Eighth studio album in William Braunstein's crowded discography, the fifth solo under the name Ill Bill, four years after the last one. It features a dark-sexual cover by Adam Padilla, and a light-hearted production mainly made by Stu Bangas, as well as Ill Bill, Scott Stallone, DJ Finn, Furio, Moss, DJ Skinz.
The lyricism is simple, themes that sink into gangsterism, crime, drugs, braggadocio, but also socio-conscious and political bars, sometimes against police brutality. It's pretty simple to be a Ill Bill album, 40 minutes, twelve cuts of which only one, the last, solo: the rest of the LP is full of guests, including Conway, Pharoahe Munch, Recognize Ali, Kool G Rap, Slaine, Little Vic, Crimeapple, Nems, Vinnie Paz and the guys from Non Phixion.
Ill Bill immediately attacks Stu Bangas' skinny boom bap in the opening joint, skinny drum machine, commendable dark sample, flat and bass, slow smooth delivery, hook sung. "Be Afraid!" it boasts a simple rhythm produced by Furio, other dark samples and a vibrant drum to accommodate the rappers of Griselda and Organized Konfusion, both perform with good smoothness flow in a good track.
Tech Nine is strong in the next pick, with his quick flow, however the beat made by Ill Bill and Scott Stallone is too cheap to adequately support him. The title track has a decent sung chorus executed by Rite Hook, and a decent delivery by Ill Bill on a hardcore beat. Short skit, followed by a posse: hardcore and skinny boom bap, provided by Ill Bill, tight drum, wacky sample, Recognize Ali seems to be better than everyone else here. G Rap is the only guest of "Chrissy Snow", simple jazzy boom bap made by Stu Bangas, tight drum, Ill Bill's slow flowing syncopated delivery, second verse to G Rap, calm, confident, clean, crisp, still has the better flow of the whole record.
The eighth choice presents a good lean and jazzy rhythm, Slaine and the house MC have a slower style, closes Little Vic with a good smooth energetic flow. The next choice is a lean boom bap with dark sample, Lord Goat and Crimeapple with good slow style. "Bora Bora Aura" is a posse track with Nems, with whom the Brooklyn MC released his latest collaborative album five months earlier, Vinnie Paz and Tony Yayo, on a hardcore boom bap made by Furio: Nems and Ill Bill performing well, Tony Yayo delivers a bad chorus and is just decent with his slow, spoken, almost mumble, lifeless, emo rap flow; Vinnie Paz kills the cut with his rough and nasty delivery.
The eleventh track brings together Non Phixion: on DJ Skizz's boom bap, lean and cheap, with a tight drum machine and a splendid sample of strings, the trio spits hardcore bars and against the police, but no one kills the track. The album ends with Ill Bill's only solo cut, which comes in the finale of the project: random skit from the TV series "Sopranos", when, after the initiation rite, Chris Moltisanti becomes a made man and is promoted to the role of caporegime in the Tony's family. The skit has nothing to do with the rest of the braggadocio lyrics; gaunt boom bap, dark and gloomy sample, slow and flowing delivery of the rapper.
Honest and decent album, with some interesting tracks, recommended for fans of the hardcore subgenre.
Highlights: "Be Afraid!", "Chrissy Show", "Call the Coroner", "Bora Bora Aura".
Rating: 6.7/10.
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