Posted on: December 12, 2008 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

Fresh off of his successful 2 month North American tour in support of his critically acclaimed and fan-approved sophomore solo album The Hour Of Reprisal, ILL BILL is about to unleash quite possibly the most personal and creative project of his celebrated career: an uncompromising look at his relationship with one of the most influential individuals in the MC’s life; his Uncle Howie. The video was directed by 23 year old Adam Calfee, who has also experienced the pain of addiction in his own family.

Bill explains “When I was a kid, I looked up to Howie. My parents split when I was little and my mom was at work all the time. My grandmother raised me and my uncle was always around. Now that I’m older, I know that he was a heroin addict with all kinds of severe issues but as a kid, I had no idea what heroin addiction was.”

Those familiar with Bill’s career are aware of Uncle Howie’s presence in Bill’s life. His record label is named after him, there’s a ton of Uncle Howie merchandise out there and you may have even read about Howie in magazines such as Mass Appeal.

“Naming the label after him was a joke at first. It wasn’t until much later that it took on a deeper meaning. It was my way of attaching something positive to a person who had a huge, positive impact on me” states the MC. Bill continues “He had the potential for greatness but ended up going down the wrong path. Me including him in my music is my way of giving back.”

This incredible piece of animation is set to debut on YouTube today. ILL BILL concludes “I didn’t even know if I was gonna put it on the record or not. I didn’t want to embarrass him. I’ve never really gone that far… I never got that personal as far as my uncle goes. He loved it. He told me he’d be upset with me if I didn’t put it on the record.”

Please post buy links if you can! http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=288488391&s=143441

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