By Odeisel
We look for artists to grow and evolve, often chastising them for stagnancy. Then they attempt to change, often later in their runs and get criticized for going away from their core constituency. Such is art. Black Milk attempts to grow as a producer and an artist on his latest release Album Of The Year, incorporating a few new elements in both his rap and production styles. Does it work as advancement or are the changes a step in the wrong direction?
Black Milk incorporates more live drums, expanding on his sound from “Hell Yeah” on his last album Tronic. That drum use is present on the bulk of Album Of The Year and there is a noticeable change in flow when Black Milk rhymes atop them. When paired with live drums, Black Milk’s flow is untethered and doesn’t look for the loop to constrain himself. The result is a free form, non-bar count specific construction that works at most points and rambles in others.
It works extremely well on the opening track “365” where those drums, combined with a smooth but bouncy bassline provide the track for Black to talk of the events of the past year including the deaths of both his aunt and Slum Village’s Baatin, as well as the hospitalization of manager and friend Hex Murder. It works to lesser effect on “Keep Going” where he loses traction at times on the edges and isn’t as sharp as he is elsewhere on the album. “Oh Girl,” with its Dilla-like construction also feels a bit rambling in its bar construction.
On the flip side, he sounds far more comfortable with Elzhi and Royce Da 5’9 on “Deadly Medley.” The booming, yet muffled drums are bathed in background music with guitars and basslines. Royce takes aggressive command of the track and pulls Milk to a higher level lyrically. Elzhi’s drops lines like “pockets go green like Earth Day,” and “do a shitty job like colon cleansing” cementing his position as one of Detroit’s finest lyricists.
He returns to Hex’s medical issues and the emotional ramifications on the Detroit music scene on the heartfelt on “Distortion.” His aunt’s death from cancer and Baatin are dealt with in more depth as well. The song reins the album’s pace in, rhythm wise with its extended music section serving as a pressure release. It then picks up the pace with harder drums and distortion on the last few rhyme-less bars.
The strings of “Black & Brown” are striking in their departure from the rest of the album’s feel and the programmed drums knock extremely hard. Black Milk’s flow is very aggressive and very comfortable in the loop environment. Guest rapper Danny Brown is able if not amazing. That hard-drum feel continues with “Warning (Keep Bouncing)” and again Black Milk sounds like a stronger rapper under the confined circumstances. Its slow, hard bump with test your speakers and Milk is not drowned out by the high volume lows.
“Gospel Psychedelic Rock” is an off-filter construction with tricky music. Black focuses on the drum and flows with the undercurrent, making the track appear saner than it actually is. There are many elements of rhythm including a vocal section, guitars and a lot of background noise. The album closes with guest Mr. Porter on the guitar- led “Closed Chapter.” Cymbals clash, a slithering bassline meanders throughout, soulful crooning accentuates and the drums put the cherry on top. Milk sounds a bit Jay-Z-ish with the flow during the third verse with the whisper flow but he doesn’t employ it throughout.
Album Of The Year isn’t exactly the album of the year. It would probably have packed more punch if Black Milk had expanded on the tragedy and triumph of the year and drew the album’s collective narrative on that. What it is, however, is legitimate musical growth from an artist who chose to expand upon his musical pallet and add to something that was perfectly fine with his fan base. For that he should be supported and commended.
Black Milk Feat. Mr. Porter-Closed Chapter
Black Milk Feat. Mr. Porter Closed chapter
3.75 out of 5
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I am not sure I can take this review seriously: Deadly Medley is not just a duet with Royce. That is probably Detroit’s best lyricist Elzhi on the third verse. In fact the reviewer references his lyrics as evidence of Royce challenging Milk to brink his A game.
Everyone is reviewing this album using the title as the angle i.e. is Milk’s bid at album of the year successful? While that is certainly implied in the double entendre of the title as a reviewing angle it completely ignores the album cover or the content of the title track: it has been about 365 since milk put out his last album and a lot of ish has happened in his life since then.
It may or may not be the hip hop album of a year that is not quite over yet but it certainly is outstanding enough to warrant a closer listen
I had a release that didn’t have Elzhi listed. Thanks for the heads up. That song is still one of Black Milk’s stronger performances vocally on the album and he does better with those beats than he does on the ones as i mentioned in the review. If you read the review I mentioned more than once the tumult that went on in his life and also how the album woudl have been better if he made that tumult the defining narrative. He got a good rating and i stand by that rating.
I just re-read your review and my comment. My comment was probably a bit visceral and reactionary. Sorry about that. I am glad to read such a positive review. Man I just love the stuff coming out of the D and Michigan hip hop in general – I get defensive. As for Deadly Medley those lines from Elzhi that you reference are fire. I think my favorite though is “I left Detroit rappers in fitteds decapitated” Witty as hell! On Black Milk’s verse I love the reference of multiple Michael Jackson song titles and the line “seems they love when I’m performing they laugh at your performance,my shit is martin luther your shit is martin lawrence” The whole song is pretty amazing.
Also, I couldn’t agree more that it would have been nice had he expanded more on the ups and downs of the last year, would’ve gave the album even more diverse lyrical content.
There’s gonna be a lot of people who misinterpret the album’s title. I didn’t know what it meant until i read some of the pre-reviews last month. He doesn’t explain its definition on the album and the hater suggests what many will think. Regardless, the album’s good and this review is on point. I think the making of this album was prolly more challenging than what his results produced. He’ll get better at it, props on changing it up.
edit – “hater skit”…