Illy (rapper)

Illy
Birth name Alasdair David George Murray
Born September 6, 1986
Origin Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper
Instruments Rap
Years active 2008-present
Labels ONETWO
Associated acts Crooked Eye, Allday, Elemont
Website illyal.com

Alasdair David George Murray[1] (born 6 September 1986[2]), better known by his stage name Illy, is an Australian hip hop recording artist from Frankston in Melbourne, Australia. Before his solo career, Illy was a member of Crooked Eye, but opted to leave the group. He released his first solo album in 2009, entitled Long Story Short, and has since worked with artists such as drapht, Hilltop Hoods, and Owl Eyes.

Music

Illy was a member of Crooked Eye before embarking on a solo career. He released his first album, Long Story Short in 2009.[3][4][5] Long Story Short reached #24 on the ARIA Top 40 Urban Albums chart[6] and the lead single, "Pictures", was placed on national rotation on Triple J.[7] In April 2010, Illy embarked on his first national headlining tour, playing 12 dates nationally.[8] In September the same year, Illy toured nationally alongside Australian rappers 360 and Skryptcha for "The Three Up Tour".[9]

He appeared on the track "Take It from Me" on producer M-Phazes' debut album Good Gracious released in 2010.

In October 2010, Illy, released his second album The Chase, and its lead single "It Can Wait" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number fifty-eight. In October 2011, "It Can Wait" was certified Gold by ARIA after selling 35,000 copies.[10] In 2011, Illy was nominated for an ARIA Music Award for Best Urban Album for The Chase, which was won by Drapht.[11] His single "Cigarettes" was on high rotation on Triple J and came 35th in the 2011 Triple J Hottest 100.[12] In February 2011, Illy embarked on his 14-date nationwide "The Chase Tour", with special guest M-Phazes.

Illy released his third album, Bring It Back, on 21 September 2012,[13] following the release of the single "Heard it All".[14] This album was described by Illy as a "passion project" and a "tribute" to the Australian hip hop scene. He announced a corresponding 24-date nationwide tour, spanning from August until October 2012, with Australian hip-hop producer Chasm and Skryptcha as support acts.[15] At the 2013 Aria Music Awards, Bring It Back won Illy the Aria Award for "Best Urban Album".[16]

Illy left Obese Records following the release of Bring It Back to set up his own label, ONETWO records, and signed South Australian hip hop artist Allday. The label is a collaboration with the We Are Unified (UNFD) music company, which is also Illy's global management representative.[17][18]

His fourth studio album, Cinematic, a sequel to The Chase, was released through ONETWO on 8 November 2013. The album is executive produced by M-Phazes. M-Phazes also produced 10 of the 13 tracks, with J-Skub, Styalz Fuego and Cam Bluff producing one each. It debuted at number 4 on the ARIA Albums Charts on 16 November 2013. Artists who feature on the album include the Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Kira Puru, Ahren Stringer, Thomas Jules from Rudimental and Daniel Merriweather. He announced on his Facebook page that his fourth album will be released through his own record label, "ONETWO", in association with Warner Music Australia. The singles for the album include "On & On", "Youngbloods" (featuring Ahren Stringer from The Amity Affliction) and a free iTunes single "Cinematic".

Touring

Illy supported the Hilltop Hoods during the first stage of their 2014 world tour in Europe. Illy was the special guest at all shows except for those in Zurich and Vienna.[19]

Awards

Illy won the ARIA award for Best Urban release in 2013 for Bring It Back. The list of other contenders included Urthboy, Bliss n Eso and Horrorshow.[20]

He was also nominated in 2014, alongside artists such as Hilltop Hoods and Thundamentals, for Cinematic. Illy explained in a red carpet interview that he is not an avid fan of Iggy Azalea.[21]

Discography

Studio albums

Title Album details Peak chart positions Certifications
AUS
[22]
Long Story Short —
The Chase
  • Released: 29 October 2010
  • Label: Obese
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 25
Bring It Back
  • Released: 21 September 2012
  • Label: Obese
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 15
Cinematic
  • Released: 8 November 2013
  • Label: ONETWO, Warner
  • Formats: CD, digital download
 4
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

Mixtapes

Title Album details
The Illy Mixtape - Vol. 2
  • Released: 2008[23]
  • Label: The Crooked Eye Fam
  • Formats: Digital download

Singles

List of singles as main artist, with selected chart positions and certifications
Title Year Peak chart positions Certifications Album
AUS
[22]
"Pictures" 2009 — Long Story Short
"The Chase" 2011 — The Chase
"Cigarettes" (featuring Hue Blanes) —
"It Can Wait" (featuring Owl Eyes) —
"Heard It All" 2012 48 Bring It Back
"Where Ya Been" (featuring Pez) —
"On & On" 2013 — Cinematic
"Youngbloods" 38
"Cinematic" —
"Tightrope" (featuring Scarlett Stevens) 2014 18
"One For The City" —
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.girl.com.au/illy-the-chase-tour-interview.htm
  2. ↑ https://m.facebook.com/illyal/posts/10150276862461205
  3. ↑ 3D World, 25 March 2009 Illy - Licensed To Ill by Matt Unicomb
  4. ↑ Stonnington Leader, 10 June 2009, "Keep-it-simple Illy hip hopping to quality"
  5. ↑ Hobart Mercury, 13 August 2009 "Illy communication"
  6. ↑ "ARIA Top 40 Urban Albums & Singles". ARIA. 21 September 2009. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  7. ↑ "hitlist (by artist): triple j music". ABC. Retrieved 21 September 2009.
  8. ↑ "Illy – Pictures 2010 Tour + New Acoustic CD". All Aussie Hip-Hop. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  9. ↑ "Illy – The Chase (Initial Details) + The Three Up Tour". All Aussie Hip-Hop. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  10. ↑ "Illy Goes ARIA Gold!". All Aussie Hip-Hop. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "Chartifacts - Week Commencing: 1st November 2010". Australian Recording Industry Association. 1 November 2010. Archived from the original on 2 November 2010. Retrieved 2 November 2010.
  12. ↑ "Countdown | Hottest 100 2011". Triple J. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  13. ↑ ""Bring It Back", Illy". JB Hi-Fi. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  14. ↑ "Heard it all by Illy @ J Play". J Play. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  15. ↑ "Bring It Back Tour Announced for August/September!!!". IllyAl.com. Retrieved 8 August 2012.
  16. ↑ "Aria Awards / 2013 Best Urban Album". Aria Awards. AUSTRALIAN RECORDING INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION. 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  17. ↑ Paul Cashmere (28 September 2013). "Illy Launches Label And Signs Allday". Noise11. Noise11. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  18. ↑ "ILLY, TUKA, ALLDAY & ELEMONT - HOW FAR". Illy Official Website. Illy Official Website. October 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  19. ↑ "Shows". Hilltop Hoods. Hilltop Hoods. 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  20. ↑ Greg Moskovitch (1 December 2013). "ARIA Awards 2013 Winners Rundown". Music Feeds. Music Feeds. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  21. ↑ "ARIA Awards 2014 Red Carpet: Illy". Music Feeds. Music Feeds. 24 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 Hung, Steffen. "Discography Illy". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien (Steffen Hung). Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  23. ↑ "Illy - Here you go, Illy Mixtape Volume 2 (2008).". Facebook. 30 January 2013. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
  24. ↑ "ARIA Charts - Accreditations - 2011 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 24 September 2014.
  25. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2015 Singles". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  26. ↑ 26.0 26.1 "ARIA 2014 Singles accreditations". Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved 19 July 2014.