As our economy here in Michigan currently resides alongside Splinter and the TMNT gang in the sewer, Governor Granholm and her old fogy cronies have enlisted some of the Dirty Mitten’s most notable faces to clean up our image and bring customers back to the Great Lakes State: Coach Izzo, Mitch Albom, The Captain and a few unrecognizable big-wig business-types who know Bo Diddly about sports. Then, rather surprisingly, at the :22 mark is none other than chronic Tronic delivery man Black Milk, promoting what else but ‘Fresh Milk!’ The b-roll of his voice may last longer than his grill, but the fact that Black simply got the nod amongst local gods shows that Popular Demand couldn’t have been more true.

I wonder why Trick Trick didn’t get the look?

*Imagines Trick posted 100-deep on 7 Mile and Mack standing over bodies of bloody rappers, hoisting those bazookas from “Can’t Fuck Wit My City” and proudly yelling, “Fire Power!”*

Looks like LC’s Detroit brethren knew she was feeling a little down after last night and put out some music to ease her pain. While on the final leg of their European Tronic tour, Black Milk and eLZhi sent her a audio care package over the Atlantic. Read the rest of this entry »

Easily one of the best songs — from one of the best albums of 2008. Read the rest of this entry »

Instead of subjecting you to multiple posts with featured video clips, let’s just mash all these up into one. You click, you view, you drink your coffee & be entertained.

Shall we begin?

In their second installment of UNN Presents Grindtime TV, Killer Mike sits down with the man behind the hits, Jim Jonsin. Much is the case with anyone, I heard Jim’s work before I saw him and, when I did see him, my initial thought was “who the fuck is this hard rock-lookin’ white dude?” Read the rest of this entry »

Generally, the bickering and babbling that coincides with ranking the year’s best LPs tend to blur the focus on the overall picture.

While some albums directly catered to personal preferences more immensely than others, all the selections emerged amongst the year’s best in regards to quality, visibility and of course, durability. Behold fifteen albums deserving of all the accolades and praises heaped upon them throughout the course of 2008. And their value will only solidify going in to 2009.

No order. No bias. Just noteworthy Hip-Hop.

Nas – Untitled

“From the brooding opening piano loop of “Queens Get The Money” to the uplifting snares on “Black President,” Nas channels his inner Walt Whitman as he explores the Black Diaspora. Lyrically though, his wordplay and delivery are sharp as ever as if all the attention to the title made Nas put extra effort and focus into his words…“ — From “America” – Review Of Nas’ Untitled Album

BONUS – Get familiar with Nas & DJ Green Lantern – The Nigger Tape Read the rest of this entry »

It’s just a Detroit/Midwestern type of affair around these parts the past few days.

Black Milk – Give The Drummer Sum

Previously Posted — TSS Presents Smoking Sessions With Black Milk | “Long Story Short” – Review Of Black Milk’s TRONIC |   Black Milk “Give The Drummer Sum” Video Preview

Over the last decade or so Detroit carved out a nice identity for itself among Hip-Hop cities. It’ll never have the history of New York or the aura of Los Angeles, but it’s cultivated a culture that breeds emcees and producers with a distinct sound; a mixture of Motown and steely grit that’s been the city’s lifeblood for many years. Enter producer/emcee Black Milk looking to expand upon his last album, Popular Demand, and follow the footsteps of the likes of J Dilla, Royce Da 5’9”, eLZhi and Guilty Simpson by building his presence on the national radar. With his latest offering, TRONIC, Black broadens his production range while remaining true to his Detroit roots. Read the rest of this entry »

“This dude asked me ‘What’s the answer to this Hip-Hop cancer?/ I’m so hungry for this real shit it feels like I’m fastin…’”

Today Black Milk releases his third solo effort, TRONIC — an album so dense with material it feels like it could push beyond your ears and into the other senses. It would smell like that funk. Be both sweet and savory on the pallet. Have that cool burn of acid to the touch. Visually dissolve Soul atoms into protons, neutrons and — especially — electrons.

Each track is different than the next and slides on single synth-based samples into multiple beats, giving further evidence of Black’s ability as a producer. He deviates from the listeners expectations, but never leaves them mentally marooned. His rhymes are tighter and his growth as a lyricist is clear. TRONIC is a cohesive collection that has the potential to stick in iPods, stereos and memories longer than most any other album this year. With the city of Detroit backing him and cosigns from as high on the totem pole as Dr. Dre; Black Milk could fill a prescription with TRONIC — an anecdote to a Hip-Hop cancer.

But with a widening divide between radio and subterranean music, the question remains when or if artists like Black can bridge the gap and remain true to a progressive sound. TSS Crew member LC Weber spoke with Black about TRONIC, the progression of his style and whether the industry is ready to catch up.

TSS: We talked to Elzhi a couple months ago and asked him whether people ever tell him he raps too much or that he’s too weird for them…

Black Milk: (laughs) Yeah.

TSS: Do you ever feel like you’re put in a similar box as a producer? Like do people just want you to be or think you are just a soul-sample producer?

Black Milk: Not really. I’ve heard or seen a couple people critique the music, especially when we leaked a couple tracks for the new album – “Give The Drummer Sum” and “The Matrix” – the response was a good response. I’ve still seen one guy was like, “Man, I’m really gonna miss the Soul samples,” so people still expect me to stay there. But I think after awhile people are going to grow musically just like me. Their ears and minds are going to be open to new sounds, and new styles, and new ideas to approaching music.

You definitely don’t want to stay in one box as an artist. Some criticisms is going to come and people are going to want you to stay in that same lane. But I try and please the majority of the people – as many people as I can – and that’s why I still have a couple Soul tracks on the new album and try and steer away from anything that’s too far left.

TSS: So you don’t alienate your fans…

Black Milk: Yeah.

TSS: When you were putting this album together what kind of records were you digging for or what were you interested in?

Black Milk: Well a lot of the albums I was listening to for this new project, I was already kind of into those artists and chopping up those records, but a lot of those beats had never made other records. But I was listening to stuff like Stereolab and Gary Newman and stuff like Tomita and just like a lot of really weird records and a lot of weird artists people might not be familiar with, but I was just getting in that vibe. And Hip-Hop wise, I was listening to Slum Village’s Trinity, and J Dilla’s Welcome 2 Detroit album – stuff like that that had a different variety of music on it. It wasn’t just in one lane.

The Trinity album was like the main one. I was like, ‘You know what? That’s when Slum went kind of far left,’ and I don’t think people was ready for it. It was all over the place and people were kind of used to them being soulful with a certain kind of Dilla beat. I think now people are ready for that futuristic type of sound, but it just shows you back then how far ahead Slum really was, with people just now getting up on [that sound.]

I think with TRONIC, it’s Electronic, but it’s still soulful because I’m bringing in a lot of instrumentation and different things like that – live musicians to fill out the track, my recording techniques was different for recording drums, and how I recorded the track in general to give it a different feel.

TSS: Do you think people aren’t ready for it? You were talking about Trinity, but do you think people aren’t ready for TRONIC? Read the rest of this entry »

I met Black outside of a club in Detroit when I was 23 years old and he was about 19 or 20. I remember telling him he was too talented and good looking to be so young. Now though… it’s clear from the pictures of his forthcoming video for “Give The Drummer Sum” off Tronic that he’s all grown up. Turns out I don’t feel guilty and/or creepy anymore.

Here’s what Black had to say about shooting the video: “It’s always amazing to work with Anthony Garth. It was dope to try something new with the live band. Can’t wait to see what people think of the video. Tronic – 10/28!!!”

More pics after the jump… Read the rest of this entry »

As a precursor to Tronic, Black Milk links up with HHDX to release his latest mixtape, ELEC. Read the rest of this entry »