Ill Will Records Explained

Founded:	1999
Founder:	Nas, Steve Stoute
Status:	Defunct
Genre:	Hip hop
Country:	United States
Location:	New York City, New York, United States of America

Ill Will Records was an American vanity record label founded by Nasir "Nas" Jones. The label was named after Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992, when both were teenagers.^[1] Nas founded the label in 1999 following the release of "Nastradamus" ^[2] with the help of Steve Stoute who was the manager of Nas.

After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched Ill Will by the name The Jones Experience as an imprint under Def Jam Recordings.^[2]

From 2014 onwards, Nas launched 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. The label's current roster includes Nas, DJ Shadow, Mannie Fresh, Dave East, Fashawn, Black Milk, Keyon Harrold and Ghostface Killah.

Former artists

• Nas
• Bravehearts
• Nature

Former producers

• Trackmasters
• L.E.S.
• Salaam Remi
• Arkatech Beatz

Discography

Year	Information
1999	Nas - Nastradamus Released: November 23, 1999 Chart positions: #7 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification Platinum U.S. sales: 1,587,000+ Singles: "Nastradamus", "You Owe Me"
2000	Nature - For All Seasons Released: September 19, 2000 Chart positions: #50 U.S Billboard 200
2000	Nas and Various Other Artists - Nas & Ill Will Records Presents QB's Finest Released: November 21, 2000 Chart positions: #53 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification U.S. sales: Singles: "Da Bridge 2001", "Oochie Wally"
2001	Nas - Stillmatic Released: December 18, 2001 Chart positions: #5 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification Platinum U.S. sales: 3.05 Million Singles: "Rule", "Got Ur Self A...", "One Mic
2002	Nas - Released: July 2, 2002 Chart positions: #123 U.S Billboard 200
	Nas - The Lost Tapes Released: September 24, 2002 Chart positions: #10 U.S Billboard 200
	Nas - God's Son Released: December 13, 2002 Chart positions: #7 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification Platinum U.S. sales: 1,000,000+ Singles: "I Can", "Made You Look", "Get Down
2003	Bravehearts - Bravehearted Released: December 23, 2003 Chart positions: #75 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification U.S. sales: Singles: "Quick to Back Down", "B Train", "Bravehearted", "I Wanna", "Buss My Gun", "Cash Flow", "Sensations", "I Will", "Situations"
2004	Nas - Street's Disciple Released: November 30, 2004 Chart positions: #5 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification Platinum U.S. sales: 1,000,000+ Singles: "Thief's Theme", "Bridging the Gap", "Just a Moment
2006	Nas - Hip Hop Is Dead Released: December 19, 2006 Chart Positions: #1 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification Gold U.S. sales: 500,000 Singles: "Hip Hop Is Dead", Can't Forget About You
2008	Bravehearts - Bravehearted 2 Released: April 22, 2008
2008	Nas - Untitled Released: July 15, 2008 Chart positions: #1 U.S Billboard 200 RIAA Certification Gold U.S. sales: 500,000 Singles: "Hero", Make the World Go Round"

See also

Mass Appeal Records

Notes and References

1. Web site: Nas Reflects On The Murder Of His Friend Ill Will. March 3, 2014. November 2, 2019.
2. Web site: Tag: the jones experience. www.hip-hopvibe.com. November 2, 2019.