In 2003, Ill Bill declared himself to be the future. The truth is, Ill Bill is the past, the present AND the future. The cult leader is most definitely back. After several years of blood, sweat and no tears, the prophecy has been fulfilled with the breakout album The Hour of Reprisal. Clocking in at exactly 60 minutes and accompanied by a DVD of Ill Bill's wild night at punk rock mecca CBGB, Bill's latest effort is the surgically polished sum of his career…so far. An Ill Bill verse has never been an aimless journey through 16 bars, but rather a threatening configuration of world view, conspiracy theories, street corner politics and the most potent of all, real-life experiences that carry the listener through a perspective that stands unique; challenging anyone with half a brain to relate.

When one thinks of legendary New York Hardcore veteran and Madball vocalist Freddy Madball, most likely the first images that fall into focus involve mosh-pits, stage-diving and brutal screaming. But much like every other driven artist, there is more lurking underneath Freddy’s creative persona than one might realize. For example, although as a youngster Freddy was introduced to hardcore by his older brother and Agnostic Front mouthpiece Roger Miret, he also grew up with just as much love for hip-hop, which has carried through to this very day.
Stress’ beats are a combination of his hometown Philly sound mixed with a New York vibe blended with a variety of other influences, and they provide the creative spark for Freddy to nail down his highly personal, real and reflective lyrics in finalized form—the result of which have attracted the attention of a slew of figures in the underground hip-hop scene.