Pill’s amicable split with Maybach Music Group/Warner Music Group came unexpectedly, yet the move was imperative considering his position in the crew. Initially advertised as a favorable move for all parties involved, the year-long partnership saw the once-prized Atlanta emcee take a disconcerting back seat to rap colleagues who received the label’s green light. Back on the solo tip and euphemism intact, “The Epidemic” joins Pill’s series of mixtapes that illustrate his tried and true formula of delivering a strong dose of reality for the streets.
Though his breakout single “Trap Goin’ Ham” and past projects have solidified him as a prominent figure within the Hip Hop scene, Pill makes it clear on “4 Life”
that his nine-to-five prior to rapping was a necessity for personal growth and likewise survival. On the flipside, Pill is also able to thoroughly depict the shortcomings of his youthful endeavors. “New Shoes N New Clothes” (previously featured on last year’s mixtape “The Diagnosis”) is an admirable performance that encapsulates the mentality of a corner boy, while “Dreamin” envisions a life that is void of grim circumstances. Despite these negatives, Pill finds the strength to carry on in hopes of a better life (“Head To Da Sky”).
Few emcees with Pill’s street credibility could deliver a fiery block anthem like “Parking Lot,” playfully muse about their significant other on the laid back cut “Chill Out,” and in the same breadth dedicate a heart-filled tribute (“Why It Gotta Be Like Dis (Mama)”), yet this versatility found on “The Epidemic” comes without any compromise to his artistic integrity. Eulogizing his mother’s passing on the latter record, Pill raps:
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“Ain’t enough time in this song to tell you how much I miss ya / Tears falling at every wall that carries your picture / I remember them days begging you please to stop / Your lil’ son needed your love but you needed the rock (damn) / But you made sure there was meals on the table for us / Can’t even describe how I got strength from your faith and courage.”
In spite of what label heads at Warner Brothers may have surmised during Pill’s tenure there, his latest mixtape is proof that the Pink City representative is more than capable of effectively carrying out his brand of music to the masses. And, if in fact “The Epidemic” is Pill’s last mixtape until his debut album The Medicine, let’s hope his musical remedy comes sooner than later.
DX Consensus: “EP-Worthy”
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