Album Review: Illergic - Illville

There are two layers to Australian hip hop. The first you all know about – big choruses for big festivals. Happy smiles from happy emcees stoked that the mainstream is finally giving the homegrown product a run. The second layer you may not be as familiar with. It's under your feet and populated by those who shun the light and couldn't give a toss whether their video will be shown on commercial television. Sydney native Illergic is one of these people. After doing time in the legendary Terminal Illness crew (do yourself a favour and track down their incredible Padlock Your Heads LP) this talented emcee has struck out on his own with an album that brims with malevolent rhymes and hypnotic head-nodding beats.

Illergic's great strength is his ability to describe societal ills with empathy and intelligence. Street-level problems (poverty, unemployment, substance abuse and racism) demand a street-level perspective – and Illergic has it in spades. His quickfire flow is fiercely addictive and demands immediate attention. With guest spots from the likes of Bias B, Reason and the Cannibal tribe, along with skillful cuts from DJ K-Works, Illville is a complete package from one of Australia's finest underground emcees.

If you're sick of pop choruses and festival fodder and yearn for a return to the grimy Australian underground of old where emcees battled and beats left a hole in your chest cavity then Illville is calling your name.