Ali Vegas

Ollie Williams (born February 23, 1982), better known by his stage name, Ali Vegas is an American rapper from Queens, New York and founder of the record labels Council Recordings and Rich Soil Entertainment. After two failed deals with major record labels, Vegas frequently performed on underground mixtapes and established his own record labels. He is also the younger cousin of 2x NBA Champion Lamar Odom.

Ali Vegas
Birth nameOllie Williams
Born (1982-02-23) February 23, 1982
OriginSouth Jamaica, Queens, New York, USA
GenresEast Coast hip hop, mafioso rap, hardcore hip hop
Occupation(s)Rapper
Years active1999 - present
LabelsColumbia, Casablanca, Council, Rich Soil, Alpha Beta Paper
Associated actsAkon, Half A Mill, The Firm, Baiyu, Statik Selektah, Silverback Guerillaz, Styles P, DJ Premier, Capone, Sound Kamp, Lamar Odom, Superstar Jay, Affiliate
Websitetwitter.com/iamalivegas

Biography

He entered the New York City hip-hop scene around the late 1990s.[1] Rappers like Onyx and Panama P.I. mentored him when he was young. Vegas's tracks, one of which featured Capone, appeared on mixtapes. He signed to Columbia Records in the early 2000s, and his first single "Theme of N.Y." was released in December 2000.[2] Trackmasters lost their distribution deal with Columbia Records, so he signed to Tommy Mottola's new label Casablanca Records, which never achieved mainstream success. After failing to release a full-length LP on any of this first three major labels, Vegas founded his independent label Council Recordings.[1] At a benefit concert hosted by New York hip-hop radio station Hot 97, rapper Fabolous verbally attacked Vegas on stage.[3]

Vegas frequently participated in rap mixtapes, with noted street releases such as "The AV Theme", produced by Kanye West.[1] He composed a song for DJ Boom's Boomtown in 2003.[4] In 2005, he and basketball player Lamar Odom founded Rich Soil Entertainment, based on Vegas's rap lyric “I’m from the land of rich soil, expect the branches to follow.”[5] Rich Soil intended to release Ali Vegas's official solo debut album.[1][6]

In April 2010, Ali Vegas released his latest mixtape Veganomics. In an interview with hip hop website Icon Hip Hop, he discussed his latest business ventures outside of music.[7]

According to his official Facebook fan page, in May 2011, Ali Vegas returned to the music scene this time teaming up with Sydney based production team Sound Kamp, which is made up of The Iron Ghost & P.R to release a six-track album titled Bridging the Gap.[8]

Discography
Albums
  • Generation Gap (Unreleased) (1999)
  • Generation Gap 2: The Prequel (2008)
  • Veganomics (Alpha Beta Paper, 2010)
  • AutoVegography (2010)
  • Bridging the Gap (2011)
Mixtapes
  • Whatevers Whatever (1999)
  • Heir to the Throne (1999)
  • The Rebirth of the Price Hosted By DJ Big Mike (2002)
  • Million Dollar Baby (2004)
  • The Best of Ali Vegas Vol. 1 (2005)
  • Black Card Council (2006)
  • The Best of Ali Vegas Vol. 2 (2006)
  • I Got My Glow Back Hosted By Superstar Jay (2007)
  • America's Prince (2008)
  • Leader of the New School Hosted By Statik Selektah (2008)
  • Transition to Power Hosted By Superstar Jay (2009)

References
  1. Cordor, Cyril (2007). "Ali Vegas > Biography". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  2. Kenon, Marci (December 9, 2000), "New Breed 2001: Hip-Hop's Newest Stars", Billboard, 112 (50), p. 60
  3. Reid, Shaheem (2001-12-10). "Ludacris, Fabolous, Red/Meth, LL Cool J Spread The Love At Hot 97 Benefit". MTV News. Archived from the original on 2001-12-12. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  4. Reid, Shaheem (2003-02-10). "DJ Boom". Mixtape Mondays. MTV News. Archived from the original on 2003-02-20. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  5. Robbins, Liz (2006-12-31). "Tested by Hardship, Odom Presses On With a Survivor's Instinct". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-03-20.
  6. Reid, Shaheem; Patel, Joseph (January 22, 2007). "Amerie Drops Mixtape 'Love'; Styles P Goes It Alone". Mixtape Mondays. MTV News. Archived from the original on January 24, 2007. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  7. Icon, The (2010-08-18). "Exclusive Ali Vegas Interview". Interviews. Icon Hip Hop. Archived from the original on 2016-02-15. Retrieved 2010-08-18.
  8. Di Francesco, Dominic (2011-05-02). "Ali Vegas x SoundKamp 'Bridging The Gap". Music. Rhyme and Reason. Archived from the original on 2012-09-11. Retrieved 2011-05-02.
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