ILLI
Self-Produced Artist
CEO of Upstage Entertainment
Click Here for ILLI's Blackplanet Page
INTRODUCING ILLI...
Creating hit records is no easy task, but from the way Illistic is racking them up, you would never have guessed it. Most hip hop artists are lucky if they can write a hook that is catchy enough, or ride the beat well enough in a song. But once a rapper discovers the formula for making a hit, there is no stopping him. Illistic is one of the fortunate few who knows what the people want to hear, and they love him for it. As a rapper, he is immensely creative with his lyrical content and has an infectious flow. But he also serves double duty as a producer, whose production is hot enough to compete with the best in the industry. His commercially appealing beats in combination with his tight lyrics are enough to turn heads and impress all who listen- in short, Illistic truly is the whole package.
Born on May 26, 1987 in Toronto, Ontario, Dujon Walker, soon-to-be known as ..Illistic.. realized his destiny at an early age. Raised in a single-parent household with only his mother, Illistic was forced to find a father figure elsewhere. Fortunately, he was part of a very musical family, in which several of his cousins were popular Toronto area DJ..s. It was through them that Illistic was able to find father figures in a Tribe Called Quest, Mase, Jay-Z, and countless other hip hop acts. As a child, he looked up to these rappers as role models, and knew he wanted to be like them. Listening to his cousin..s spin the hottest hip hop records sparked his love for rap which would only continue to grow as time passed.It was in his final year of elementary school that Illistic decided to pick up a pen and a pad and follow in the footsteps of his idols. As a considerably intelligent youth, he listened to hip hop religiously, and quickly caught on to how a proper song should be made. Once he got his hands on a computer, a microphone, and a synthesizer, he began to record his own music- writing songs, composing beats, as well as teaching himself the basics of multi-track recording. His music was fun, up-tempo, and, most importantly, positive. Since he had experienced enough negatives in his life, he used his music as an outlet to express positive emotions- creating feel-good music, while at the same time providing an alternative to the glorified gangster rap being played on the radio.
For years Illistic continued to improve upon his lyrical and production skills, all the while gaining local notoriety for his original music style and his completely independent recordings. His first and only release to date was the ..Upstage Mixtape Volume One.. in early 2003, which was a compilation CD that he organized and sold. It included his home recordings, along with several other local artists that he worked with on a regular basis. On this release, Illistic actually produced, engineered, manufactured, promoted, and distributed the CD completely independent. It is clear that this one man record label will do whatever it takes to be successful in the music industry. Although the CD wasn..t largely manufactured or distributed, it was very well received by the few hundred who had the privilege of listening.
In 2006, this young entrepreneur started his own record label known as ..Upstage Entertainment.., and has recently completed recording his debut studio album, to be released in the summer of 2007. This upcoming album, entitled ..Call It What U Want.., will indeed have something for everyone. He combines his own tight production with his creative, humorous lyrics and a contagious flow, and the outcome is nothing short of beautiful. At only 19 years of age with over 100 songs under his belt and hours of experience on stage, this young workaholic is ready to take the music industry by storm. Currently a student at Trebas Institute studying audio engineering, he is constantly expanding his knowledge and taking his music to the next level. With his unwavering passion for music, in combination with his unparalleled drive to succeed, and sheer musical talent, only the sky is the limit for Illistic.
