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In 2003, Ill Bill declared himself to be the future. The truth is, Ill Bill is the past, the present AND the future. The cult leader is most definitely back. After several years of blood, sweat and no tears, the prophecy has been fulfilled with the breakout album The Hour of Reprisal. Clocking in at exactly 60 minutes and accompanied by a DVD of Ill Bill's wild night at punk rock mecca CBGB, Bill's latest effort is the surgically polished sum of his career…so far. An Ill Bill verse has never been an aimless journey through 16 bars, but rather a threatening configuration of world view, conspiracy theories, street corner politics and the most potent of all, real-life experiences that carry the listener through a perspective that stands unique; challenging anyone with half a brain to relate.
The former Non Phixion standout and one of the organizers behind La Coka Nostra is aggressively pushing the envelope, representing hip-hop in a manner unlike any other. Whether holding it down alongside iconic MCs such as Raekwon the Chef and B-Real, or masterminding stellar collaborations with the likes of the legendary Bad Brains and heavy metal kingpins Killswitch Engage, Bill confidently swaggers the line between genres with fellow visionaries DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, T-Ray, DJ Lethal and others behind the boards. Also, for the first time, a bulk of the production has been propelled by Bill himself. Additionally, in order to bring these sonic textures to life, longtime Wu-Tang Clan mix engineer Carlos Bess brought his state-of-the-art boom, ensuring that the menacing soundscapes would be as sharp as the undeniably crucial lyrics.
Above a tightly wound blend of inspirations, The Hour of Reprisal builds upon Ill Bill's iron reputation for touching on serious issues – social as well as personal. "My Uncle" addresses one of the pillars of Bill's life, his Uncle Howie and his seemingly endless battle with addiction. Playing off of Nas' "The Unauthorized Biography of Rakim" from several years ago, Bill flips the concept to toast his favorite heavy metal outfit, Slayer, so as to pay tribute to his heroes from another voice of struggle – Metal. Topics such as the war in Iraq, the unsettling and disturbing subject of racism, the senseless shootings at Virginia Tech University, the state execution of Stanley "Tookie" Williams and countless others surface, minus any air of exploitation, but with a slash of brutal awareness of challenging times. Bill even manages to deliver a spiritual dedication to his first daughter, with the assistance of seminal punks HR and Darryl Jenifer (Bad Brains).
The self-proclaimed "2011 Melle-Mel" is near the edge. After many years of challenging the hip-hop establishment, backed by a passionate legion of "goons" worldwide, Ill Bill has a fresh pair of kicks laced up and is prepared for war. Now with a family in tow, this abrasive, hard-as-nails MC/Producer steps to the unsuspecting planet with a meticulously-crafted album that will fuck you up…in the best possible way!
01. Babylon (Feat. Howard Jones) (Prod. By T-Ray)
02. Doomsday Was Written In An Alien Bible (Prod. By Ill Bill)
03. Trust Nobody (Prod. By Ill Bill)
04. A Bullet Never Lies (Feat. Vinnie Paz) (Prod. By DJ Lethal)
05. White Nigger (Prod. By Ill Bill)
06. My Uncle (Prod. By Ill Bill & Sicknature)
07. Riva (Feat. Hr & Darryl Jennifer) (Prod. By Ill Bill)
08. War Is My Destiny (Feat. Max Cavalera & Immortal Technique) (Prod. By Ill Bill)
09. Society Is Brainwashed (Prod. By DJ Premier)
10. This Is Who I Am (Prod. By DJ Muggs)
11. Too Young (Feat. Hero & Slaine) (Prod. By Darp Malone)
12. Pain Gang (Feat. B-Real & Everlast) (Prod. By Cynic)
13. U.B.S. (Unauthorized Biography Of Slayer) (Prod. By Necro)
14. Coka Moschiach (Feat. Raekwon The Chef) (Prod. By Ill Bill)
15. The Most Dangerous Weapon Alive (Prod. By Necro)
16. Soap
17. I'm A Goon (Prod. By Ill Bill & Sicknature)
18. Only Time Will Tell (Feat. Tech N9ne & Everlast) (Prod. By DJ Muggs)
FILI-
I'll be honest, I was a little let down when I first heard this album. Lyrically, you can never fault Ill Bill, dude is a legend on the mic but his choice of beats for most of the tracks left me with a bitter taste in my mouth. The beats by DJ Premier & DJ Muggs are definite bangers, along with a handful of other tracks but some of them just don't do Ill Bill justice. I'm not really a fan of heavy driven guitars and Bill uses them a bit too much. You'll deinitely find something to like about this album but considering this album had us salivating at the mouths for ages anticipating this release, you can't help but feel a little bit like... "Damn, I thought this was gonna be THE album of the year"! Still, like I said, some people will definitely be praising this album... it's kinda growin on me now!
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