Illegal was a short-lived hip hop duo composed of
Jamal Phillips (
Philadelphia) and Malik Edwards (Holly Hill, South Carolina) that was signed to
Rowdy Records. The duo was known to be affiliated with the hip-hop collective
Hit Squad, made their debut with the album,
The Untold Truth, released in 1993, which became a minor success, peaking at #119 on the
Billboard 200 and #19 on the
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Several tracks on the album, including its two singles, "
Head or Gut" and "
We Getz Busy," were diss songs directly aimed at rivals
Kris Kross and
Da Youngstas. The duo virtually disappeared from the public eye until 1995, when it teamed with
Too Short on the song "Thangs Change," after which the group disbanded. Jamal Phillips would later release his debut solo album,
Last Chance, No Breaks, in 1995 on Rowdy Records. Malik released one single for Rowdy Records titled "Malik Goes On," but his debut album was shelved. Malik worked with
Monica on
Miss Thang and later with his cousin
Snoop Dogg on
Doggystyle,
Warren G on
Regulate...G Funk Era,
Take a Look Over Your Shoulder and
Tha Dogg Pound on
Dogg Food and finally released his debut album in 2005,
The Game Needs Me.