AMiL`s "A.M.I.L. (ALL MoNeY iS LeGaL)"...

 Gotta love that No Limit Record~lookin` promo

anyway let`s get it in shall we???

 

I hope all is well with y`all, today I will be dusting off an album that was released in the year 2000 on Columbia/ Roc-A-Fella Records by female emcee Amil titled "A.M.I.L. (All Money Is Legal)". I`m sure most of y`all slept on her solo album because well ya never knew that she dropped one.....LoL, after all there wasn`t a whole lot of promo done for it. For those of you that aren`t up on the First Lady Of The Roc a.k.a. The Dynasty`s Princess, Amil I`ll drop a lil` info` for y`all. The first time that I heard Amil rap was on the Jay-Z song "Can I Get A..." which also featured Ja Rule (doing his best 2Pac impression in the music video). After that she was featured on another Jay-Z (Jaz-O is featured as well) track titled "Jigga What, Jigga Who" rappin` the hook...

After that it was on & poppin` for her as she was officially a member of the Roc-A-Fella team, but let`s rewind just a lil` bit so we can get a better idea of Amil`s roots shall we? Before she linked up with Jay & the Roc-A-Fella crew she was actually a member of an all female rap group call Major Coins (or Coinz, I`ve seen it spelled both ways) which also included members Liz Leite & Monique. I`m not sure if they ever released anything officially, but Jay-Z who was recording his 3rd studio album "Vol. 2...Hard Knock Life" at the time (1997-1998) took some interest in the group because he was searching for a female rapper to spice up his song "Can I Get A...". Originally the spot was gon` be filled by Amil`s partner in rhyme Liz Leite, but once Jigga heard Amil freestyle he felt that she was better suited for the song. Liz Leite did make it on Jay-Z`s "Vol. 2..." album though, she`s featured on the song "It`s Like That". Shortly after Amil made her appearances on the album Major Coins disbanded, was it because of jealousy? I`m not sure, but either way once her group was done she decided to take up a solo career & join Jay-Z at Roc-A-Fella...

She began to pay her dues while being a part of the 1999 Hard Knock Life Tour & then once that was over she hit the studio & started to collab` with plenty of artists such as label mates Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek & Jay-Z as well as Mariah Carey, Solé, Tamar Braxton & LL Cool J. After working on "The Dynasty: Roc La Familia" album things were put in motion for Amil to start working on her self titled debut solo album. The album features production from L.E.S., Tone & Poke a.k.a. Trackmasters, EZ Elpee, Just Blaze, Rockwilder, Tyfife, Lofey, K-Rob, Omen & Jon-John. Guest appearances on the album include; Beyoncé, R&B singer Carl Thomas as well label mates Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek. I believe that the album  had only one single which is the Beyoncé assisted "I Got That", an independent women anthem that lets all the fellas know that some females can make it out on their own without the reliance of a man. Some of y`all listeners may recognize that the beat shares the same sample that was freaked for Biggie`s "Friend Of Mine"...







The album`s opening cut "Smile 4 Me" is a great way to spark things off, Amil`s spittin` about her personal Life struggles. It`s nice to hear her start things out on a personal level instead of say an over sexualized tip. I`ve already touched on "I Got That" so I won`t spend any more time on it except to say that I can`t really get into it. I can dig the overall message, but the song itself just isn`t all that good to me. "Get Down" is another joint that I`m not really much of a fan of, you can definitely tell that they created this one for the commercialized loving folks. "Ya`ll Dead Wrong" is a joint that has Amil letting the doubters know that she`s not to be messed with, definitely a braggadocio track. The Jay-Z assisted "Heard It All Before" makes for an entertaining listen, it`s a woman vs. man joint. Basically; a playette & a player exchanging game amongst each other, which includes plenty of lies & truth bending no doubt...



"Quarrels" features Carl Thomas on the hook, Amil spits some more deep type lyrics. I`m not much of a fan of its hook, but Amil`s rhymes aren`t too shabby at all. "Girlfriend" definitely is geared towards radio~play with it`s catchy beat & simplistic chorus. It`ll get your head nodding, but lyrically no new ground is broken. Amil basically lets ya know that she`ll snitch to ya` girl if you`re tryin` to holla at her. Talk about the ultimate cock~blockin` maneuver....LoL, the album`s title track "A.M.I.L. (All Money Is Legal)" has a nice beat backin` it, but again Amil pretty much fails to impress me with her rhymes on this one. The second Jay-Z collabo` on the album "That`s Right" isn`t nearly as DoPe as the first. It`s more of a braggin` fest with a simplistic hook & a generic beat that`s supplied by Just Blaze. Honestly it sounds like a throwaway beat that was rejected from a Ruff Ryder compilation...



"Anyday" is a DoPe track produced by K-Rob with a well placed sample that complements the rest of the song along with Amil`s deep emotional lyrics. With it`s darker sounds produced by Lofey "Raw" keeps the momentum of good tracks flowin`, sure Amillion is on that braggin` ish again but she manages to make it sound much more believable on this song. "No 1 Can Compare" may have a weak beat behind it, but Amil still manages to keep it interesting (except for the hook that is) by spittin` some heart~felt emotional lyrics over this Omen produced track. The album closes out with the bonus track "4 Da Fam", a Roc-A-Fella collabo` that features Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel & Jay-Z. It`s not too bad of a song & I can see why they added it to the end of the album. They wanted to keep the Roc`s buzz going, just in case you weren`t too impressed by Amil`s solo outing they wanted to remind you that they still have some other artists that`s sure to grab your attention. Beanie Sigel steals the show with his verse on here, my opinion of course...

One thing that you may notice is that Amil definitely shines the most when she gets a little more personal on the mic & leaves the sex rhymes & braggin` ish alone. Sure at times she can pull of the X~rated raps & the braggadocio type stuff, but most times it`s just meh to me. She has a nice distinct voice that could`ve helped her standout amongst the rest of the women emcees out there, but its not being used right when she`s sounding like Kim or Foxy. It may seem like I`m being a lil` harsh with my opinion of the album, but hey it is what it is! I like what I like & when I don`t like something I`ve got to let it be known. This album may appeal more to other peeps, but overall I was really only DiGG`n about half of it. Standout joints for me are; "Smile 4 Me", "Heard It All Before", "Anyday", "Raw" & "4 Da Fam". "No 1 Can Compare" isn`t that bad of a tune either... 
 


Now for those of you that are curious as to what happened to her after the album, from what I have read she just started to lose interest in the Rap game. She stopped caring about recording music & was more focused on taking care of her son. So with no love left for rappin` she didn`t leave her label any other choice but to drop her. She now lives in North Carolina, (who knows maybe someday I`ll bump into her.....LoL) fourteen years later though she`s still working on music & is actually putting together a mixtape titled "A Moment In Life", it may be out now I`m not sure though. She was interviewed by billboard back in March & said that it was gon` come out late Spring early Summer, so it should be released but y`all know how release dates change. You can peep the billboard interview here if you interested. So there ya have it y`all, go `head & peep the album...

Amil - A.M.I.L. (All Money Is Legal)

Label: Columbia Records/ Roc-A-Fella Records

Released: 2000

1. Smile 4 Me

2. I Got That {ft. Beyoncé}

3. Get Down

4. Ya`ll Dead Wrong

5. Heard It All {ft. Jay-Z}

6. Quarrels {ft. Carl Thomas}

7. Girlfriend

8. All Money Is Legal (A.M.I.L.)

9. That`s Right {ft. Jay-Z}

10. Anyday

11. Raw

12. No 1 Can Compare

13. 4 Da Fam [Bonus Track] {ft. Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z & Memphis Bleek}

Here`s another interview that Amil did with HipHopDX.com back in 2007 if you`re interested in reading it...

N`JoY...

CHoCLaiR`s "iCe CoLD [HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN]"...

Re~uPP`d, originally posted 01.02.2013... 

 

 

 

 

Today is a wonderful day y`all! Why`s that you ask? Well I have another joint to share with y`all that received the HeRBaN DeLuXe treatment! That album is Choclair`s debut album released thru Virgin Music back in 1999 titled "Ice Cold" (the American version of the album was released by Priority Records). The reason that I decided to 'enhance' the album by making it an HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN is really simple. "Suave Dirt Dogs", the collabo` with the late, great & unforgettable Ol` Dirty Bastard never made it to the album & the US version of the album actually has a song featuring Rahzel that`s not on the Canadian release; "First Thing". I always wanted that O.D.B. collabo` on there & why not have that joint with Rahzel as well to extend the listening experience? Finally, there`s the lil` interludes that I added...well I didn`t really add them, they were at the end of some songs. I just did a lil` editing & made `em their own tracks to make listening to the album a much smoother transition from track to track...

 

 

To make things a lil` more interesting I made this album a sort of choose your own adventure type thing....LoL, remember them books in grade school? Y`all `80's babies should anyway....LoL, you can listen to the album as it is with tracks 1-23 or you could remove track #22 "Rollin` [Radio]" & replace it with the Rahzel collabo` "First Thing". The reason I suggest the latter is simple really, it`s not the actual 'Radio version' of the track, it`s pretty much the same as the album version with all the cussin` & ish it just has a shorter intro on the track which makes it about a minute shorter in length. Guess they just meant that it was a shorter track so it would fit better into a radio station`s playlist or something, `cuz honestly there`s nothing edited about the track.....LoL

 

 

Now for those of you that may not be up on just who Choclair is I`ll make an attempt to school ya. Choclair, reps Scarborough, Ontario (East Toronto) & first stepped onto the Hip Hop scene in the early 1990`s. Eventually he released his first 12 inch single, the Day Productions produced "Twenty One Years" in 1995 thru his own independently run label Knee Deep Records. His track is actually on the B-Side of the single....another gem of a track is on the flip side & that track is none other than Saukrates` "Father Time". Two CLaSSiC Canadian Hip Hop songs, not too shabby at all for a label`s first release! The following year in 1996 the label would also go on to release another first, that first was from Kardinal Offishall. Knee Deep Records released his debut single "Naughty Dread" which earned him a Juno Award nomination, but that`s another story all together for another post....so let`s get back to Choclair...

 

 

The underground quickly caught on to the emcee`s debut track. All that attention eventually led to other folks taking notice & not just the folks up in Canada either. The legendary DJ Premier sampled the track for Gang Starr`s "You Know My Steez" (maybe that`s what led to Guru`s appearance on "Bare Witness" who knows?). Clearly Choclair was doin` something right, so he continued working on his music & in 1996 he released another 12 inch single "Just A Second b/w What It Takes". Both tracks continued to impress the heads, I`m still a fan of "What It Takes" which also features fellow Circle member Jully Black on the hook. The Circle; a combination of The Figurez Of Speech crew & the Paranormal crew, is basically a collective of artists & producers from Toronto. Members include; Saukrates, Choclair, Kardinal Offishall, Frankenstein, YLook, Jully Black, Marvel, Solitair, Ro Ro Dolla, Thrust & Tara Chase...

 

 

With the success of his first two singles Choclair felt that it only made sense to take the next step. So he decided to test the waters & released an EP titled "What It Takes" in 1997 using his Knee Deep Records label once again. It contained 10 tracks in total; 4 songs, an Interlude & 5 Instrumentals. The EP did well, after all it did earn Choclair a Juno Award in 1997 for Best Rap Recording. The "What It Takes" music video & the 12 inch single for "What It Takes [Rmx]" helped Choclair`s project get more exposure..

 

 

 

After the EP he continued to release music to keep his name buzzin`. One thing that he did that`s cemented his name in the Canadian Hip Hop History Books is that he landed a feature on the CLaSSiC collabo` "Northern Touch" along with fellow Canadians the Rascalz, Kardinal Offishall, Checkmate & Thrust. This Hip Hop anthem earned all the artists involved a gold record (sales~wise)... 

 

 

 

In 1998 he dropped another 12 inch single "Internal Affairs b/w Silver Surfer". The A-Side of the single "Internal Affairs" is a Choclair joint that also features fellow Circle members Frankenstein, Kardinal Offishall & Marvel, while the B-Side of the single is a Solitair solo joint titled "Silver Surfer". Following that single Knee Deep Records released the "Planet Mars EP"; a short compilation of sorts that features joints from Marvel, Solitair & Choclair, Kardinal Offishall (ft. YLook), Nefarious, Frankenstein, Thrust & K-OS. It wasn`t too long after releasing the "Planet Mars EP" that Choclair decided that it was time to expand his team so he joined with Virgin Music Canada & in 1999 he signed with Priority Records so he could release his debut album titled "Ice Cold"...

Once he signed with the major label of course that`s when a lot of heads started hatin` on Choclair claimin` that he had sold out. So he responded by releasing "Flagrant" as a single in 1999. The track was produced by Saukrates, it`s basically a very DoPe 'BiG Fuck You!' to the industry, his critics & everyone else that was doubting him at the time. He followed that single up with his debut album, "Ice Cold" which mostly featured production from members of The Circle (Saukrates, Kardinal Offishall, Frankenstein & Solitair), but Da Grassroots & K-Cut also had a helping hand with the beats. The album was certified Gold in Canada & the album`s hit single "Let`s Ride" featuring Saukrates has been a Summer anthem up in Canada since it`s release. With all that being said let`s get to the album shall we???

The album opens up with Manal ''Prima'' Hajj (not too sure who she is) babblin`. Eventually she warns us not to bootleg the album or "you`ll get bashed"...Ha~HaH! The album`s title track "Ice Cold" clues the listeners into what know what they`re in store for. Da Grassroots do a great job providing an iLL mellow but cool`D out beat for Choclair to flex his shit~talkin`, sexual & all around ice cold lyrics. The Kardinal Offishall produced "Let`s Ride" follows & it features Saukrates on the hook & intro of the track. It`s a great joint for the Summer & gets every BBQ movin`, Little X also did a good job directing the music video... 

 

 

 

Ok, so for the first Interlude on this HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN I simply just took it & split if from the end of "Let`s Ride" & made it its own track. Saukrates produced "Rubbin`" & he also appears on the hook. This one has Choclair expressin` his love for the ladies, with it`s clubbish vibes it`s sure to get a few folks dancing. "Takin` It In" is another joint produced by Saukrates. Choclair targets the fakers & wannabe playas on this one, exposin` `em for what they are. On "Bare Witness" Choclair connected with the late & great Guru of Gang Starr over a thumpin` beat produced by Kardinal Offishall with cuts by DJ Tony Touch, most definitely a banger! For the second Interlude, I just split it from then end of "Bare Witness" & made its own track. Choclair just let`s the listeners know that he likes to party & have a good time just as much as the next kat...


"Jambone" is another party~vibed track for the ladies produced by Kardinal Offishall that also features Ro Ro Dolla. Fellow Circle member Solitair steps up to produce the next joint "Fresh". On here Choclair does what he does best, talks that shit!....LoL, straight braggadocios type flows here. After that Kardinal Offishall stops in & drops a quick P.S.A. for the ladies. Speakin` of ladies, Jully Black shows up & gives Choclair a hand on "Rollin`" a joint produced by former Main Source DJ K-Cut. Jay-Z`s protege Memphis Bleek makes a guest appearance on the Solitair produced "Young Gunz", it`s nothing spectacular but it`s far from wack. "Runnin` Wid Us" has Choclair flowin` over a beat produced by Kardinal Offishall who also lends a nice verse to the song. The previously released as a white label single "Flagrant" follows the Kardinal collabo` & as mentioned before it`s produced by Saukrates. In my opinion this track is the best on the album, definitely one to BuMP...


The third Interlude was just split from the end of "Flagrant" & made its own track. On "Die Hard", a solid West & East Coast collabo` Choclair reconnects with the Rascalz over a track produced by Solitair with Saukrates on the hook. "S.O.T." is another Circle collabo` with Choclair sharing the mic with Kardinal Offishall & Solitair, while the beat itself was produced by Solitair. The fourth Interlude was split from the end of "S.O.T." & made into its own track. K-Cut provides the bouncy backdrop for "Da Chiznock". Choclair decides to put the partying on pause long enough to drop an iLL storytelling track produced by Frankenstein a.k.a. Frank Fallico on "Situation 9". It`s a great song warning folks about what they`ll get caught up in if they don`t pay attention to who & what surrounds them. "Rollin` [Radio]" is pretty much the same as the previous version of the track on the album, it just has a shorter intro...


Now for the joints that I added to this version; I added them to improve the listener`s experience trust me! "Suave Dirt Dogs" features the late, great & always entertaining Ol` Dirty Bastard as well as fellow Canuck Saukrates. It was originally intended to be included on the retail release of "Ice Cold", but for whatever the reason.....it was more likely label politics that prevented it from happening. It was eventually released in 2000 however as a white label single, so I just decided to add it to the album like it was initially intended to be. "First Thing" is a collabo` with Rahzel that is only featured on the US release of "Ice Cold" for some reason. So there you have it y`all, an enhanced version of the album. Go `head & check out the music for ya`self & enjoy...




Choclair - Ice Cold [HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN]
Label: Virgin Music
Released:1999-2012



1. Intro {ft. Manal ''Prima'' Hajj}
2. Ice Cold {ft. Ro Ro Dolla, Saukrates & Solitair}
3. Let`s Ride {ft. Saukrates}
4. Interlude #1
5. Rubbin` {ft. Saukrates}
6. Takin` It In {ft. Giz & Saukrates}
7. Bare Witness {ft. YLook & Guru of Gang Starr}
8. Interlude #2
9. Jambone {ft. Ro Ro Dolla}
10. Fresh {ft. Solitair}
11. Kardi`s P.S.A. {ft. Kardinal Offishall}
12. Rollin` {ft. Jully Black}
13. Young Gunz {ft. Memphis Bleek}
14. Runnin` Wid Us {ft. Kardinal Offishall}
15. Flagrant {ft. Saukrates}
16. Interlude #3
17. Die Hard {ft. Rascalz & Saukrates}
18. S.O.T. {ft. Kardinal Offishall & Solitair}
19. Interlude #4
20. Da Chiznock
21. Situation 9
22. Rollin` [Radio] {ft. Jully Black}
23. Suave Dirt Dogs {ft. Ol` Dirty Bastard & Saukrates}


*Bonus Joint: First Thing {ft. Rahzel}

BaCK~uP LiNK...




 

 R.i.P. Guru & Ol` Dirty Bastard...

DJ DeLZ PReSeNTs: "D187 - HooD RaDiO VoL. 29 (HoSTeD by MeMPHiS BLeeK)"...

Another free joint from my email`s inbox, enjoy...


DJ Delz Presents: D187 - Hood Radio Vol. 29 (Hosted by Memphis Bleek)

Released: 2008

1. Who Run This? {Jadakiss ft. Jay-Z}
2. Superstar Freestyle {Memphis Bleek}
3. Oh Girl {Jay-Z ft. Rafael Saadiq}
4. Here I Am {Jadakiss ft. Tony Sunshine}
5. Love Lockdown {Kanye West}
6. Bottom Of The Pussy Hole {Cam`Ron}
7. Live Comfortable {Max B}
8. Memphis Bleek Interlude
9. They Call Me {Memphis Bleek}
10. Show Time {Young Jeezy}
11. Play The Game {The Game}
12. Like That {The LOX ft. Snipe Life}
13. Role Model {Maino}
14. You Now Tuned In {LNO Warbuckz}
15. Untouchable {Q Da Kid}
16. Just Begun {V.E.}
17. Mic Checka {Memphis Bleek}
18. Monster {M.O.P.}
19. Mr. Popularity {Consequence}
20. Sucka MC`s {Memphis Bleek}
21. Ayy {DJ Revolution ft. Joell Ortiz & Termanology}
22. 4 Or 5 Ways {Alfamega}
23. Go Ahead {Fabolous ft. Florida, Fat Joe, Rick Ross & Lloyd}
24. Dubbz {Big Boi}
25. Pop That Pussy {Rick Ross ft. Birdman}
26. Face Off [Rmx] {Tony Yayo ft. Corey Gunz & Ransom}
27. Freestyle {Cassidy}
28. Die {Valed}

N`JoY...