March 29, 2024
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FLH Exclusive: ILL “Mental ILLness” Interview

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ILL is directly from the Golden Age Era of Hip-Hop! Back when Hip-Hop was a new thing and the mainstream and bullshit politicians feared it, ILL was writing the most evil sounding bars and pushed Hip-Hop beyond what was normal. With Over 25 years of experience under his belt, this underground Hip-Hop elite is still making music and battle rapping to this day! Salute to ILL for giving Faygoluvers this bad ass exclusive!

Chad Thomas Carsten: Why the name ILL and what exactly inspired your stage name?

ILL: Peace, Chad. I’d like to start off by saying thanks a lot for appreciating my work and taking the time to put this interview together. Big Ups to Scottie D and everyone else at Faygoluvers.net! Keep up the great work. My name actually came from a basement tape track I recorded on cassette in the early 1990’s called “Da ILL Patient”, which was basically about the effects the drug dust (aka ILL) has on a person, with a repeated hook of “Da ILL Patient’s Here” which caught on to people, because of the rising popularity of the drug in my area at that time. I was going by the name D.O.A (Dope On Arrival). Most of the time after that song when people saw me, I was greeted as ILL Patient Or ILL for short, as sort of nicknames. After awhile, ILL just stuck, especially when the style I had was just spitting about death and evil torture shit, most of the time when I was coming up. I was an angry child. *Laughs* Also, it felt like a challenge to me. When people hear the name ILL, they’re gonna expect something really ill! So, I would have to meet that expectation, pushing me to work harder. Plus, there was no one as just ILL (Ill Will, Ill Bill,Ill Table etc). So many people have told me the name fits perfectly when they hear my work and I appreciate that a lot! Every blue moon you’ll see a rapper with the name ILL, but I’ve grinded within the industry, underground scene and battle scene for years, making it a staple for myself… even making appearances on MTV, BET, Apollo Theatre and The Queen Latifah Show, among others.

Peace to anyone who knows how long I’ve been holding the name down and much love to those who know the shit I’ve been through to get where I am today. On a sidenote, I will be releasing “Da ILL Patient” along with more early 1990’s basement tapes tracks in the future, once I dig them out to be cleaned and transferred over from cassette. I’ve been part of the “Rap Game” well over 25 years and have accomplished tons of amazing things. I’ve had my brushes with fame, even been signed, but I’m not one to boast. I let the music speak for itself and leave Google for my history *Laughs* You’d have to be specific on what you search for, ILL is so fucked up on Google when you type it in. One thing is for sure, nothing has been more rewarding than doing everything on my own and getting the music out there in as many ways as I can, which is the most important goal at the end of the day.

CTC: Did you come up with your own artist logo?

ILL: My first logo ever I drew it myself, of a microphone with a straight jacket on. And it actually sold out quickly when I pressed the t-shirts up, but I wanted something a bit more simple with just my name. A talented friend of mine, “Brian Bean”, drew up the current logo I am using now. I basically told him “I like skulls” and that was it. He did a great job! I probably will never have another logo made up – it’s just that perfect to me! Thanks Again, Brian.

ILL Logo by Bean

CTC: Where did you grow up and how did it shape you into the recording artist you are today?

ILL: I was born and raised in Bridgeport, CT. I can sit here and tell you about all the terrible shit that has happened to me in my life, which will explain 90% of the reasons I am the artist I am today, but instead I will say it has shaped me into a stronger more driven artist than I could’ve imagined. Music helped in a huge way to cope with everyday struggles, which builds character for an artist in itself and also prepared me better mentally. My neighborhood peers were a main source of my encouragement, often taking me into the basement for Rap Cyphers and Beat Box Sessions. It motivated me to be the best out of my circle, til it eventually came to be. I love creating music and just wanted to share it with people and thought if I could have such an impact in my own neighborhood, why not take it elsewhere?! And as I did, I began to get noticed and worked harder. The hunger just grew and grew. Aside from my obvious passion for doing it, my main two neighborhood peers that actually got me started in rap, both went to prison for life. So, in a way I always felt like I’ve also continued for them. I didn’t have a lot growing up so, I learned to appreciate things much more, which applies to my musical accomplishments that I’m very grateful for. No matter how far you get, there is always a place it started from. Peace CT!

CTC: How old were you when you first started writing your own lyrics and knew Hip-Hop was the route to go? How many years have you been part of the Rap Game?

ILL: It took awhile before I started to write anything down, I was just free-styling all the time in School Yard Rap Battles, Basement Rap Sessions and so on. An opportunity came for me to perform at a Multi-Cultural Festival when I was 15, in front of hundreds of people. I knew I couldn’t just freestyle the whole time with no structure. I really thought I needed to write a song to perform, so a neighborhood peers’ father knew a producer, who gave me a beat and I just wrote to it. I remember such a feeling of accomplishment with being able to create a song by myself and became addicted to it, writing lyrics on anything I could get my hands on, eventually being able to craft multiple songs per day. I was hooked!

CTC: Who were your biggest influences and what albums were most influential to you as an artist?

ILL: To be honest my biggest influences were my neighborhood peers, because that’s all I knew coming up at first. It took a little time before I got into the radio and started buying cassette tapes. I was just consumed in “Basement Sessions” feeding off everyone rapping around me; I was fascinated. As far as known artists that have been influential to me, they could probably range from Rakim to Wu Tang Clan to Beastie Boys to Kool G Rap. I mean, I love music – it’s all an influence. What mostly influences me is the way I feel about a song I really love and strive to give that same feeling to people when I make music.  If I had to name a few albums that were influential to me as far as Hip-Hop period I would say, Wu Tang Clan’s “Enter The 36 Chambers”, Big Pun’s “Capital Punishment” and even Mobb Deep’s “Hell On Earth”. There are a lot of classics out there. At this present moment, my new album “MENTAL ILLNESS” is my biggest influence, because it’s dope as fuck! So I know I gotta come even ILLer on the next one. I stay working. ILL – “Blessed In Cursed Water” coming not that soon, but soon.

CTC: What best describes your own style of Hip-Hop?

ILL: I have a true passion for Hip-Hop and I’m very competitive so my style has always been aggressive. Between having a rough childhood and a love for horror films, my lyrics have always been dark and at most times, angry or violent. That’s the magic of venting. I’ve learned to switch it up quite a bit, but still make sure the ILL element is there. I don’t listen to the radio, so I am not influenced by anything and that’s why it sounds so different from a lot of the bullshit you hear. If you are a true underground Hip-Hop fan and not a hater, there is no possible way (in my opinion) that my sound won’t hit you. Well-thought verses, hard-hitting beats, that’s ILL.

CTC: If a first-time listener were to bump to any of your tracks, they could easily imagine that the power comes from some kind of anger or frustration from within your past. Can you confirm this? Where is the source of the creativity? What locations do you find is the best when writing?

ILL: I’ve gone through a lot in my life and have definitely had my share of the worst times, which has had a huge influence on how I express myself musically, but it’s also the reason I don’t take my problems out on other people. Music helps me relieve stress in a big way. People have definitely shit on me along the way, so that would also explain my “I’ll Kill You” type of shit. *Laughs* My source of creativity depends on whatever is happening in my life at that time or how I feel; my mind is always spinning with ideas. As far as the creative direction of a track, it really depends on the beat most of the time for me, personally. Best places to write for me are either alone in a dimly lit room or outside somewhere peaceful. Also, when I collab with artists it’s always better to sit in a room and create together rather than writing separately, in my opinion. Creativity is huge if you really want to stand out and be different than everyone else.

CTC: What type of discipline do you put yourself through to create your own art within Hip-Hop?

ILL: I’m pretty critical of myself. I want everything I do to sound the best it can possibly sound at all times, no half ass shit. There is a process of things you have to go through when you create music so, discipline is really key when it comes to patience and staying focused. I sometimes look back at things that could have prevented my career from happening. For example, I’ve been homeless, shot at, robbed, in jail, and even hospitalized. So, to be where I am now is truly a blessing and those reminders have been more than enough to keep me disciplined and on track. Creating your own art in Hip-Hop is only the start. Keeping it relevant is where the true work is.

CTC: If you were the fan, would you purchase your own music and why?

ILL: I would absolutely buy my music if I was the fan. I’m not just saying it, because it’s me. It’s really good music – true underground with an original sound. Hard-hitting grimy beats, dope metaphors and schemes, sick scratches and you don’t have to skip every other track. It’s ILL! Just do what some underground fans would do these days and steal my music, it’s worth a listen.

CTC: For the new fans, what can someone expect at a live ILL Show and why should they attend an Ill show?

ILL: Anyone who has seen me perform live can tell you my energy is insane. I cannot help it! When I get up there and feel the beat bumping through me, there is no feeling like it.  It’s like I’m possessed by it.

You can always count on seeing me spazz when it comes to a live show. I never need hypemen, have background vocals, nor do I ever lip sync EVER! That is not live and the sooner that is realized by rappers, the better. You can also expect me to have hard copies of my music on deck at all times and am known to give way an album or two. Live performance is one of my favorite aspects of Hip-Hop, so every chance I get to represent I make sure an impact is left. If I am ever in your area, come see for yourself, I won’t disappoint.

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CTC: As an artist, how do you stand up against censorship?

ILL: I don’t really pay it any mind to be honest, Man. If someone says “Pussy Fuck” in a track, then that’s a lyric of the song, why be mad at it?! They should censor wack bars before they worry so much about language from the sound of all this radio bullshit you hear. Speak freely artists! And for those in favor of censorship, fuck, cunt, shit, eat sluts, cum stain, bloody asshole.

CTC: How important is it to have visual impact within a music video?

ILL: I think visual impact is very important, if not most important these days, especially with Youtube, even Facebook, where you have the potential to reach millions of people. Fans who follow your music can connect with it more by seeing you actually saying the words with expression and if you are creative enough to match the song concept perfectly with the video, it can make fans feel the track that much more! True fans of your music will always watch a video when presented. You have to really have new and different ideas these days when it comes to videos, you can’t just stand on the corner anymore.  People want to see cool and original shit! My homie Shane Mclellan of Shanefilms.com has done all my videos and dude is amazing at what he does! Be sure to go check out his work.

CTC: The true meaning behind the Mental ILLness album title?

ILL: Creating music is always on my mind constantly and always has been excessively since I started doing it and no matter what I do it’s like a sickness that never goes away, therefore making it my own “Mental Illness.” I can’t stop, even if I tried. Not to mention, the fucked up shit I say all over the album. Just for fun fact, I’ve also been in the Psych Unit where I wrote songs, so people can judge me if they want. I care more about mouse turds than their opinions.

Mental ILLness Front

CTC: Were there any personal moments from own life where you helped someone battle their own Mental Illness?

ILL: There have been many instances where I was able to help someone struggling with Mental Illness, by sharing my own personal stories and experiences of depression with them, giving the person someone to relate to. I always do my best to help those in need when I can. Most people just need someone to listen every now and then.

CTC: Is there a deeper metaphor behind the album cover of Mental ILLness with you in a straight jacket?

ILL: Well like I said before, I think of music as a sickness to me. I can’t stop if I tried, which is the main meaning, but if you want to know/get more deeper into it, I really have been to the Psych Unit. So, the straight jacket is a past wardrobe of mine. I’m not ashamed to share that and am very open about my past. Everyone is faced with certain demons in life. I’m just glad I’ve had music to help me through mine.

CTC: What new challenges did you face when recording Mental Illness and how did you overcome the challenges? Any new techniques you learned and anything you wanted to do for a song that you never had the chance to do, but was able to do it on Mental ILLness? If so, what was it?

ILL: A big challenge at first was getting the beats together. My production team is from Sweden so it wasn’t like I could just roll through their crib and put the album together. Shout out to my expert beat makers, my bros and partners in crime, Patrik Lundin and Christopher Ratcliffe of Full Aim Productions. The album is entirely produced by them. Beasts within the production, period! I didn’t have Skype at the time, so you can only imagine the phone bills. WTF?! is all I have to say! Like I said earlier, I had a time where I was dealing with homelessness. And eventually had no phone, so it was VERY stressful trying to stay in constant contact to build with each other, but we pulled through some how. At some point in every musician’s career, finance becomes an issue, unless you just got it like that, I ain’t mad at ya. Once life and finances were in order, another challenge was finding the perfect studio to record at. I have to thank Ryan Bond for putting me on to SineWave Recording Studio, where my good homie Jon Midi, recorded and mixed the entire album. He did an awesome job; shit sounds clean. We had a blast recording this project. It’s a challenge in itself to find someone you can have a good work chemistry with. So much love to Jon for being a part of this album’s success! It was always a pleasure, thanks.

A few other small challenges in between were like getting the verses for all the collab joints and getting up with DJ Neb about adding the cuts. I remember how busy he was at the time and still made it happen and killed It! As far as doing something I never had a chance to do, but did on this album, I would say track 16 called “Untitled”. It also has a video, which is hilarious. I don’t usually do “Comedic Rap”, but I’ve been disappointed in a lot of Hip Hop for awhile and just decided to make a song about it, but in a funny way. The only way to understand is by seeing the video or hearing the song. Trust me on this one, it’s something different than I usually do, but the ILL element is still there. Fun track! On a sidenote, I couldn’t have done this album without the support of my amazing girlfriend Adrienne, who’s been by me the entire time through every studio visit. It was stressful at times, but she hung in there.

CTC: What kept your creative process flowing when recording Mental ILLness?

ILL: My determination to get it completed and out to the people. It’s been a long time coming and there’s been many obstacles that have tried to get in the way of getting this project done, but now that it is I am more than happy with the final outcome. Everything is exactly the way I wanted It! I think any first-time listener will appreciate it. Very proud of this one.

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CTC: Can you break down each track featured on Mental ILLness? As in the true meaning of the lyrics within each track, what personal life moments inspired them, choosing the beats and how you went about choosing the guest features and how many hours you spent in the studio and the details on the set of the tracks that became music videos?

ILL: I can probably write a book on the album alone. There are so many details involved, so I will do my best to list a few fun facts about each song. First, I will say that as far as choosing the beats, every beat was made custom for each song on this album (with the exception of a few that were chosen from The Arsonal). It didn’t take much time recording it. Most of the time went into mixing, mastering, arranging the order, adding cuts/verses, and so forth. I probably banged out all the vocals for the album in 2 1/2 to 3 sessions, which would add up to about 16 hours or so. That included dubs on everything and hooks too. I was very determined to get it done as quickly and efficiently as possible, for money was tight at times. Ok, let’s run through this tracklist right quick.

The Mist” – I actually was homeless when I wrote this song, sitting on my friend Fat Mike’s floor, while he was playing Call of Duty. A sample in the beat is from Stephen King’s movie “The Mist”, custom made for me by Full Aim. The concept is pretty clear, especially if you watch the video, which can be viewed on YouTube. It’s also the first video I recorded for this project and one of my favorite’s on the album.

“ILL” – The first song I wrote for this album. I remember writing this when I lived on Daggett Street in New Haven, CT, in the old building where they use to film independent porn movies. It’s usually a crowd favorite live and someone was once attacked during a performance of it.

“Warning Shot” ft. Lisa Ward – I met Lisa at Toad’s Place in New Haven, CT, but heard about her before that and she had heard about me, also. We instantly clicked and after a short conversation a track was in the works. Lisa is very talented and has also made appearances at the Apollo Theatre. I remember the night we recorded there was an insane rain storm and I recorded “Don’t Cross” ft. Doc Jones and White Cheddar on the same night (which is not on the Mental ILLness album, but on ILL Collabs Vol.3.Mixtape), which reminds me to tell you that ILL Collabs Vol. 1-6 are also out now and I will be getting more hard copies pressed up.

“Skull Crusher” – If everyone had sort of a “Haters Anthem”, I guess this would be mine. Written sitting on the floor with headphones on in a room full of people playing Guitar Hero and it was so loud I could barely hear the beat playing. I remember writing this one down on the back of a coloring book cover, a Teenage Ninja Mutant Turtles coloring book to be exact.

“This Bitch” ft. Raiza Rapz – I catch a lot of flack for this one, because of the way I disrespect females in it, but it’s all in the creative process, everyone has an ex out there. And for those who have a deep dislike for theirs, this is the song for you! Raiza Rapz is a very close friend of mine (which explains why he is on this album). But beyond that he is an awesome artist and I love working with him. Rapz is on the first full “Aim Track” I ever recorded, which is titled “Full Aim”. You can find it on YouTube.

“Reign Of Terror” – I originally released this song over another beat with the intention of dropping the album not too far after that, but the album took much longer to get out than I expected, so by the time the album was finished that version was kind of old to me, so if I was going to still put it on the album I had to make it a bit different. I like the album version much better! It sounds more evil than the original. I wrote “Reign Of Terror” on the rocks at West Haven Beach, and finished it during a game of cards, where the glass table we were playing on got shattered.

“Zoned” – This track is crazy! No hook, just non-stop bars from the time the beat starts right up to the second it ends. I never wrote down one word of it on paper. I woke up one morning and just started coming up with bars for fun until I had like 100 memorized, so I decided to just pick an Ill ass beat and drop it on the album for something a little less structured.

“Getcha ft. Righteousness Gone” – Righteousness Gone, (which was made up of Madecipha and Anthro) is no longer a group. This was the last song they ever recorded together. The beat was supposed to be used for something else, but ended up on the album once plans of another collab fell through. Solid track and DJ Neb kills the cuts on this one. It easily has one of my best verses on the whole album.

“Sickness” – Basically “Battle Rap” bars in a nut shell over a truly disgusting beat. Classic ILL!

“Globulous” – Usually my show opener and also has a video. One of the ILLest acapellas for real! I started to come up with that one on the toilet to be honest. I remember staring at the floor tiles thinking of the word “globulous” and wondering if I could make an entire track of words that rhymed with it. Pretty random memory, but I can’t make this shit up!*Laughs*

“Heavy Barrel” ft. Lisa Ward”- Recorded on the same stormy night as “Warning Shot”! This is the mosh pit banger!  Guitar, hard drums and dope scratches with the addition of Lisa’s vocals. It has a whole new sound to it. Friends who are fans of Rock Music have told me “Even though they are not that into Hip-Hop, they really loved that song”, which is cool.

“Treacherous” ft. Donnie Menace” – I’ve known Donnie for awhile. We’ve talked about doing another track for quite some time. I’m glad we were able to get it done. The thought that comes to mind when I think of this song is punching a baby! I’m not sure why, but I’m pretty sure it’s Donnie’s fault.

“Catch Bodies” – Another fav of mine and also has a video for it, which is insane! The beat for this track is probably one of my favorite beats, ever! It’s just so nasty! While filming this video, I had my boy Paulie Walnuts tied with an extension cord and plastic on a table for probably 2 hours without moving. I even (fakely) ripped his intestines out! I mean, what a mother fucking friend, real talk. I want to take a second to say I could never give every detail of everything in one interview. It would take forever, so this is pretty fun just being able to drop some behind the scenes knowledge on y’all about songs and recording the album.

“Pop Off” ft.Tahkid – Tahkid is an emcee who has done work with Full Aim in the past, before Full Aim and I linked up (which was on Myspace quite a few years ago). Tahkid is considered part of the Full Aim Family, so I felt like having him on this album, needed to happen!

“Dirty 2” ft. James Joyce, 5:am, White Cheddar & Benny Ghost – This track is a sequel to the song “Dirty”, we did off Benny Ghost’s “Perfect Timing” album and has a video for it. We did Part 2 with a video also, but it never ended up on an album. So seeing that I wanted to get 5:am, Cheddar, and the fellas on the album anyway, it only made sense to throw it up there, especially when the beat was right up the alley of how I wanted the album to sound. I’m hanging from a noose spitting in the video, shit looks sick!

“Untitled” – This track was never meant to be anything, but a joke at first. I was going to create a character named S.W.A.H. (Short White And Hated), dress in a costume, disguise my voice and do it like that. Seeing that I don’t really do much “Comedic Rap” but right at the end I decided to use it for the last song on the album just to see how it would fly and it has definitely been a favorite to say the least. If you watch the video I’m pretty sure you will see why, it’s hilarious and totally out of left field coming from me. “Untitled” also has a bonus track attached to it. There are many personal life moments that have triggered different songs and created certain moods for songs, but I’ll save that for the movie. *Laughs* As far as the songs I chose to do videos for, I obviously felt strongly about the tracks themselves, but even more I wanted each video to have its own element and be totally different from the next. Like “The Mist” has the vintage black and white look and visual effects, while “Catch Bodies” has the horror theme. “Untitled” is just totally ridiculous funny ass shit with awesome special effects. It’s just entertaining all the way through. Then you also have “Globulous” with its own epic feel to it in the warehouse. Variety is key. There is still so much more for y’all to see and hear. 2016, here I come!

CTC: How soon will there be a follow up to Mental ILLness?

ILL: I’ve had tracks for a new album “Blessed In Cursed Water” for quite sometime, which is completely written, just need to start laying the tracks down. The reason I’m not doing that at the moment is “Mental ILLness” is still fresh. Plus I just dropped it and have 4 videos for it with more on the way. So, I’m gonna make sure shit reaches everywhere it can possibly get it before I start recording another one. Too much at once can sometimes lose people, that’s why instead of doing several albums in a short time and not pushing them all equally I just put out one quality project and push that one full force. I will be doing a lot more video and dropping exclusive songs in between the wait for my next one along with, some crazy collabs in the works. I’ll probably put another album out sometime in 2017. I have so much going on as far as travel plans in 2016, I’ll wait till all that calms down and see what’s what then. Just know I have a lot of surprises that are almost ready to drop on y’all, so get ready!

CTC: How important is it to you to stay in contact with fans and actually meet and greet them at a show?

ILL: I’m always happy to meet a fan of my music at shows and most of the time when I do, I usually end up kicking it with them half the night. It’s always great to take time to let fans get to know you because no matter how dope your music is to people, if you act like a stuck up asshole, fans are going to be turned off and that’s not what you want if you’re looking for listeners to support you. I love all my fans and appreciate the support so much, it means a lot! It’s a lot of hard work putting music together and releasing it. I REALLY do appreciate the support more than fans know. To anyone that took the time to read this interview and is a true Underground Hip Hop fan waiting for a breath of fresh air, please find me on Facebook. It’s ILL Vader. Shoot me a name and address and I will ship you a copy of the new “MENTAL ILLNESS” album! BOOM!

CTC: Thoughts on piracy and is the major label industry collapsing for good?

ILL: I guess there is an upside to piracy in the fact that people want your music enough to steal it. *Laughs* Recording albums and making videos is not a cheap thing to invest in, so it definitely helps when people are generous enough to purchase the CD. Anyone who has, thus far, it means a lot… THANKS! As far as the industry collapsing, that already happened in my opinion.

CTC: What movie director would you love to have your music featured inside one of their films and why?

ILL: Probably Quentin Tarantino. I could definitely hear my music in the background of one of his films. A lot of my songs are dark sounding with crazy content similar to his movies, not to mention he’s a Wu-Tang Clan fan, so I’m sure he would appreciate my sound. My video “Catch Bodies” sort of has that Tarantino feel to it. My director Shane Mclellan killed it once again. As a side note, if I had to mention one director non-living it would be Stanley Kubrick all day! A Clockwork Orange and The Shining are my shits!

CTC: Any advice to the younger artists who want to start out on their own?

ILL: Originality is key first off. Be passionate about whatever you’re trying to accomplish and don’t let anyone distract you from the goals you set for yourself. Things won’t always be easy, but if you keep putting the effort in, there is no limit to the possibilities.

CTC: Dream Collabos, dead or alive, with any artists from any genre and what type of track would you like to create with them if offered the opportunity?

ILL: Good shit man, that’s a creative and fun question. I would like to take a second to say this has been a very good interview thus far and a lot of these questions are ones I’ve not heard, which are pretty cool to answer. So nice work, Chad, I’m enjoying it. With that said and without thinking too hard, I think a pretty sick collab to me would be Buffy from The Fat Boys and Jock Box from The Skinny Boys beat boxing for the Hooks with DJ Muggs scratching over it. For the first verse, I would have a beat produced by RZA and the second verse would be produced by Snowgoonz. Featured on the track would be myself and Redman with additional piano by Beethoven and background vocals By Whitney Houston. The song would probably be about how Hip-Hop is a drug that is hard to kick and ends up killing us all in the end. Just a thought.

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CTC: The future of ILL and final shout outs?

ILL: The future of ILL is looking bright with new projects in the works, new fans made, new opportunities on the table, new connections to build with, a new tour in the works and most importantly, a new outlook on things. I’m extremely focused at the moment and am very excited for you to hear what I’ve been cooking up behind the curtains. As far as the “Mental ILLness” album, I am so very grateful to anyone who took the time to purchase it, whether hard copy or digital download. Sales have picked up a lot recently. I really appreciate it! Anything helps the cause. Aside from making music, I also have Rap Battles on YouTube for those interested in that. Most of them in a league called “iBattle Worldwide” ran by my good friend Tim “Logic” Van Dusen. Be Sure to subscribe iBattleTv on YouTube. The reason I mention that is not many Battle Rappers are making good music these days, so when people see that I can be good at both, it’s nice for the fans. A few to definitely watch are ILL vs Dia, ILL vs SGram and ILL vs Mendoza. There are quite a few more really dope ones; they should pop up in related videos. Just giving a few favs of mine.

Final shout outs go to you Chad for a great interview, Faygoluvers.net, Jon Midi, Full Aim Productions, Shane Mclellan, Lil Mattress and YUNG PASTRY. And absolutely everyone that had anything to do with helping make ‘Mental ILLness” happen! I Mean EVERYONE, y’all know who you are. Special thanks to friends, family, and haters. Also, make sure to check out the following videos on YouTube! Thanks! -ILL

1.”The Mist” 2.”Catch Bodies” 3.”Untitled” 4.”Globulous” All Produced By Full Aim Of Gothenburg, Sweden. More to come, something new brewing as we speak. Peace, Father Fuckers!

Please purchase ILL’s latest album “Mental ILLness” here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ill4

Interviewer: Chad Thomas Carsten

Interview Date:01/02/16

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