mortuus est
Veteran
n the late '90s, you couldn’t escape Amil's voice on the radio. She appeared on countless Roc-A-Fella songs, including Jay Z's popular "Can I Get A…" and "Jigga What." Despite rumors of a falling out, Amil actually took a step back to attend to her happiness. After a hiatus, Amil readies a mixtape for the summer, titled 'Another Moment In Life.'
Beginnings
"At the time, I definitely wanted to be in a group. I wasn't thinking about being a solo artist or anything like that. Liz Leite and Monique were in the midst of starting a group [Major Coins] and I vibed with them well."
"I had been rapping long prior to meeting them. It was something that I did since a little girl. I never looked at it as going beyond me being known in the streets. I never looked at it as a career. That wasn't the case for the girls."
"I met Jay Z through the the girls. One particular girl (Leite) had that star quality. She was ready, maybe more ready than anybody else. To me, she was dope."
"He had us both rap, and I ended up doing the verse for 'Can I Get A…' She appeared on Jay's album ('Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life') too (on 'It's Like That')."
"Jay wanted to sign me as a solo artist. I was excited but not really knowledgeable of what was ahead of me."
Working With Jay Z
"I had no idea 'Can I Get A...' was going to be a hit. It [all] took off from there. He was looking for a female to say the verse and that's where I came in at. Jay had already wrote 'Can I Get A...' before I got it. I wrote my rhymes around it."
"Whenever me and Jay recorded it was a natural thing, it was always smooth. The way we sounded together, it was a good chemistry."
"Jay had respect for my talent – writing and my voice – nothing more. Jay gave me the opportunity of a lifetime, and what I did with it was my own decision. That was my brother. There was never a relationship between me and Jay or anyone over there. He was like a brother; He was very protective over [me]. I'm never going to lose any love for Jay."
"Smile For Me" (Off "All Money Is Legal")
"Prior to the album, I didn't make songs like 'Smile For Me.' I may have been introduced by the songs I was on, those from Jay Z and from the rest of the [Roc-A-Fella] guys but the album showed another side to me. You understood me more on a personal level. I loved being in the studio. It was a great experience to work with Just Blaze, my engineer at the time."
"All my personal songs are my favorite, like 'Smile For Me.' There was freestyle I did once that Kay Slay played. It didn't have an official title but that was one of my favorite songs I've done 'cause it was real personal too."
"When I first heard 'Smile For Me,' I loved it immediately. I wanted it. I immediately began writing once I heard it. I wanted it to be the last song on the album but Jay said, 'You have to make this No. 1 on the album.'"
Major Coins Reunion
"[The] original Major Coins never reunited and worked on a mixtape. I just want to clear that up! Not that it can't happen, they are my sisters, but it hasn't. I haven't spoke to the girls since 2001, however plenty of girls rep Major Coins and carry on the legacy.
Major Coins Reunion
"[The] original Major Coins never reunited and worked on a mixtape. I just want to clear that up! Not that it can't happen, they are my sisters, but it hasn't. I haven't spoke to the girls since 2001, however plenty of girls rep Major Coins and carry on the legacy.
Walking Away from Roc-A-Fella
"I wasn't there mentally. I was in my own world. Was I prepared? No. Did I realize what was happening right before my eyes? No."
"I started to rebel. I rebelled against the industry because it's not what I wanted. I hated traveling. I wasn't at after parties or the club. Also, at the time my son's asthma, [who was] 5 [or] 6-years-old at the time, was getting worse and no one was there for him. I had to be there for him."
"I didn't think about the legalities of a lot of things. I never cared about the contracts. I could have been signing my life away… I was not a business woman at that time. I didn't have a manager or the things that most artists have. I didn't put my all into it. I didn't give 100% of myself. I felt like it just wasn't for me. That's when I started rebelling. I started rebelling because I wanted out. It was easier for me to slip away. I faded myself. No one faded me. And, thats when everything seemed to go left."
"I think they (Roc-A-Fella) knew through my actions that I wasn't in it. I wasn't the artist that was doing everything be No. 1. I wasn't doing anything to make myself bigger than what I was. I wasn't putting any effort in promotion. I wasn't looking at it as a career. It's not that I wasn't doing it because I was stupid, it was because I didn't want to be there anymore."
"There was never a conversation. He (Jay Z) knew that that's not where I wanted to be. I told him that I couldn't do it for another year. I think he understood, overall. He thought that as time went on I'd be ready, but later realized I wasn't. I know he knew, 'She don't give a fukk about this shyt.'"
"I was fine being an around the way rapper. If I could go back in time and do it all over again, I wouldn't have allowed myself to jump in the game. If I would have did it again, I would have left it alone. I wasn't cut out for it. I probably would have stepped in as a writer."
Self-Reflection
"My story is not everybody's story. Being a female rapper is not going to create my happiness. Being in the media or fame alone is not going to create my happiness. I need more. I have to be in control of my own life; Everything that goes on in my life. I won't be happy otherwise. If you're going to be in the music industry you have to be prepared. Be the best you can be, live that life the best you can. Don't let anyone discourage you from doing what you want to do."
What's Next?
"I'm wrapping up my mixtape, 'A Moment In Life.' It should be out late spring or early Summer. It's a lot of R&B. I still love 90's music so I wanted to stay in that zone. I miss the music of my era. People remember me from the late 90s, and that's what I like to represent. So I'm doing a lot of songs off 90s beats and collaborating with 90s artists (Havoc, JT Money, Killah Priest). You'll hear a much mature Amil."
http://www.billboard.com/articles/c...1-female-rappers-who-changed-hip-hop?page=0,3
