Pill
4075: The Refill

Beats: XL
Lyrics: XL
Originality: XL

On his debut mixtape, 4180: The Prescription, Pill pulled no punches. The Atlanta newcomer served up a deeply personal introduction as potent as the product he claimed to be pushing. By packing the same brand of self-reflection onto his follow-up mixtape, 4075: The Refill, Pill delivers again.

The first single, “Glass,” finds Pill struggling to find a medium between selling drugs and happiness. “It’s been times I done cried ’cause I was down on my luck/A damn thing to my name, I don’t give a fuck,” he raps. “Pain In They Eyes” watches Pill examine his unhappy clientele, while the sobering “Let Me In” sees him trying to break into the music business.

That’s not to say The Refill is all 808s and heartbreak, though. In a lighter moment, Pill flexes effortlessly about flossing over Kanye West’s “Diamonds From Sierra Leone,” on “Afro Sheen.” And the playful “Super Cool” delves into Pill’s whip game as he cleverly raps, “The Spyder got so much green and white, thought I was at a Jets game/The kid ball so hard, they’re like, ‘We’ll get ’em next game.’”

At his best, Pill shines brightest on the introspective “Music,” where he reflects on the musicians that helped him through his personal struggles. The Refill serves as another dose of medicine for a troubled soul finding solace in his music. —Chris Yuscavage

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