Customer Reviews

What's Wrong With Bill

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

The underground rapper Ill Bill at long last releases a solo album. Known for the morbid work he's done with his kid brother, the notorious Necro, Bill's style and content are truly his own, flowing with dark wit and unabashed social commentary.

With this release, Ill Bill reveals himself to be more than an underground hardcore "death" rapper like so many of his label's comrades. His infectious beats, his smooth voice and stellar lyrics combine to create an album that goes beyond the banality of today's radio rap (fun but empty-headed records by Lil' Jon and the Ying Yang Twins come to mind) and brings rap back to a level which it originates from: the spoken word.

Ill Bill's rhymes are in no way inane as are the majority of the material you hear from Eminem and Puff Daddy. Bill is actualy rapping about something in his songs, and it's not as simple as him wanting some girl to shake her rump.

"What's Wrong with Bill?", the title track, is a deep tune, filled with sorrow, reflection, confusion, paranoia, grief, lament and rage. It shines with the all-American hostility of the lost children in our society, the ones that fall through the cracks and grow up to be emotionally distant, scarred men and women. It's a profound track which I related to deeply, as will anyone who hasn't lead a life as decent as the norm.

Other tracks shine bright too, like the thug anthem "Glenwood Projects", a seriously aggressive song about hardship, misanthropy and a lust for violence. "Peace Sells" is a cool nod towards some of his metal influences (Megadeth, for those of you with no musical knowledge what-so-ever), and is one of the album's groovy songs about death. "Legend Has It" pops and kicks with a mean thump while the song describes the nightmare of drug dealing, car stealing and overall criminal behavior.

But "The Anatomy of a School Shooting" upstages it's fellow tracks. This song is politically incorrect in every possible way but speaks an unsung truth, that instead of blaming Marilyn Manson records and Doom video games for schoolyard bloodbaths, blame the uncaring society of the school itself. Ill Bill insists that if these kids were not bullied, picked on and abused by everyone in their lives then the mass murders never would have gone down. Instead of demonizing the killers, look to the people who made them. This is a truth no-one wants to admit or even hear. But it's like Dr. Frankenstien blaming everything on the monster he created. It's madness, and Bill says it flat out, and then goes beyond.

This is a powerful record that, as I said, returns rap to the art form of free expression which it birthed from, steering it away from the banal booty music it's become associated with. Ill Bill deserves to be the next big thing in rap music but he's probably too darn good to be popular. What can you do, the masses like crap.

Do yourself a favor though. Open your mind and check this out. It's intense, death-filled, horrific but wonderful rap and art. While Goretex's album is filled with great lyrics but poor beats, while Hyde's album is fun but not serious in any way, and while Necro continues to go darker and sicker without perfecting his voice, Ill Bill has managed to get everything right here.

This is an album not to be missed by anyone who is serious about rap, spoken word, or music in general.

i was kinda disappointed when i heard this cause ill bill is nicer than what i heard on this album.the album was mostly that overproof thug s**t.it wasn't as well thought out as the nonphixion "the future is now".imo this is the weakest solo album from nonphixion.the sabac red "sabacalypse: a change gon' come" is the illest,next the goretex "the art of dying",and then the ill bill.it just seemed like he didn't give it his all.don't get me wrong,this album is NOT wack,i just feel he could've done better but still worth checking out.

A member of the group Nonphixion, Ill Bill releases his solo album and man is it good, Necro, Ill Bill's younger brother who is a solo artist/producer and all round sick f**k gives Ill Bill some serious beats for which he could spit too. The beats are hard rugged and raw (just how I like them)and give the album a good template enabling Ill Bill to show his versatility, I was under the impression that while Nonphixion are a good group it kind of came across that Bill was quite limited in his subject matter but here he shows more depth that I feel was necessary for him to grow to become an all round mc, tracks like WHATS WRONG? and THE ANATOMY OF A SCHOOL SHOOTING demonstrate a good ability to show the listener the story by verbally illustrating the vivid scenes being told. Their are 15 tracks and one skit and out of that 15 only about two tracks are weak the rest are either solid or brilliant.
All the members of Nonphixion appear here, Goretex,Sabac Red and Necro as well appears on several songs, other appearances include Q Unique and Mr Hyde.

Overall this is an exceptional album from an equally exceptional label, constantly putting out quality product. I advise that you check this out, also check for Sabacalypse and both Nonphixion albums, you won't be disapointed.

into intense lyrics matched with some of the best flow around, and heavy fast paced beats.
whats wrong with bill is one of the best albums of 2004, very powerfull. ill bill lyrics slices your brain

I actually didn't know if I'd like this CD or not. I liked "THE FUTURE IS NOW" and it was probably my favorite of 2002, but there were some ^flaws^ in it. Also, none of the MC's really stood out to me. Now that I've heard "WHAT'S WRONG WITH BILL?" and SABAC's "SABACOLYSE:A CHANGE GON' COME" it's clear that there is more than a mere *cult album to them. ILL BILL has laid a masterpiece soaked in humor, death, youth, drugs, and not to mention sex. After one listen I was hooked on this CD, the beats are perfectly laid-out by NECRO and his voice just sticks a knife in your ear and makes you pay attention. There are just enough guests on the album to still call it his own and only one skit....YES!!! NONPHIXION is doing what WU-TANG CLAN did in the mid-90's = except on the underground. I just hope they don't fall off like so many WU members eventually did.

I had been hearing good things about What's Wrong With Bill for a while now. So I had to check it out for myself. First I downloaded it from Soulseek and I was blown away. I knew I had to go and buy this album. Last week I made the purchase. To start off, let me tell you that this album is entirely produced by Bill's younger brother Necro. I should go ahead and let you know that Necro is one of the best producers out there at the moment (maybe THE best). He has put out albums where he decided to rap but I can't stand him as an mc. His voice and flow are just awful and he could make Kanye West look like Rakim. Now for the album.

Let me forewarn you, the production is good on EVERY track of this album. Yes, EVERY track and I'm not exaggerating. "What's Wrong?" is the first track on this album. Bill's flow is powerful and Necro's production is stellar. This is a great way to start off the album. No intro, skits, or other BS. One of my favorite tracks is "Anatomy of a School Shooting". On this one Bill raps from the perspective of a kid who's been bullied and teased and he shows all the reasons why kids go nuts and shoot up their schools. In other words, he becomes one of the kids from the Columbine shootings. The concept is great and Bill also explains how when something tragic happens in America we just cry or get angry and never look into finding out why it happened in the first place. Bill let's you know why it happened. Necro does a good job with the horns on this track. "Glenwood Projects" is a posse cut that features Uncle Howie, Necro, and Goretex. Necro's production on this album will probably remind you of something from the G-Funk era. Everyone drops a dope verse here. Yes, even Necro's verse is surprisingly good. "Peace Sells" is another good conceptual song. On this one Bill puts himself in the role of evil and laces the track with tons of metaphors about the evils of society. This is one that you'll want to rewind over and over in order to fully understand it. The production on this song by Necro is damn near flawless. Another highlight of the album is "Chasing the Dragon". This has some of the best production on the album. Bill's verses are flawless and the song would be perfect if not for Necro's annoying voice on this song. He brings it down a little. "Porno Director" is a sexorcist track and may not be accessible by your average hip-hop fan. It's an original concept and shows that Bill isn't a one-dimensional mc like so many of today's artists are. Now on to my favorite track, "American History X". If you've heard Ill Bill on some of the other Non-Phixion releases then you would know that he has a big problem with the government. I never knew why until I heard this track. On "American History X" Bill clearly explains all of his beefs with government institutions and what not. His flow on this song is just brutal. You can tell that he truly believes what he's saying. Bill rounds up things with "The Final Scene". The production on this track is the best on the album. It's a symphony style beat and I guarantee you'll love it. The last track of the album is "Chasing the Dragon (Moshpit Mix). This track has a heavy metal influence. If you can't stand anything metal or rock then you probably won't even listen to this one. The other songs, Overkill, Unstoppable, Death Smiles and Murder, Alien Workshop, Canarsie Artie's Brigade, Uncle Zowie, and Legend Has It don't rank any less than 4 stars. Finally an album that's solid all the way through. I can't believe this is a 2004 release. This album combines themes of sex, violence, gory imagery, and social/political themes. For your average fan these themes might be too much outside the norm. Bill's flow switches up and he shows diversity on through the whole LP. Album of the year so far. Maybe a future classic. My advice, BUY IT!!!!

FYI: Necro plans on releasing a slew of solo releases for Non-Phixion artists over the next 12 months. He will be the sole producer on ALL of these albums. Hopefully the quality of the beats won't slip (because they were great on this one). After hearing this album, I will definitely be paying closer attention to the Non-Phixion label.

Ill bill is, well...Ill. If you're into Non-Phixion, then you already know this, so don't read any further just buy the damn CD. If you haven't heard Sir Bill before, then do yourself a favor and pick up this album; Ill Bill is the illest MC you've never heard of (and Necro, the producer of the cd, is quite possibly the dopest beatmaker the underground has to offer). Bill's flow is flawless, his rhyme-structuring is amongst the best in hip-hop, and his delivery is confident and impassioned. All the aforementioned characteristics are rather meaningless with dull subject-matter, thankfully Bill's got a psyche full of cop-hatred, paranoia, drugs, aliens and the occult to keep the songs interesting while they're being perfectly executed. This album represents the antithesis of everything that currently sucks about hip-hop: it's creative, it's unique, it's graphic, it's honest and, dare I say, it's intelligent. Bill deals with everything from feelings of self-worthlessness, to America's fascination with violence, to the mind of Eric Harris, to the Bush administration/war in Iraq and he's usually dead on. Also, you'll be happy to know that over the course of the entire album, not a single drop of Cristal is sipped, chains don't sparkle in the slightest, not a speck of ice blings, and there are no gator boots as far as the eye can see. In short, if you're into hip-hop but you're sick of Ja-rule, Nelly, Chingy and all the other mainstream tripe that's plaguing the genre, Ill Bill is the breath of fresh, gory, coke-snorting, government-hating, cop-killing, air you're in need of.

it ain't hard to tell. Consider me a new foot soldier for the Uncle Howie Camp. I was sleeping on that Non Phixion- Future Is Now until the recent re-release, also.

Necros production from top to bottom is bangin'. as far as ill bill the cat has to be recognized as one of the illest lyricists, regardless if you're into the subject matter. whats wrong with bill? absolutely nothing.

Now, what does make an album or musician powerful? Two things, talent and passion. Not one track on this album lacks either of those. ill Bill has always had one of the best flows in underground rap and with a genius like his younger brother Necro producing this, this is easily one of my ten favorite rap albums of all time. I really don't understand how mediocore rappers like ja rule and 50 cent get all the attention with their lame pop/rap bullsh*t featuring lame R&B singers ( a genre that should be destroyed) when you have rappers like ill bill making powerful passionate records. However, I guess that is how the mainstream works. So, if you love real rap, underground rap ( pretty much meaning the only decent rap) I reccomend this.

Whats Wrong? - 15/5 one of the best and a perfect opening song. The verses are filled with sorrow a lack of hope and trying to get life back together. Some of the best lyrics.

Overkill - 5/5 Again, with ill bill's flow and powerful lyrics another great song. "There is no love and loyalty left"

The Anatomy of a School Shooting - 10/5 this song Bill raps through the eyes of a high school kid who is outcasted and bullied and how nobody cares, also discusses suicide and the columbine shootings.

Glenwood Projects - 5/5 A song about Glenwood Projects (obviously) Where Bill, Goretex and Necro grew up/ Has a spoken word intro by the one and only Uncle Howie.

Peace Sells - 4.5/5 Great chorus and the title is obvious a reference to Megadeth, also mentions other metal bands which is great because metal was always my first love

Unstoppable - 5/5 I wasn't so sure about the beat and intro so I skipped this one a few times but again Bill's rhymes/ lyrics make this song great.

Death Smiles at Murder - 5/5 featuring Mr Hyde, talks about some messed up s*it but great.

Chasing The Dragon - 10/5 CLASSIC ill Bill/ Necro song. This is the rap version of the song. When these two rap together on a track, watch out.

Alien Workshop - 4.5/5 great beat only bad part is the dumb intro.

Canarsie Arties Brigade - 5/5 starts out slow but then it gets going and is worth the wait.

Porno Director - 4/5 Has like two intros. One with Uncle Howie and another one, has the entire Non Phixion team on this track (minus Dj Eclipse)

American History X - 4.5/5 the second verse makes this song great.

Uncle Zowie - ?/? just an interlude, sorda f*cked up/

Legen Has It - 5/5 the album picks up again with one of the best beats/ choruses on the album.

The Final Scene - 5/5 The beat has an epic feel to it, Bill is a great story teller in this one

Chasing the Dragon (moshpit Mix) - 10/5 metal version, again great. As I said before I love metal so this is a favorite.

So, what else can I say? If you love real, udnerground rap get this. I also reccomend, Non Phixion, other Pshyco+logical artists, Jedi Mind Tricks etc etc. Enjoy.