Pocketown records.

Drug kingpin Nate Hill was convicted by a federal jury of supplying more than 3 tons of cocaine to two of Chicago's largest street gangs, the Gangster Disciples and Vice Lords, for nearly a decade. between 1987 and June 1996, Hill's organization distributed well in excess of 3,000 kilograms of cocaine in the Chicago area.

Hill, 32, born and raised on the South Side, took the witness stand in his own defense, admitting he sold cocaine out of his garage in the mid- to late 1980s.

He contended he quit the business in mid-1990--which if true would have put his drug-dealing outside the statute of limitations and the reach of prosecutors.

In 1995 alone, he went on a more than $2 million buying spree, purchasing an eight-seat aircraft, a 73-foot yacht, a luxury speedboat and a house near Kankakee with an indoor pool and private lake, authorities said.

That same year, agents from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrationand local police recovered more than $2.8 million in cash of Hill's concealed in the trunk of a car in a storage facility in Alsip.

Prosecutors also alleged that Hill bought a Chicago bus company, America Tour and Travel, with drug proceeds and laundered additional money there. He also used cocaine profits to found Pocketown, which produced records and managed musical talent, authorities said.

Hill also alleged he invested more than $700,000 in drug profits to finance a movie called "Reasons," which is believed to be loosely based on Hill's life story.

With his drug money, Hill moved into the recording business, founding New York-based Pocketown, named after his South Side neighborhood at 78th and Stony Island. Pocketown scored a top 10 music video with “Froggy Style” by Nuttin’ Nyce in 1995 and published “Wandering Eyes,” which was on the soundtrack of Whoopi Goldberg’s film “Sister Act 2.”

“Drug trafficking provided Hill with sizable profits which he used to purchase homes, cars, boats, and, eventually, a four-engine JetStar aircraft. Hill also sought legitimate business opportunities through which he could launder his drug proceeds. One of these businesses was Pocketown Records, a record producing and manufacturing business formed in 1993 by Nate Hill and Michael Jefferson.

At Hill’s direction, Rodney Ellis, a cousin to Hill, participated in the operation of Pocketown Records. Ellis managed Pocketown’s daily operations and financial activities. Pocketown’s expenses were paid primarily in cash. For example, no salary checks were issued; instead Hill handed out cash payments to Pocketown workers. On several occasions, Ellis transported large amounts of cash from Chicago to Pocketown, which was located in New York, and at other times, Ellis received deliveries of cash from other Hill employees. Ellis prepared false records for Pocketown in an attempt to justify the influx of cash to the business. Ellis also provided inaccurate information to the accountant who was preparing Pocketown’s 1993 tax returns. Ellis then signed the falsified return and filed it with the IRS. Ellis later became involved in another of Hill’s business ventures, the production of a motion picture entitled “Reasons” which was based on Hill’s life story. Ellis played a limited role in the “Reasons“ production, unsuccessfully attempting to persuade a recording company to produce the soundtrack for the film.”