Ill Bill/Tech N9ne

Growing up in '80s Brooklyn, Ill Bill heard something common in Slayer and Public Enemy — and not just the sampled guitar riff that linked the dissimilar Def Jam artists. "The common thread was aggression, anger, energy, the vibe," he recalls. "At the time, there were only two forms of music where you're going to see five to ten ambulances parked outside a venue: hip-hop and metal." That omnivorous taste for music has continued through the rapper-producer's career, which includes underground legends Non Phixion, a collaboration with Wu-Tang's Raekwon, solo discs and a long-gestating disc by La Coka Nostra, showcasing an all-star group of underground rap titans. His upcoming new album, The Hour of Reprisal, features tour headliner Tech N9ne.