It would make sense for a rapper from the Southern United States, named after a violent revenge flick, to drop aggressive and blood-drenched bars about a nihilistic lifestyle of organized crime in fulfillment of vicious vendettas. It would make sense, but that's not what Kill Bill: The Rapper is doing. He's not about to take a finger for every kilo you owe him, or katanaing your Dad to satisfy an ancient feud- no, he's not about that life. His existence revolves around binge-watching Steven Universe with friends and ordering Post-Mates- and I fuck with that. That is literally my life too... only, I couldn't rap to save my life, while Bill's raps might just take you back from whatever ledge you've been inching towards. His music might be the thing that gets you out of cold, and into a huge box.
What's striking about Bill's flow on his latest LP Snowglobe Theory, is its measured sturdiness in the face of life's many disappointments and travails. Wrapped in a deep Southern-drawl that is, ironically, reminiscent of some very un-Southern types, weaving between the bassy growl of Tyler, the Creator and the smooth, teeth-licking, savory pour of a rapper like GZA, Bill is able to imbue his rhymes with a sense of stoney conscious, that makes his message clear and relatable as a communication about the heartbreaks and hard-knocks he survived in his life, even when it appears that he's just talking about anime.
It's hard to underplay how soft Bill's heart is, and the vulnerability and sensuousness apparent in style is kind of arresting. It is not something I am used to encountering in rap that is so steeped in irony poisoned swamps of internet culture. Rappers have become increasingly comfortable sharing their genuine feelings through their music in recent decades, but the most lauded examples of which tend to fetishize the rapper's pain and mental ailments. Bill feels centered in contrast. He shares some dark thoughts on tracks like "DoNotDisturb" and "A While," but his bars feel more like breakthroughs than breakdowns- which very is cool. Mental health is important and it's genuinely inspiring to hear someone processing their emotions in a positive way, rather than simply being wrecked by their invasive presence.
Beyond the bars, the beats on Snowglobe Theory are the type that checks a lot of boxes in terms of their ability to produce an atmosphere of effortless cool. The way Bill mashes together funk flare, city pop glimmer and Golden Era breaks is perfectly infectious. The wailing synth loop on "Ring Ring" gives me chills like a drop of frosty ice melt dropping down the back of my shirt and running down my spine, while the plaintive "Pearl" rides a melancholy guitar riff through a constellation of cold starlight towards a resolution of Vulcan like mind-meld, and the street-light like glare reflecting off the dusky slices of synth and Sailor Moon SFX on "What to Say" is absolutely transportive.
Winter is not over yet and we've still got a haul ahead of us, so why not hunker down and stay warm with so Snowglode Theory? It's what I plan to do until conditions outside improve.