John Ellul

Media/comms, journalist, freelance writer. Words in @WrestleTalkMag @Voiceswrestling. Adrian Adonis biography Flowers for Adrian out NOW! [email protected]

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

1/ For the last few months I’ve been working on a piece I’m really proud of – a feature on the untold story of the little-known co-creator of “No Diggity” by @Blackstreet_Ent - Will “Skylz” Stewart… https://t.co/QL86inL8au 🧵THREAD 1/11

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

@micro_chop Please do more blogs about 90s R&B! Loved today's

[SAVE A SEAT FOR ME (Simon & Schuster, 2026) @NewBlackMan]

The Man Who Taught Boy Bands How to Move

A new tour featuring New Edition and Boyz II Men is also a showcase for the influential work of their longtime choreographer, Brooke Payne.
https://t.co/2okPEuc8RU

[Brandon Thurston @BrandonThurston]

NEW: Tony Khan bid on WWE in 2023.

There were 4 bidders: winner Endeavor, plus KKR and Liberty Media... Those were apparent for some time.

Newly unredacted court records show the 4th was AEW owner Tony Khan's lesser-known entity, Base 10.

1400+ words:
https://t.co/3guzRSPL6v

[James Holder @JamesHolder89]

To celebrate #316Day I've decided to kick off my brand new Substack, Wrestling With Nostalgia, with a dive into the truth behind Steve Austin's remarkable 1996. And it's a little different from the story WWE likes to tell...

https://t.co/F82mdCSlKA

[Joe Baiamonte @JoeBaia]

Just want to say, I appreciate I’ve milked this interview across three parts, but between the chat itself, writing up and getting it out there this past 10 days, it’s felt pretty fucking great. Really fucking appreciative for all the shares, comments and messages. Means the world

[Bleeding Cool @bleedingcool]

Ted Slampyak Has Been Bringing Back Jazz Age Chronicles On Substack #webcomic

🔗 https://t.co/04MoaFVBjS

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

Some Christmas reading....For the last few months I’ve been working on a piece I’m really proud of – a feature on the untold story of the little-known co-creator of “No Diggity” by
@Blackstreet_Ent @TeddyRiley1
- Will “Skylz” Stewart… https://t.co/QL86inL8au

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

Some Christmas reading....For the last few months I’ve been working on a piece I’m really proud of – a feature on the untold story of the little-known co-creator of “No Diggity” by
@Blackstreet_Ent @TeddyRiley1
- Will “Skylz” Stewart… https://t.co/QL86inL8au

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

@THEG0DMUTHA Co-produced and conceived by the late Will "Skylz" Stewart - formerly of R&B groups Pure Blend and Group Home. Find out the full story of this song here: https://t.co/QL86inL8au

[AZ @boozytiger]

Blackstreet "No Diggity" の共同制作者Will Stewartの物語

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

R&B AtoZ, is in its infancy but will be much more like over the coming weeks and months. I want to make it a place for exploring the obscure minutiae of all aspects of 80s, 90s and 00s R&B - particularly a home for definitive artist and producer discographies. I take requests!

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

11/ Let’s give Will Stewart his flowers. If you've made it this far thanks for reading!
https://t.co/QL86inL8au

#WillStewart #NoDiggity #Blackstreet #RNBHistory #TeddyRiley #UnsungHeroes #MusicLegacy #90srnb #WillStewart

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

9/ Will Stewart passed away in 2005. He left behind a small discography, a big legacy, and a song that still makes people move nearly 30 years later. https://t.co/aX5IzzBhkk

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

8/ Will later joined Teddy Riley’s team in Virginia Beach, working out of Future Recording Studios. He was known for banging out beats in 15 minutes and his humble demeanour. https://t.co/sFKHburYaN

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

6/ Years earlier, Will was a singer in Pure Blend, a Brooklyn vocal group that backed sang on several Nice & Smooth classics and toured with Zapp. https://t.co/nCsP6jdQ4f

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

5/ Will Stewart was the one who found and developed the Bill Withers sample from “Grandma’s Hands” that became the backbone of “No Diggity" - as @TeddyRiley1 has acknowledged many times https://t.co/1raBPSSvgf

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

4/ This month marks 20 years since the passing of Will Stewart, the Brooklyn-born co-creator of one of the biggest R&B records of all time: Blackstreet’s “No Diggity.” https://t.co/aYv4tfr16j

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

3/ As well as shining some spotlight on Will's contribution to R&B music, I wanted to get to the bottom of the No Diggity/Toss It Up debate (solved? possibly?) and along the way found out the beat was nearly used by a different group before Blackstreet https://t.co/d5bYfK08YT

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

2/ Featuring excerpts from exclusive interviews with Will's former group Pure Blend, as well as Free Smith of Entouch ("II Hype"), and info about unreleased records that both worked on with Will - including the original plan for the Bill Withers sample that Will created

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

Resharing my deep-dive feature on the little-known co-creator of "No Diggity" - with original reporting and interviews. Enjoy! https://t.co/M521ffANlD

@RnB_DITR
@rnbmusic
@rnbradar
@YKIGS
@DjSoulchild
@Echoesmag
@BluesandSoul
@songsandsamples
@whosampled
@TeddyRiley1

[John Ellul @EllulCoolJ]

1/ For the last few months I’ve been working on a piece I’m really proud of – a feature on the untold story of the little-known co-creator of “No Diggity” by @Blackstreet_Ent - Will “Skylz” Stewart… https://t.co/QL86inL8au 🧵THREAD 1/11