
| "I Still Believe" (Stevie J. Remix) (Mariah Carey featuring Amil and Mocha) | I Still Believe CD single | |
| "S. Carter" (Jay-Z featuring Amil) | Vol. 3... Life and Times of S. Carter | |
| "Pop 4 Roc" (Jay-Z featuring Amil, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel) | ||
| "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)" (Jay-Z featuring Amil and Beanie Sigel) | ||
| "For My Thugs" (Funkmaster Flex featuring Amil and Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel) | The Tunnel | |
| "Get None" (Tamar Braxton featuring Jermaine Dupri and Amil) | Tamar | |
| 2000 | "Hello" (LL Cool J featuring Amil) | G.O.A.T. |
| "You, Me, Him and Her" (Beanie Sigel, Amil, Jay-Z and Memphis Bleek) | The Dynasty: Roc La Familia | |
| "Hey Papi" (Jay-Z featuring Memphis Bleek and Amil) | Nutty Professor II Soundtrack | |
| "PYT" (Memphis Bleek featuring Amil and Jay-Z) | The Understanding | |
| "Road Dawgs" (Da Brat, Eve, Jay-Z and Amil) | Backstage: A Hard Knock Life | |
| 2001 | "How Many Wanna" (AZ featuring Amil) | 9 Lives |
| "What Yall Wanna Hear" (Queen Pen featuring Amil) | Conversations With Queen | |
| 2003 | "Seven Deadly Sins" (DJ Kayslay featuring Amil, Angie Martinez, Duchess, Lady May, Remy Ma, Sonja Blade and Vita) | The Streetsweeper, Vol. 1 |
| 2008 | "A Game" (AZ featuring Amil) | Undeniable |
| 2011 | "Get Them Stax Daddy" (Ron Lyonz featuring Amil) | The Rebirth of Hip Hop |
References
- ↑ Group, Vibe Media (December 2000). Vibe. Vibe Media. p. 139. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
rapper Amil whitehead vibe.
- ↑ Langhorne, Cyrus (August 19, 2011). "Amil Still Loves The Jigga Man, "I Wish I Could Talk To Jay-Z Because That Would Bring Closure"". Sohh.Com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ↑ Potts, Diana (September 27, 2000). "Amil". AllMusic. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ↑ "Amil Discography at Discogs". Discogs.com. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ↑ "All Money Is Legal: Amil: Music". Amazon. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ↑ "Amil – I Got That ft. Beyoncé Knowles – Video Dailymotion". Dailymotion.com. April 24, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ↑ "State Property (2002) : Full Cast & Crew". IMDb.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Mixtape Monday: Beanie And 50 May 'Shock The World'; 'All Access' Reaches Rakim". Mtv.com. March 9, 2006. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
- ↑ "Amil – Amil Az Iz (the New Album) Hosted by DJ Tre'i Starzz Mixtape – Stream & Download". Datpiff.com. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Amil Returns: The Lost Classics Edition – XXL". Xxlmag.com. September 25, 2008. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "New Music: Female Rapper Amil – 'Stop'". ThisIs50.com. July 31, 2012. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
- ↑ "Rasha Entertainment Music Industry Blog". Archived from the original on May 24, 2013. Retrieved August 27, 2013.
- ↑ "Amil Is Back Rapping Over Jay Z Instrumentals and Prepping Her New Mixtape "Another Moment in Life"". Complex.com. March 17, 2014. Retrieved February 26, 2016.