Ed Lover says that Amil, who was previously signed with Jay-Z’s Roc-A-Fella Records, is the biggest “What If” in hip-hop history. Amil released just one studio album during her career, 2000’s All Money Is Legal.
Lover discussed Amil’s career in response to Nelly listing The D.O.C. as the biggest “What If.” He also listed Pop Smoke and Nipsey Hussle are good choices.
“Nelly said, hands down, the biggest ‘What If’ in Hip Hop history is The D.O.C. because [he] got hurt after giving us one album, right?,” Lover said on Instagram. “So I would say yeah, Nelly’s right about D.O.C. But I would also like to add Nipsey Hussle. I would also like to add Pop Smoke. I would also like to add Amil.”
“And Imma tell you why I’m adding Amil,” he continued. “Cause with JAY-Z on the pen game? Amil coulda been something stupid special for sure. So: The D.O.C., Pop Smoke, Nipsey Hussle, Amil. I think those are the biggest “What Ifs” in Hip Hop history.”
Amil dropped All Money Is Legal back in August 2000. The album peaked at 45 on the US Billboard 200 chart.
Despite the debut’s success, Roc-A-Fella dropped Amil from its roster shortly afterward. While rumors circulated that there was a conflict between her and Jay-Z, she’s since denied them. Instead, she cites the pressure of the music industry and wanting to focus on raising her child.
In 2011, Amil spoke about her departure from Roc-A-Fella with Vibe Magazine.
She explained: “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 that time. It was really overwhelming.”
Check out Ed Lover’s full comments on Amil below.
[Via]