Hal Donell Williams Jr. (born November 11, 1991), known professionally as Pyramid Vritra, is an American rapper and record producer. Aside from their solo career, they initially rose to fame as a member of Los Angeles–based hip hop collective Odd Future via the sub-group The Jet Age of Tomorrow alongside Matt Martians, and Atlanta-based hip hop collective NRK (Nobody Really Knows). They are one half of transatlantic hip-hop duo Wilma Vritra alongside Wilma Archer. They have released music under Stones Throw Records, Alpha Pup's The Order Label, and Bad Taste Records.
Early life
Hal Donell Williams Jr. was born on November 11, 1991, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Williams moved throughout multiple states during their childhood due to their mother's service in the United States Air Force, before relocating long-term to Powder Springs, Georgia.
Musical career
2008: NRK and beginnings
After moving to Powder Springs, Georgia as an early highschooler, Williams started making music with friends for the sake of listening to while skateboarding. Initially they started working with the rapper KC 2.0 (now Lombardi), as the duo “Kash and Gullie”. Later, more artists and neighborhood friends joined Williams in starting a rap collective. These included Adlive Murdock (later, Pyramid Murdock), The Original (later, Gloomy Pyramid), Tyler Major, Andre McCloud and Floyd Mables. After adopting the name "The Bandits" the group released a mixtape titled “The Goodwill Tape” in 2009. Later members included artists such as Lui Diamonds, Pyramid Quince and Mr Northstar. Member Jay Cue suggested they rename the group “NRK" (Nobody Really Knows).
NRK performed numerous live shows, and released mixtapes on their own NRK music label via their website. The members of the group continued to work with each other and Williams throughout their careers. Williams’ mother had always been supportive of their musical endeavors, letting them and the rest of NRK work in their house’s basement as a rudimentary recording studio.
Before releasing “The Goodwill Tape” in 2009, Williams reached out to Odd Future artist Matt Martians on the social media then known as Twitter, requesting help on mixing and mastering for the project. This marked the beginning of their longstanding collaborative relationship.
2010-2012: Odd Future, Jet Age of Tomorrow beginnings, and initial solo projects In 2010, Williams would start seriously pursuing music as a career path while being mentored by Matt Martians with the rest of NRK. That year, they released their first solo project, Eloise, and began composing with Matt Martians as “The Jet Age of Tomorrow” (then “The Super 3”), becoming an Odd Future sub-group.
Williams adopted the alias "Pyramid Vritra", after the water serpent God of chaos in Vedic theology, a subject Williams was interested in high school, while aligning themself with other NRK members who shared the pyramid the stage name motif.
Williams began their new alias with the April 2010 EP "Elouise". In the June, Williams would release an EP, Technicolor Pyramids, releasing it under the alias "Walter Flowers", and a beat tape titled "paint." under another alias "donellvritrajet".
The Jet Age of Tomorrow blended psychedelic neo-soul with Williams' experimental approach to hip hop. One extended play and two albums were released that year from the duo via Odd Future's Tumblr page, Voyager, and Journey to the 5th Echelon. Voyager being a mostly instrumental project featuring the song titled “The Knight Hawk” which was later sampled by Kendrick Lamar on the song “A.D.H.D”, and the latter being a larger scale project with guest appearances from additional Odd Future members and affiliates such as Hodgy, Tyler, The Creator, Mike G, Casey Veggies, Vince Staples, and Kilo Kish, alongside NRK members such as Jay Cue and Tyler Major.
On February 4, 2011, a music video for the album’s track, "Wonderland" had been posted on the official Odd Future YouTube channel.Johnson, Scott. "Video: Jet Age of Tomorrow 'Wonderland'". Accessed 29 December 2023.
Both albums excluded the shock value of other Odd Future mixtapes, instead opting for a greater emphasis on atmospheric melodies and electronic approaches to acid jazz. That same year, NRK would release a mixtape entitled “The Nobody Really Knows Us: Compilation of Audible Sound Vol.1”, more simply alternatively titled “The NRK Compilation,” featuring original production and vocals from nearly all NRK members.
Williams continued their musical career with their first major solo effort in 2011 “The Story of Marsha Lotus'”. The project was released via Stroll on Records, with genres ranging from avant-garde jazz to psychedelic hip-hop. While consisting only of 6 tracks, some were 15 to 18 minutes in length. The album saw a re-release on vinyl and streaming services in 2012.
Alongside the Jet Age of Tomorrow, now frequent collaborator Matt Martians would attempt to start another musical project with Williams alongside other Odd Future members of Syd and Left Brain, which would eventually become The Internet. Yet by the release of the band's initial debut Purple Naked Ladies, with both Williams and Left Brain featuring on the tracks “Gurl” and “Cocaine” respectively, the project became a duo effort only between Martians and Syd.
In July of 2012, Williams released the song “Drain”, featuring Syd (under the alias of ‘Frisco’) with an accompanying music video. The track was the first single to William’s debut studio album, “Pyramid”.
Other promotion for the album, included a self-titled mixtape entitled “PYRAMIDVRITRA”, composed of draft material which did not make the final cut of the Pyramid album. The mixtape released on November 11, 2011, being their 20th birthday.
On August 7th, 2012, Williams released Pyramid, describing the album as “whimsical, dreamy, technical, s[e]mi-lethargic, experimental anger pop”. Alongside Syd, the album featured familiar collaborator Matt Martians, NRK members Andre McCloud, K.C 2.0 Pyramid Murdock, and Tyler Major, alongside additional features of Speak! and Gary Wilson. To further promote the album, Williams performed at the Odd Future Carnival (now, Camp Flog Gnaw) with the rest of the rap collective.
In 2012, Williams would also form the NRK side project of Rose Gold Dutch Masters, with fellow NRK members Tyler Major, Pyramid Murdock and Andre McCloud. The group was featured alongside additional NRK member Jay Cue, Matt Martians, and Vince Staples on an 18 minute EP by Williams, consisting of a single track, titled “Elenor”.
The project would fully culminate in a mixtape with longtime collaborator Caleb Stone entitled “-___-”, alternatively verbally titled “Smuggins”, which they released tumblr for free. The mixtape was described featuring the blends of hip hop with neo-Soul synth funk NRK and Jet age of Tomorrow fans had come to expect, with a noted emphasis on how no samples were utilized during its production.
As the Jet Age of Tomorrow began to achieve momentum in the underground Hip Hop community, Williams would move from Georgia to Los Angeles to live with Matt Martians to work closer on musical projects as well as attend label meetings. This, however, was only for a short period of time, as both Williams and Martians were evicted from their apartment, obliging Williams to move back to Georgia for a year. This frustrated Williams, as when they returned, they felt like most Odd Future acts had already signed to prominent labels to build their careers, while they were left behind, unable to secure similar success. “I was experiencing the success of Odd Future, but I wasn’t necessarily a part of it. Everybody had all this money, but I was the one driving people around asking for gas money.”
2013-2015: Stones Throw Records and The Jellyfish Mentality
In 2013, Williams and Martians released “The Jellyfish Mentality”. The mixtape featured more Odd Future members and collaborators such as Earl Sweatshirt, Mac Miller, Casey Veggies, Mike G Hodgy, Vince Staples, Domo Genesis, and Kilo Kish. Williams did not work as closely with Martians on the project as during their previous albums, since the duo did not sequence the tracklist together in person.
Williams self-released a music video for the bonus track “Delta” on the NRK Youtube channel.
While working on Pyramid in 2012, still vying for the attention of major record labels, Wilson suggested that Williams contact Stones Throw Records. Williams emailed Christopher Manak, known as Peanut Butter Wolf, the label's founder, a 6-track project called Kimberly. Williams did not hear a response for nearly half a year before being invited to meet with Manak, who later signed them to the label.
This was the first major record label to promote Williams' material outside of NRK and Odd Future affiliation, connecting Williams with fellow Stones Throw acts such as Mndsgn, Madlib, MF Doom and James Pants.
In 2013 Williams' self-released an EP called “Big Ralph’s Midnight Pink River Weather Grey,” recorded during a trip to Hawaii, which was promoted by the label.
Williams continued to work with Stones Throw on Kimberly, adding more tracks to the project and changing the title to Indra, the name of the God of thunder and rain in Vedic theology who is said to have defeated the Vritra serpent.
Indra released as Williams' major label debut in 2014. The album's songs were entirely produced and performed by Williams themself, with the exception of a sole feature from rapper Alberto Sparks on the song "Zord".
Stones Throw records promoted the album with music videos for the songs "Tea and Lemonadel, "Spool" and "Eleven12".
While the album received admiration and praise within the underground hip-hop scene, Williams was still unable to leave their job as a forklift operator between touring and performing.
Williams then released the EP Palace, marking the first in a series of smaller scale, more rap-centric extended plays. Stones Throw also promoted the album with music videos for the title track and the song "224". The EP entered the UK Official Singles Chart, peaking at #96.
Stones Throw later released a video for the song "Like Summer" from the project's sequel PV2, which compiled footage of Williams on the label's 2014 Asia tour in Hong Kong and Japan.
Williams later announced their third studio album ‘Dānu’, named after the Hindu primordial goddess described as the mother of Vritra in the Rigveda (I.32.9). Williams said they made stylistic choices on the album with their mother's musical taste in mind.
However, by 2015 Williams was no longer signed to Stones Throw, and had to rely on their own NRK social media pages to promote the project.
After Kevin Moo, known by his stage name Daddy Kev, head of Los Angeles based record label Alpha Pup Records, watched a performance of Williams' with the rest of NRK at Low End Theory, he signed the group to the label's rap division called The Order. Now, Williams could properly distribute and promote Dānu as well as later projects.
Williams later released singles with independently-produced music videos for the tracks “58 (Heavy)”, “IDLI2TSNM (I Don't Look In 2 Tha Sky No Mo)” and “V” to promote the album.
2016-2018: VRITRA, Yellowing, and The Jet Age of Tomorrow reunion
In 2016, Williams released the album Yellowing, and said it signaled change in both their musical career and personal life.
In a statement to Hypebeast magazine, Williams said “Yellowing represents a change in my production style and subject matter. The entire project is about getting older, and yellowing as plastic does and pictures do when they age.” The album featured the track “Wings," dedicated to William’s then newly born son, Ivan.
The album was the first of William’s solo efforts to be released under the Alias “VRITRA”, rather than “Pyramid Vritra”.