Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), known professionally as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

. He is known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

, as well as his career mentorship of rappers

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, J. Cole and

Logic Logic is the study of correct reasoning. It includes both formal and informal logic. Formal logic is the study of deductively valid inferences or logical truths. It examines how conclusions follow from premises based on the structure o ...

. Wilson first gained success for his role as an in-house producer for

Jermaine Dupri Jermaine Dupri Mauldin (born September 23, 1972) is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Atlanta, Georgia as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music at the age of nine. He discovered th ...

's So So Def Recordings—leading to largely uncredited work on Dupri's productions " My Boo" by Usher, " Outta My System" and "

Let Me Hold You "Let Me Hold You" is a song by American rapper Bow Wow. It was the first single off his fourth album, '' Wanted'' (2005). Released on March 11, 2005, the song features American R&B singer Omarion (the first collaboration they did together). It ...

" by Bow Wow—before reaching commercial success with his solo productions. He worked with

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

to produce his singles " Run This Town" and "

Holy Grail The Holy Grail (, , , ) is a treasure that serves as an important motif in Arthurian literature. Various traditions describe the Holy Grail as a cup, dish, or stone with miraculous healing powers, sometimes providing eternal youth or sustenanc ...

," West to produce " Heartless," and

Drake Drake may refer to: Animals and creatures * A male duck * Drake (mythology), a term related to and often synonymous with dragon People and fictional characters * Drake (surname), a list of people and fictional characters with the family ...

to produce " Find Your Love" and " Nonstop"; each have peaked within the top five of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart. Nicknamed "the Godfather of

Chicago hip hop Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 census, it is the third-most populous city in the United States after New York City and L ...

," Wilson is also a former recording artist and signed with

Relativity Records Relativity Records was an American record label founded by Barry Kobrin at the site of his vinyl record shop, Important Record Distributors (IRD) in metropolitan New York City. The IRD distribution name was later known as RED Distribution and ag ...

to release his only studio album, '' Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album)'' (1997). He served as president of West's record label

GOOD Music GOOD Music (often stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide music distribution, distributi ...

from 2008 to 2011, and thereafter formed his own label, ARTium Records as an imprint of

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. The label has signed artists including Vince Staples,

Jhené Aiko Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo (; born March 16, 1988) is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer and rapper. Aiko embarked on her musical career in 2002, as a backing vocalist and music video performer for the R&B group B2K. She was signed by the ...

and Snoh Aalegra. Also in 2011, Wilson formed the supergroup Cocaine 80s with Common, Aiko, and James Fauntleroy, and was named Executive Vice President of A&R for Def Jam Recordings. In 2018, he was appointed as Executive Vice President of

Capitol Music Group Capitol Music Group is an American front-line umbrella label operating as a unit of Interscope Capitol Labels Group, itself a division of Universal Music Group. Inherited from UMG's acquisition of EMI's catalog in 2013, it oversees the handling of ...

Musical career

In 1996, Wilson released an album under the pseudonym No I.D., titled '' Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album).'' The moniker No I.D. is a play on the backwards spelling of his birth name, Dion. He also released a beat tape, titled ''Invisible Beats''. In Wilson's early career he was working as a co-producer for

. No I.D. went on to work on hit singles such as " My Boo" by Usher and

Alicia Keys Alicia Augello Cook (born January 25, 1981), known professionally as Alicia Keys, is an American singer and songwriter. A classically trained pianist, Keys began composing songs at the age of 12 and was signed by Columbia Records at 15. After d ...

and "

" by Bow Wow featuring

Omarion Omari Ishmael Grandberry (born November 12, 1984), better known by his stage name Omarion, is an American R&B singer, dancer and actor. He rose to prominence as lead vocalist of the boy band B2K, which was formed in 1998 and managed by record e ...

, as well as "Resurrection" and the ode to hip hop " I Used to Love H.E.R.", which garnered Chicago-based rapper

his early fame. Wilson also introduced Chicago-based rapper

hip hop production Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music in a recording studio. While the term encompasses all aspects of hip hop music creation, including recording the rapping of an MC, a turntablist or DJ providing a beat, playing samples and " ...

, inviting him to his sessions with Common, when West was only beginning. He also introduced West to a long-time friend named Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua, who was A&R for

Roc-A-Fella Records Roc-A-Fella Records was an American record label and music management company founded in 1994 by record executives and entrepreneurs Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Carter issued his debut album, '' Reasonable Doubt ...

, who eventually signed West to his imprint Hip Hop Since 1978, which launched West's career as an artist and into stardom. West cites Wilson as his mentor on "Last Call," the outro to his highly acclaimed debut album ''

The College Dropout ''The College Dropout'' is the debut studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released on February 10, 2004, by Roc-A-Fella Records and Def Jam Recordings. In the years leading up to its release, West had received praise for his p ...

'' (2004). West also referenced Wilson's mentorship on songs such as " Big Brother" and " Made in America." Wilson's second official release was with Dug Infinite, a two-album package titled ''The Sampler, vol. 1'' (2002). Kanye West in the Studio

In 2007, he was the focus of perhaps the most attention of his career for producing two songs from Jay-Z's album '' American Gangster''. At the time he worked with artists such as Jay-Z, Rhymefest, Plies,

Big Sean Sean Michael Leonard Anderson (born March 25, 1988), known professionally as Big Sean, is an American rapper. He met Kanye West as a teenager, and signed with his record label GOOD Music, an imprint of Def Jam Recordings in 2007. He gained popul ...

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, singer and activist. He made his recording debut on Outkast's fourth album ''Stankonia'' (2000), and guest appeared on the duo's Gr ...

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. An influential figure in modern Hip-hop, hip hop music, Rick Ross has become known for his "Wiktionary:booming, booming" vocal perfor ...

(''

Thank Me Later ''Thank Me Later'' is the debut studio album by the Canadian rapper Drake. It was released on June 15, 2010, by Young Money Entertainment, Cash Money Records, and Universal Motown Records. Production for the album took place at various record ...

'') and

('' 808's & Heartbreak'', ''

My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy ''My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy'' is the fifth studio album by the American rapper Kanye West. It was released by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records on November 22, 2010. Retreating to a self-imposed exile in Hawaii after a period of ...

''),

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. He is credited, alongside fellow Georgia-based rappers T.I. and Gucci Mane, with pioneering the hip hop subgenre trap music fo ...

, and

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...

on their then-upcoming albums. Wilson produced " D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)", the first single for Jay-Z's eleventh studio album '' The Blueprint 3'' (2009), as well as the second single " Run This Town", which features

and

. He once again teamed up with Common for the first time since 1997, when he handled the production for his ninth album '' The Dreamer/The Believer'' (2011). In June 2011, Wilson formed Cocaine 80s, a musical ensemble composed of several musicians, including Common, James Fauntleroy II, Kevin Randolph, Makeba Riddick, Rob "The Mixer" Kinelski, Steve Wyreman, Free Bass, Keys of Coke and Sam Lewis, among several others. After resigning as President of Kanye West's

G.O.O.D. Music GOOD Music (often stylized as G.O.O.D. Music; a backronym for Getting Out Our Dreams) is an American independent record label founded by rapper Kanye West in 2004. The label entered an exclusive long-term worldwide music distribution, distributi ...

record company, in August 2011, it was announced No I.D. was appointed Executive Vice President of A&R for Def Jam Recordings. In addition, Def Jam has signed an exclusive joint venture label deal for No I.D.'s Artium Recordings. The announcements were made by Barry Weiss, Chairman and CEO of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam Motown and Karen Kwak, EVP / Head of A&R, Island Def Jam Music Group. In 2012, Wilson was an executive producer on New York City-based rapper

Nas Nas (born 1973) is the stage name of American rapper Nasir Jones. Nas, NaS, or NAS may also refer to: Aviation * Nasair, a low-cost airline carrier and subsidiary based in Eritrea * National Air Services, an airline in Saudi Arabia ** Nas Air (S ...

' critically acclaimed eleventh album '' Life Is Good'', producing five songs, including the twice

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

-nominated single " Daughters", as well as " Loco-Motive" and " Accident Murderers".In April 2013, it was revealed Wilson signed up-and-coming rapper

, to Def Jam. In 2013, Wilson served as the primary producer of G.O.O.D. Music recording artist Big Sean's second album ''

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

''. In an August 2013 interview with ''

Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...

'', Wilson said he was currently working on Jhene Aiko and Logic's upcoming respective debut albums. Since the inception of Artium, Wilson has signed Common, Los Angeles-based singer

and singer Elijah Blake. On June 30, 2017, Wilson was credited as the primary producer on 4:44 - a new album released via Tidal by Jay-Z. The album has been met with widespread acclaim from music reviews and is notable for the personal account of Jay-Z's alleged infidelity on the title track. 4:44 was the latest installment in an extensive professional relationship between the two, as No I.D. has produced more tracks for Jay-Z than anyone else other than Just Blaze and Timbaland.

ARTium Recordings

ARTium Recordings is an American

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

imprint, founded by No I.D. In August 2011, it was announced No I.D. was appointed Executive Vice President of A&R for Def Jam Recordings. In addition, Def Jam has signed an exclusive joint venture label deal for No I.D.'s ARTium Recordings. The announcements were made by Barry Weiss, Chairman and CEO of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam Motown and Karen Kwak, EVP / Head of A&R, Island Def Jam Music Group. No I.D. would report directly to Mr. Weiss and Ms. Kwak. In 2012, No I.D. signed American neo-soul singer

. By September 2013, No I.D. had signed up-and-coming American R&B singers Elijah Blake and Snoh Aalegra On June 4, 2014, it was announced No I.D.'s longtime collaborator and Chicago-bred rapper

, signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and ARTium Recordings.

Artists (past and present)

* Cocaine 80s *

* Jordan Ward * Snoh Aalegra * Vince Staples *

DJ Dahi Dacoury Dahi Natche (born March 10, 1983), known professionally as DJ Dahi or simply Dahi, is an American record producer, songwriter, disc jockey and singer from Inglewood, California. Working primarily in hip hop and R&B music, he has been ...

Mark Battles Mark Anthony Battles (born September 2, 1991) is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer from Indianapolis, Indiana. In 2011, Battles released his first project ''Good Morning America'' and gained recognition for his single ''Last N ...

* Ogi

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Guest appearances

Production discography

Singles produced

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

, - , rowspan="2",

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, " Run This Town" , rowspan="6", Best Rap Song , , - , " D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" , , - , rowspan="1",

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

, " Daughters" , , - , rowspan="1",

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

, "

" , , - , rowspan="1",

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

, " Bound 2" , , - , rowspan="5",

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

, rowspan="2", "

The Story of O.J. "The Story of O.J." is a song by American rapper Jay-Z from his thirteenth studio album '' 4:44''. It was produced by Jay-Z and No I.D. Following the release of the album, the song charted in multiple regions, entering and peaking at number 23 on ...

" , , - ,

Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...

, , - , "4:44" , Song of the Year , , - , " 4:44" , Album of the Year , , - , Himself , Producer of the Year, Non-Classical ,

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:No I.D. 1971 births Living people American hip-hop record producers African-American record producers African-American songwriters African-American male rappers 20th-century American male rappers Rappers from Chicago Songwriters from Illinois Midwest hip-hop musicians GOOD Music artists Roc Nation artists American music industry executives American hip-hop DJs American music arrangers Record producers from Illinois Grammy Award winners for rap music 21st-century American rappers Cocaine 80s members

Musical career

ARTium Recordings

Artists (past and present)

Discography

Discography

Studio albums

Singles

Guest appearances

Production discography

Singles produced

Awards and nominations

Grammy Awards

See also

References

External links