Ali Vegas facts for kids

Ollie Bruce Williams (born February 22, 1982), known as Ali Vegas, is an American rapper. He is from Queens, New York. Ali Vegas also started his own music companies, Council Recordings and Rich Soil Entertainment. After working with big record labels, he decided to create his own. He is also the younger cousin of Lamar Odom, a famous basketball player.

About Ali Vegas

Ali Vegas started making hip-hop music in New York City in the late 1990s. When he was young, the music groups Onyx and Panama P.I. helped him learn about the music business. His songs, including one with Capone, became popular on mixtapes.

Early Music Deals

In the early 2000s, Ali Vegas signed with Columbia Records. His first song, "Theme of N.Y.", came out in December 2000. Later, he signed with Tommy Mottola's new label, Casablanca Records. However, he did not release a full album with these major labels.

Starting His Own Labels

Because his first record deals did not work out, Ali Vegas decided to start his own independent music company. He named it Council Recordings. He often appeared on rap mixtapes, which are collections of songs. One of his well-known songs, "The AV Theme", was produced by Kanye West. In 2003, he wrote a song for DJ Boom's Boomtown.

Rich Soil Entertainment

In 2005, Ali Vegas and basketball player Lamar Odom started a company called Rich Soil Entertainment. The name came from one of Vegas's rap lyrics: “I'm from the land of rich soil, expect the branches to follow.” This company was meant to release Ali Vegas's first official solo album.

Recent Projects

In April 2010, Ali Vegas released his latest mixtape, Veganomics. He also talked about his new business ideas outside of music. In May 2011, Ali Vegas returned to making music. He worked with a production team from Sydney called Sound Kamp. Together, they released a six-song album titled Bridging the Gap.

Music Albums and Mixtapes

Ali Vegas has released several albums and mixtapes. An album is a collection of songs released by an artist. A mixtape is often a collection of songs, sometimes including unreleased tracks or remixes.

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)

See also

In Spanish: Ali Vegas para niños