If you haven't checked out Joell Ortiz' and !llmind's collaborative album, humans, you are missing out on some of the toughest bars and banging beats of the year; the former assaults the ears with a barrage of lyrical TNT and the latter comes through with dark production that captures the seedier essence of inner-city living. These two are veterans in the game and have refined their respective crafts, which makes their collaboration so satisfying. Even though Ortiz' and !llmind's talents are held in high esteem, they have been mostly relegated to an underground position—a position they are more than willing to shoot their way out of if their latest video "Lil Piggies" is to be believed.
"Lil Piggies" feels like the release of all of the two's anger visualized in the most grindhouse era Tarantino film fashion. In the first scene, three beautiful women flank !llmind, cementing his status as a ruthless mafioso boss and a man on a mission. He is on the way to meet his assassin, who happens to resemble Ortiz. The Slaughterhouse rapper is mostly only seen in a butcher shop that would have Hannibal Lecter's mouth watering and stomach rumbling. Human bodies hang from meat hooks, covered with strange pig masks. Ortiz dons a creepy, manic smile as he talks about killing other rappers and swings a machete around, in preparation for tonight's murder.
If you had any doubts that !llmind and Ortiz are still hungry, "Lil Piggies" should put your mind at ease. While it errs on the side of horror and has a lot of memorable imagery, the video still clearly depicts the passion and focus these two have for their art and their willingness to take down all adversaries to get to their rightful spot. Check out the video above and definitely peep their album, humans.
