Illy was a member of Crooked Eye before embarking on a solo career.
Illy released his first album, Long Story Short in 2009.[1][2][3] Long Story Short reached #24 on the ARIA Top 40 Urban Albums chart[4] and the lead single, "Pictures", was placed on national rotation on Triple J.[5] In April 2010, Illy embarked on his first national headlining tour, playing 12 dates nationally.[6] In September the same year, Illy toured nationally alongside Australian rappers 360 and Skryptcha for "The Three Up Tour".[7]
He appeared on the track "Take It from Me" on producer M-Phazes' debut album Good Gracious released in 2010.
In October 2010, Illy, released his second album The Chase, and its lead single "It Can Wait" debuted on the Australian Singles Chart at number fifty-eight. In October 2011, "It Can Wait" was certified Gold by ARIA after selling 35,000 copies.[8] In 2011, Illy was nominated for an ARIA Music Award for Best Urban Album for The Chase, which was won by Drapht.[9] His single "Cigarettes" was on high rotation on Triple J and came 35th in the 2011 Triple J Hottest 100.[10] In February 2011, Illy embarked on his 14-date nationwide "The Chase Tour", with special guest M-Phazes.
Illy released his third album, Bring It Back, on 21 September 2012,[11] following the release of the single "Heard it All".[12] This album has been described by Illy himself as a "passion project", as a "tribute" to the Australian Hip Hop scene. He announced a 24-date nationwide tour, spanning from August until October, and featuring Australian hip-hop producer Chasm and Skryptcha as support acts.[13]
He is currently working on his fourth studio album, Cinematic, a sequel to The Chase, which is set for release on 8 November 2013. The album is executive produced by M-Phazes. M-Phazes also produced 10 of the 13 tracks, with J-Skub, Styalz Fuego and Cam Bluff producing one each. Artists who feature on the album include the Hilltop Hoods, Drapht, Kira Puru, Ahren Stringer, Thomas Jules from Rudimental and Daniel Merriweather. He announced on his Facebook page that his fourth album will be released through his own record label, "ONETWO", in association with Warner Music Australia. The singles for the album include "On & On", "Youngbloods" (featuring Ahren Stringer from The Amity Affliction) and a free iTunes single "Cinematic".