Illegal

A part of an outbreak of boy-rap duos in the early '90s, Illegal was the brainchild of Atlanta rap producer Dallas Austin. Following in the footsteps of Michael Bivins' Another Bad Creation and Jermaine Dupri's Kris Kross, Austin put the duo together after an Atlanta rap convention. Lil Malik, a cousin of Snoop Dogg, hailed from Holly Hill, SC, and Mally G came from Philadelphia. The two youngsters possessed a decidedly more venomous spirit than their teen rap predecessors. In fact, the duo took it upon themselves to distance themselves from the teen rap title in an attempt to be considered peers among established rappers in the field. In late 1992, the duo released the single "Head or Gut," which found its way to college underground rap radio playlists. The strangely titled full-length album The Untold Truth was released in August 1993. While the pre-pubescent rhymers offered little but potential on the album, the production was anything but immature. Big-timers like Lord Finesse, Diamond D, Erick Sermon, and Spearhead lent a production hand and Diamond, Lord Finesse, and A.g. dropped a few verses as well. After the duo parted ways in 1994, both Jamal and Lil Malik went on to record solo albums. Jamal later became a part of Erick Sermon's Def Squad as well. ~ Michael Di Bella, All Music Guide