FSD Checks In With E.C. Illa On The 15th Anniversary Of The Illa LP

E.C. Illa, a true Chicago hip-hop pioneer and underground legend has been eerily quiet over the past few years.  Removing himself from the scene altogether to focus on other endeavors, the retired Ill State Assassin was last heard from in 2008, when he gave his final interview with DJDeluge.com.  Luckily, we were able to track down E.C. and he was nice enough to give us a few words on the anniversary of his seminal project, the Illa LP.

The Illa LP was released 15 years ago tomorrow (October 30, 1995) and was project that showcased raw boom bap hip-hop with a Chicago twist.  It was also a huge independent success, with E Cilla moving units across the globe.  From the “On Ill” video receiving serious burn on BET’s Rap City and The Box, to “What You Be About” taking the streets by storm; this well-rounded project satisfied the palate of hip-hop purists everywhere.

From his future plans, to his thoughts on the current state of the indie game, check out a few jewels from one of the all time greats…

What are your thoughts on the way music is bought and sold these days? Like, artists are just giving away music for free nowadays and that’s the norm. You were very protective of your product and how it was sold. What do you think this “new era”?

When you stop and think about it, not too much has really changed. Major labels still completely monopolize all major radio, TV and retail outlets. The only real difference nowadays is the internet, and everything about the internet favors the independent artist. Recording, distributing and promoting music is now one thousand percent easier and cheaper. With that being said, this has also caused an unbelievable over-saturation of the market, which makes it extremely difficult for artists to get the public’s attention, because they’ve been so desensitized. Because these cats can’t even think about selling their music without first establishing a fan base, artists who are trying to establish themselves have no choice but to give their music away for free. When I released “What You Be About?” in 1995, we gave away 10,000 cassette singles for free in the street in an effort to get people to listen to, and talk about the song. It really was the same concept. Luckily, I was one of the only one’s doing it on that level in Chicago at the time. If there had been 500 other Chicago rappers using that same tactic at that same time, I would have had the same dilemma these artists today are having. It’s simple math. Back then, there were ten thousand rappers and about 5% were able to make any progress, financially speaking. Now there are a million rappers and that same percentage still applies. This means there’ll be 950,000 rappers today that’ll go nowhere with it. It’s survival of the fittest. You either evolve or dissolve. The smartest, hungriest and most talented indy rappers today will continue to make some progress. The rest will move on with their lives and the whole process will begin again.

In your opinion, would you agree that the Illa EP, particularly “On Ill” and “What You Be About”, were your biggest/most significant records?  At least to those who aren’t really “in the know” of your full catalog?

While those 2 specific songs were most significant in establishing me as a legitimate artist both in and out of Chicago, the Do or Die guest appearance on “One More Way”, The Trust None movie and WhiteFolks album ended up reaching as many, if not more people. I’ve always considered myself blessed to have reached so many different kinds of fans and having gotten to represent the different elements of Chicago life. So yeah, Illa LP was the most significant release of the first half of my career and WhiteFolks was the biggest in the second half.

Lastly, are you really never returning to the mic? The people miss you, man. Do you ever see yourself putting out another project?

I have no plans to record. There are a couple of previously recorded guest appearances that will probably see the light of day over the next year or so though. I’m content with having been part of the era of rap music that I was a part of, in both my hop hop stuff and my street shit. I’m truly grateful for all the fans of my music. I made some money and accomplished much of what I set out to do.

If you’d like to pick up a re-mastered version of the Illa LP, you can do so here.  Also, check out EC’s online store, The Tip, for all of the classic product he’s known for pushing.