ILL BILL – The Grimy Awards (Album Review)

Album Review by LuvJonez

From the first look at the album cover for The Grimy Awards, you get the feeling that ILL BILL will be revealing more history from his upbringing and unconventional rap origins. Always willing to embed pain and anguish over dirty beats, ILL BILL links up with DJ Eclipse, DJ Premier, MoSS, El-P, Pete Rock, Ayatollah, Large Professor, and many more to unleash his inner-demons, story-telling abilities, and thank supporters.

The Grimy Awards offers a healthy balance of hardcore production and limited guest appearances from key New York figureheads such as O.C., Cormega, El-P, M.O.P., and newcomer Meyhem Lauren, cut from the same hardcore cloth, as well as a rare appearance from HR of Bad Brains. Incorporating audio samples from obscure sources set the mood for prodding, paranoid tracks like “Severed Heads Of State”, an ode to the Unabomber, angry threats on “Vio-Lence” with M.O.P., but also help contrast the more upbeat pride of being an unlikely, underground hero on “Canarsie High” and indie businessman on tracks like “Power”.

Much like his Uncle Howie crew, ILL BILL brings an aggressive mood to the record with talk of conspiracies, New York pride, paying homage to the rap gods, and confrontational east coast rap politics. ILL BILL knows how to flex his lyrical skills and fulfill the hunger of fans who still crave rap’s filthy heydays. Purchase The Grimy Awards here.