Rapper, Amil was sure to be a break out star in the 90’s becoming the first lady of Jay-Z and Damon Dash Rocaefella Records. Her raspy voice, was a signature hit and with the support of a major label Amil was destined for great music career. However, that all changed. Amil decided that she wanted out of the industry and went off the industry radar back in 2000 after releasing her first self-titled ” “A.M.I.L: All Money Is Legal” solo album.
Well, Amil is back with new music and new mixtape underway. The rapper unleashed a new song entitled “Remember“; sampling “Faith Evans “You Used To Love Me” track. Her absence sparked much curiosity and her return is doing just the same. In a recent interview with Billboard Amil explains:
“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 girls. One particular girl, Leite had that star quality. She was ready, maube 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-Z wanted to sign me as a solo artist. I was excited but not really knowledgeable of what was ahead of me. “
As for her reason to walk away from Rocafella Records [which was the hottest record label out at the time] Amil says,
” 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 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 the 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 it 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 my self. No one faded me. And, that’s when everything seemed to go left. “
” I think they [Rocafella] knew through my actions that I wasn’t into it. I wasn’t the artist that was going to do everything to be No.1. I wasn’t doing anything to make myself bigger than what I was. I wasn’t putting any effort into 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 f–k about this sh–.
Back in 2011 in an interview with VIBE magazine, Amil said:
” I haven’t spoken to Jay in years but I really wish I could talk to him because that would just really bring closure to me. But he knows I love him. People think there was bad blood between us, but there never was any bad blood. Things happen and I wasn’t ready for where my career was going at the time. It was really overwhelming. “
The industry is extremely fast-paced these days. With Amil embarking on her industry return, I wonder if she’ considered the road ahead because the demand to keep up one’s ‘relevancy’ seems more pressuring today than it was back in the 90’s You can catch the full article of the 30 most influential women who changed hip hop by clicking here.
Stay tuned!