Underground Brooklyn rhyme veteran Ill Bill has been putting in work for years as a part of his now defunct group Non-Phixion and more recently with the La Coka Nostra collective. With a reputation built on brash wordplay and socially and politically influenced subject matter, Ill Bill (who is also the older brother of horrorcore rapper Necro), aims straight for your head with his latest release The Hour Of Reprisal (Fat Beats).
The disc is chock full of strong production (DJ Premier, DJ Lethal, DJ Muggs) and interesting guests (Max Cavalera of Sepultura, Raekwon, Immortal Technique) which will have your adrenaline pumping after just one listen.
Bill comes out swinging on the lead single “I’m A Goon” which has the BK emcee explaining how he resolves conflicts (“Negotiate / With blowtorches to faces”) over a head-nod inducing piano loop. Bill is a self-proclaimed metal head, thus he delivers an ode to his favorite heavy metal band Slayer on “UBS (Unauthorized Biography of Slayer)”. Inspired by Nas’ “U.B.R”, Bill delivers the background story on the group over a gloomy synthesized track in a little over two minutes.
While the album does have many other solid tracks (“Coka Moshiach” featuring Raekwon, “White N*****”), the Preemo produced “Society Is Brainwashed” has to be the highlight. Premier shows why he will go down in history as one of the greatest behind the boards as he laces Bill with a grimy backdrop full of vintage gunshot sound effects and an array of vocal samples that serves as a sonic soapbox for Bill to vent his anger at U.S. foreign policy and the powers that be. One listen to Bill’s lyrics here will tell you it’s not likely he’ll be voting for McCain when the polls open, “Old men start wars / For young dudes to die in / Madison Avenue telling you / What you should be buying”.
While the strong heavy metal influence on this record may isolate Hip-Hop purists, there is no doubt that Ill Bill has come correct with an album that should serve as the precedence for all future hardcore albums in this new era of Rap. This isn’t the second coming of Limp Bizkit; this is goon music plain and simple.
Ill Bill
"Society Is Brainwashed"