No I.D. facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
No I.D.
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No I.D. in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Ernest Dion Wilson |
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| Born | June 23, 1971 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
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| Years active | 1987–present |
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Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), known professionally as No I.D. (which used to be Immenslope), is a super talented record producer, DJ, and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is famous for helping many big names in music.
No I.D. is often called "the Godfather of Chicago hip hop" because he has been so important to the music scene there. He is well-known for his early work with rapper Common. He also helped guide the careers of famous rappers like Kanye West, J. Cole, and Logic.
No I.D. first became successful working for Jermaine Dupri's record label, So So Def Recordings. He helped produce hit songs like "My Boo" by Usher and "Let Me Hold You" by Bow Wow. Later, he produced many of his own big hits. He worked with Jay-Z on songs like "Run This Town" and "Holy Grail." He also produced "Heartless" for Kanye West and "Find Your Love" for Drake. Many of these songs reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart!
No I.D. also released his own album called Accept Your Own and Be Yourself (The Black Album) in 1997. From 2008 to 2011, he was the president of Kanye West's record label, GOOD Music. After that, he started his own label called ARTium Records. This label has signed popular artists like Vince Staples, Jhené Aiko, and Snoh Aalegra. In 2011, he became an Executive Vice President at Def Jam Recordings, a major record label. In 2018, he took on a similar big role at Capitol Music Group.
Contents
Musical Journey
In 1996, Ernest Wilson released his own album under the name No I.D. His stage name, No I.D., is actually his birth name, Dion, spelled backward! He also released a collection of instrumental beats called Invisible Beats.
Early in his career, No I.D. worked with Jermaine Dupri. He helped create hit songs like "My Boo" by Usher and Alicia Keys, and "Let Me Hold You" by Bow Wow featuring Omarion. He also produced "Resurrection" and the famous hip hop song "I Used to Love H.E.R." for Common. These songs helped Common become very famous.
No I.D. played a huge role in Kanye West's career. He invited a young Kanye to his recording sessions with Common, showing him how hip hop music was made. He also introduced Kanye to a friend named Kyambo "Hip Hop" Joshua, who worked at Roc-A-Fella Records. This introduction helped launch Kanye's amazing career as an artist. Kanye West has often said that No I.D. was his mentor, even mentioning him in songs like "Last Call" and "Big Brother."
Around 2007, No I.D. gained a lot of attention for producing two songs on Jay-Z's album American Gangster. He continued to work with many top artists like Jay-Z, Drake, Rihanna, and Kanye West. He produced "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" and "Run This Town" for Jay-Z's album The Blueprint 3. "Run This Town" was a massive hit featuring Kanye West and Rihanna. In 2011, he worked with Common again on his album The Dreamer/The Believer, producing the whole thing.
After leaving his role as President of Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Music company in 2011, No I.D. became an Executive Vice President of A&R for Def Jam Recordings. This meant he helped find and develop new artists for the label. Def Jam also partnered with his new label, ARTium Recordings. In 2012, No I.D. was a main producer for Nas's album Life Is Good, producing five songs, including the Grammy-nominated "Daughters." In 2013, he signed the talented rapper Logic to Def Jam. He also produced most of Big Sean's album Hall of Fame. No I.D. has signed artists like Common, Jhené Aiko, and Elijah Blake to his ARTium label. In 2017, he was the main producer for Jay-Z's highly praised album 4:44. He has produced more songs for Jay-Z than almost anyone else!
ARTium Recordings
| ARTium Recordings | |
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| Parent company | Universal Music Group |
| Founded | 2011 |
| Founder | No I.D. |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
ARTium Recordings is a record label started by No I.D. in the United States. In August 2011, when No I.D. became an Executive Vice President at Def Jam Recordings, Def Jam also agreed to work closely with his new ARTium Recordings label.
No I.D. signed several talented artists to ARTium. In 2012, he signed the American singer Jhené Aiko. By September 2013, he had also signed R&B singers Elijah Blake and Snoh Aalegra. On June 4, 2014, it was announced that No I.D.'s long-time friend and collaborator, Common, also signed a record deal with Def Jam Recordings and ARTium Recordings.
Artists (past and present)
- Common
- Jhené Aiko
- Jordan Ward
- Snoh Aalegra
- Vince Staples
- DJ Dahi
- Mark Battles
- Ogi
Awards and Nominations
No I.D. has been recognized for his amazing work in music, especially at the Grammy Awards.
Grammy Awards
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
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| 2010 | "Run This Town" | Best Rap Song | Won |
| "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" | Nominated | ||
| 2013 | "Daughters" | Nominated | |
| 2014 | "Holy Grail" | Nominated | |
| 2015 | "Bound 2" | Nominated | |
| 2018 | "The Story of O.J." | Nominated | |
| Record of the Year | Nominated | ||
| "4:44" | Song of the Year | Nominated | |
| "4:44" | Album of the Year | Nominated | |
| Himself | Producer of the Year, Non-Classical | Nominated |
See also
- Honorific nicknames in popular music
