ILWIL
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ILWIL

Band Hip Hop Singer/Songwriter

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The best kept secret in music

Press


"The Beat Thieves Compilation Vol. 1"

Ilwil [not to be confused with Nas’ deceased partner in crime] hailing from Cincinnati, is reflective of what partnership and a determined work ethic can bring about. Taking the name from its members Ilyas and Donwill, the two started off in college not clicking well and down the line formed what has become an unbreakable bond. The Beat Thieves Compilation Volume 1 presents a focused duo ready to tackle the obstacles in their path.

From the title one could surmise this effort has them demonstrating their chops over popular beats, a familiar concept by now. That would be halfway right as there is also a fair share of original material provided by lesser known producers. Nicolay (Foreign Exchange) contributes “SoFar” featuring Jameeze, over a beautiful piano melody the group details their trials, tribulations and everyday struggles to keep going. Obsidian Blue is on the boards for “Dead Candidates” featuring Che Grand detailing their feelings on our recent election. The beat is a reworking of Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents”, with the hook flipped to “It aint a candidate that represent me.” This is more than a typical song trashing the government, it’s a call to action for the Hip-hop nation. Von Pea is the man behind the hyper braggadocios “Take The L (Get It)”. Of the group Donwill is the more smooth and coherent, he gets directly to the point while Ilyas flips a variety of crazy flows almost reminiscent of Pharaohe Monch at his finest. This duality makes it easy to distinguish one from the other.

They display much versatility in choosing well known instrumentals to rock over. Donwill addresses an ex lover on Dwele’s mellow “Right Here” remix and on “Doin Fine” he discusses his dreams of furthering his rap career to the tune of the “Brown Sugar” theme. Ilyas tries to keep his head straight amongst evil temptations over “Devil’s Pie” and Lil’ Kim’s “Drugs” serves as the backdrop for his metaphor of sexual experience as a narcotic.

Ilwil has a bright future since lyrically they complement one another while never slacking off in the process. Their relentless approach to attacking the mic is to be commended and inspiration for future aspiring acts. Already co-signed by Wordsworth, Little Brother, Murs, and J. Rawls, they’re blazing trails through the underground.

- AllHipHop.com


"ILWIL ­ THE SOUND CONTROL EP"

ILWIL members Ilyas Nashid (Il) and William Freeman (Donwil) originally met in the mid-'90s while attending college in North Carolina. But the Cincinnati natives reconvened in their hometown after school and have honed their Hip Hop skills to a sharpened point, as evidenced on their forthcoming release, The Sound Control EP, one of a few projects the band has in the works. The grassroots effort (available online at soundclick.com/ilwil) is impressive, with the duo's talent shining intensely and making it no surprise that they've already drawn international press attention. A rumbling Swing Jazz rhythm buoys the title track, a swirl of scratches, big beats and horn samples that create an amusement park-like springboard of sound for the duo's compelling lyrical interplay. From there, they dig into soulful R&B ("Sofar") and somewhat more standard (but never rote) Hip Hop backdrops (the trippy "Heartbreaks"), with the duo's telepathic vocal give-and-take guiding the way throughout. With Sound Control representing the band's more cerebral side (a fuller version is currently being fleshed out), and another more "commercial" disc in the works, the sky's the limit for this duplicitous duo. Grade: B+ - City Beat


"Can You Feel The Force?"

Tanya Morgan may sound like a woman’s name, and in fact there are probably a number of women who share this name, but in this case it is a collective featuring MC’s Von Pea, Donwill, and Ilyas Nashid. Sunlighting is an album that shows a group who share a love of lyricism, creativity, and putting together quality music. This is the kind of music that you have to take a serious listen to, for what you hear isn’t seen around the neck, on the finger, or on the teeth. In truth, this is more of a mix tape than a proper album, but it also shows the spontaneity a good group can have with each other. This is the future, so pay attention. Von Pea will be working with Nicolay for a project. As Ilwil, Donwill and Ilyas will release their own project this year. (I produced a track featuring Ilwil that hopefully will see the light of day in some capacity, other than in MP3 form.)

- MusicForAmerica.Org


"Tanya Morgan- the Sunset EP"

Contributed by Fivefold
Sunday, 14 August 2005
Had you known about Tanya Morgan as I have, you would have been aware that the name designated a male rap trio that reps Brooklyn and Cincinnati. You would have heard about their full-length debut, Moonlighting, set to come out soon. You would have downloaded the freely available Sunlighting, a promotional item that serves as an introduction to Tanya Morgan. You would have been amazed at the individual skills and surprised at the obvious chemistry, a wondrous feat for people 500+ miles apart.

Record Author(s): Tanya Morgan
Record Title: Sunset...The EP
Record Producer(s): The Beatmaker, Brickbeats
Executive Producer(s): Tanya Morgan & Dominic Del Bene
Release Date: August 9, 2005


As wonderful as the material on Sunlighting would get, it still left us wondering on the identity the group would adopt for their album. To answer that question, and keep the buzz alive, the trio released Sunset...The EP to serve as a bridge between Sunlighting and Moonlighting. Sunset gives us what to expect on Moonlighting literally (it contains a few snippets from the upcoming debut album) and figuratively (from the original production to the topics they chose to address).

The production is provided by Brickbeats and The Beatmaker. The arrangements are fairly similar and that gives the project a congruous sound: a sound where soul loops dominate and percussive elements aren’t intrusive to the (rather) mellow vibe. As such, it sets the stage for the three emcees who have scarily improved since Sunlighting. Their personalities have become more distinct, the rhymes have become sharper and the cadences smoother.

The three guys from Tanya Morgan (Donwill, Ilyas and Von Pea) have very few aesthetics in common. Their styles, flows and approaches are so different that it’s sometimes baffling how they manage to keep their tracks cohesive. The chemistry they have is truly something to marvel at.

Sunset has a more serious tone compared to Sunlighting. Besides the boisterous Filthy Interlude, the boastful gems (So Sweet and Rowdy) and the ingenious emcee bashing (Dr. Morgan Hypnotherapy and Oh No), the trio shows humility and gratitude as they masterfully recollect on their experiences since they’ve decided to moonlight as rappers (cf. Over and Stay Tuned). Some of the songs here are worth being described at length and some of the lyrics are worth being transcribed, but they’d be better appreciated on your own.

Just as the press release states: [Sunset...The EP is] eloquently concise yet enticing enough to require further elaboration. [It] plays as if it was the mission statement for Moonlighting by brimming with enough lyricism to back up the braggadocio that Sunlighting boasted."

This neatly assembled EP will also serve as an indicator to the potential audience Tanya Morgan could gain and gain from. It is available on online music stores such as iTunes, MSN Music, Napster and Rhapsody. And, just as the Sunlighting downloads comforted the trio into pursuing the art they love, the sales off of Sunset will help them further gauge financial sustainability of their music. If it remains as good, it shouldn’t be hard to spread around.


- ThaHipHop.com


Discography

Sound Control EP, Beat Thieves Compilation,

Photos

Feeling a bit camera shy

Bio

The duo Ilwil consists of Ilyas Nashid (aka Il) & Donwill. The Cincinnati, Ohio natives met at North Carolina A&T University in 1995 and have since been displaying their deft ability to skillfully craft songs. They also perform in many different venues throughout the North Carolina and Ohio area where they now reside. After numerous collaborations with Von Pea, Nicolay, Fat Jon and others, IlWil has readied their first formal song set 'The Beat Thieves Compilation' that will serve as an appetizer of sorts for the bevy of upcoming releases that the group has slated. September 2004 proves to be busy for them as they look to release an album with French artist Notta-Kyl and will also have a track featured on Neblina Records' 'Definition' LP.

Under the collective name Tanya Morgan, IlWil and Von Pea recently finished a project entitled 'Moonlighting' that will be released in Winter 2004. IlWil's 'The Beat Thieves Compilation' will be released on Loud Minority Records.