Ill Will Records was an American vanity record label founded by Nasir "Nas" Jones. The label was named after Willie "Ill Will" Graham, Nas' childhood neighbor and best friend, who was shot dead on May 23, 1992, when both were teenagers.[1] Nas founded the label in 1999 following the release of "Nastradamus" [2] with the help of Steve Stoute who was the manager of Nas.
After signing to Def Jam in 2005, Nas relaunched Ill Will by the name The Jones Experience as an imprint under Def Jam Recordings.[2]