Guilla

H-Town rap artist and producer Timothy Russell, aka GUILLA, may have only released Children of the Sun — a sci-fi-inspired album that includes a collaborative track with HGO soprano Alicia Gianni — last spring, but the 28-year-old, quick-witted rap artist already has a followup dropping this month. His fourth full-length album, Crunchy Roll & Chill, features 14 tracks that are more biographical in nature — there’s a track about his love for girls who cosplay — than his previous, highly esoteric work. It’s also less heavy in tone. “I feel like we’re in a time of extreme darkness right now and everybody is kind of pissed off,” says Russell, who plans on touring Texas this summer, “so Crunchy Roll & Chill is full of upbeat music. I want to put smiles on people’s faces again.”
H-Town rap artist and producer Timothy Russell, aka GUILLA, may have only released Children of the Sun — a sci-fi-inspired album that includes a collaborative track with HGO soprano Alicia Gianni — last spring, but the 28-year-old, quick-witted rap artist already has a followup dropping this month. His fourth full-length album, Crunchy Roll & Chill, features 14 tracks that are more biographical in nature — there’s a track about his love for girls who cosplay — than his previous, highly esoteric work. It’s also less heavy in tone. “I feel like we’re in a time of extreme darkness right now and everybody is kind of pissed off,” says Russell, who plans on touring Texas this summer, “so Crunchy Roll & Chill is full of upbeat music. I want to put smiles on people’s faces again.”

H-Town rap artist and producer Timothy Russell, aka Guilla, may have only released Children of the Sun — a sci-fi-inspired album that includes a collaborative track with HGO soprano Alicia Gianni — last spring, but the 28-year-old, quick-witted rap artist already has a followup dropping this month. His fourth full-length album, Crunchy Roll & Chill, features 14 tracks that are more biographical in nature — there’s a track about his love for girls who cosplay — than his previous, highly esoteric work. It’s also less heavy in tone. “I feel like we’re in a time of extreme darkness right now and everybody is kind of pissed off,” says Russell, who plans on touring Texas this summer, “so Crunchy Roll & Chill is full of upbeat music. I want to put smiles on people’s faces again.”

Guilla is a self-professed nerd and a part-time tennis instructor. He wears the Houston shirt, $38, by Alchemy Design; denim bomber jacket, $340, by Universal Works; and sunglasses, $135, by Raen Wiley, all at Stag Provisions.      

Click here to see our full portfolio of Houston's diverse music scene 

Special