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Amil Whitehead (born September 19, 1978) more commonly known by her stage name Amil, is a American female rapper and singer from New York City.^[1] She was prominent in the late 1990s as a Jay-Z protegé, most notably on the single "Can I Get A..." from the Rush Hour soundtrack.

[edit] Early life

Amil was born September 19, 1978 in New York, New York.^[2] She is of African American, Native American (specifically Cherokee), and Caucasian descent.^[3]

[edit] Early career

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In 1997, Amil was involved with the all-female group Major Coinz. The group met Jay-Z, who was looking for a woman to provide vocals on his third album, Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life. The part for the female rapper was really for her friend, but when Jay-Z asked Amil to freestyle and liked it, he decided to put her on the song instead. Amil, wanting to remain loyal to her friend, did not prefer to be put on the song, but Jay-Z allowed them both to do a version of the song.

She appeared on his following three albums and in many videos by Jay-Z, Jermaine Dupri, Beanie Sigel, Ja Rule, Tamar Braxton and Jaz-O such as, "Nigga What, Nigga Who" and "Can I Get A..." and "Get None". Her vocals were also featured on many album tracks, including "Hey Papi", "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)", "S. Carter" and "Playa".

[edit] All Money Is Legal

After Major Coinz disbanded, Amil pursued a solo career with Jay-Z's label, Roc-a-Fella. Her solo debut, A.M.I.L - All Money Is Legal, was released in 2000. The album featured the hit single "I Got That", a duet with Beyoncé (the lead singer of R&B group Destiny's Child), and All-Star Roc-A-Fella single "4 Da Fam". The album features Memphis Bleek, Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Carl Thomas, Eve, and Beanie Sigel. Album sales were disappointing, and the singles did not sell well either. After that album, her last Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam single was released: "Hey Papi", a song from the soundtrack to the feature film The Nutty Professor II. Due the fact that she was not featured in the video, it was expected that she had already been dropped by that time.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] End of the Roc-a-Fella days and Current Projects

Towards the end of her Roc-a-Fella days, Amil gained some weight which immediately started rumors that she was pregnant. Her weight gain was much to Jay-Z's chagrin and he publicly chastised her appearance. It is rumored that these factors contributed to Amil's departure from the label and led to her hiatus from the recording industry. She went on a public relations crusade and her story was heavily circulated through rap music publications prior to her exit from the Roc-a-Fella roster. Amil has been criticized by many artist for her sudden departure from the label.

In a 2006 interview, when asked whether female MCs are forced to meet standards that male MCs are not, she said: "Oh yeah. Definitely. You have to be picture-perfect and you have to meet the standards of the perfect woman. That's unreal to me. Real women do not have plastic-looking bodies. The average woman is not a size 0. You can do what you have to do to keep yourself looking like that or you could just be you. Me, I choose to just be me." She went on to say that she holds no grudges against her former labelmates, though she has no communication with them.^[4]

Amil re-grouped with the Major Coinz and has released songs on the mixtape circuit. She is currently signed to D.O.E. and has a distribution deal with Baby Grande, which is owned by the producer of the movie Soul Plane.

Amil has two album projects in the works, one entitled "Amil Az Iz" scheduled for release this year, and the other, "Best of Amil".^[5]

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] Singles

[edit] Album appeareances

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• VH1 Artist biography
• Hip Hop Game - Interview with Amil