The Hour Of Reprisal

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).

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Ill Bill - The Hour of Reprisal review: Crossover appeal abounds, Ill Bill further refines his niche of the New York underground hip-hop scene.