What Inspires Ill Bill & Pete Rock? [Video]
ILL BILL is an emcee and hip hop producer from Brooklyn, NY. He earned an underground cult following as a member of the hip hop group Non Phixion from their early singles I Shot Reagan and Black Helicopters, as well as his collaborative work with his brother Necro. Due to label hesitation from the group’s content about government conspiracy theories, graphic violence, and porn, ILL BILL established his own label Uncle Howie Records in order to release their 2002 debut album, The Future Is Now. In 2004, ILL BILL released his debut solo album, What’s Wrong With Bill?, as well as a series of ILL BILL Is the Future mixtapes. In 2008, he released his second album, The Hour Of Reprisal, with features from Necro, Tech N9ne, B-Real (Cypress Hill), Everlast, Vinnie Paz (Jedi Mind Tricks), Immortal Technique, Raekwon (Wu-Tang Clan), and more. Production features include DJ Muggs, DJ Lethal, Necro, DJ Premier, and more. That same year, BILL co-founded the collective La Coka Nostra with Slaine, Danny Boy, DJ Lethal, and DJ Eclipse. The group’s debut album, A Brand You Can Trust, was released in 2009. BILL is also in a group with Vinnie Paz called Heavy Metal Kings, releasing their first album in 2011 which was self-titled. BILL’s third album, The Grimy Awards, was released in 2013, with features from A-Trak, El-P, Jedi Mind Tricks, O.C., Cormega, Meyhem Lauren, Q-Unique, and more, with production by DJ Premier, DJ Muggs, Pete Rock, Large Professor, The Beatnuts, Ayatollah, ILL BILL himself, and more.
Find out what inspires Pete Rock below.
Pete Rock is a hip hop producer, emcee, and DJ from Mount Vernon, NY. He earned fame in the early 90s as a member of the hip hop group Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, and by producing one of the most popular hip hop songs of all-time, “They Reminisce Over You”. As the older brother of emcee Grap Luva and younger cousin of the late Heavy D, Pete played a major role in merging jazz into hip hop music. In high school, he met C.L. Smooth, and in 1987, Pete was DJing with Marley Marl on New York’s WBLS radio show “In Control With Marley Marl”. In 1991, Pete & C.L. released the EP All Souled Out. In 1992, the two released their full-length debut album, Mecca & The Soul Brother, which has become a certified classic album. Pete was soon producing songs for Run-DMC, Nas, Jeru The Damaja, Public Enemy, and The Notorious B.I.G. In 1994, Pete & C.L. released their second full-length album, The Main Ingredient. In 1998, Pete released his solo album Soul Survivor, with features from Inspectah Deck, Kurupt, Method Man, O.C., Ghostface Killah, Kool G. Rap, Black Thought, MC Eiht, Big Punisher, Common, and more. In 2001, he released the instrumental album PeteStrumentals. Soul Survivor 2 was released in 2004, with features from Pharoahe Monch, RZA, Talib Kweli, Dead Prez, GZA, Slum Village, J. Dilla, and more. Pete entirely produced Edo G’s album in 2004, My Own Worst Enemy, and released another solo album in 2008, titled NY’s Finest. The album featured Raekwon, Masta Killa, Styles P, Sheek Louch, Redman, Papoose, and others. In 2012, Pete entirely produced Smif-N-Wessun’s album, Monumental.
