Ill Bill: The Grimy Awards (Uncle Howie / Fat Beats, 2/26/13)
“Paul Baloff”
It’s one thing to say a lot on an album; it’s quite another to actually have something to say. Drawing from artists who are equal parts entertainer and activist, Ill Bill uses his new solo album, The Grimy Awards, as a platform to both tell his story of growing up around drugs and violence in Brooklyn and sound the alarm against blind acquiescence to authority.
The former Non Phixion MC, coming off recent collaborations with La Coka Nostra and Vinnie Paz, teams with a host of collaborators and producers — including Large Professor, Pete Rock, El-P, HR of Bad Brains, and more — to showcase both the scars and the life lessons that come from being a hip-hop heavyweight with nearly three decades in the ring.
Last month, DJ duo NASA performed at Chicago’s Abbey Pub, leaving the crowd in disarray and with a lack of energy despite a rocket-launching video, orange space suits, and green painted alien dancers.