Slum Village-Homie Black Milk keeps working on his career as beat-smith and MC. He’s not going through the roof, but upwards nonetheless, even though it’s not easy these days being counted among the Jay-Dee-protégés: the name-dropping itself helps becoming somewhat popular, but Dilla’s overpowering radiance often obviates further flashing. Hence, it’s all the more important to ignore the neighbourhood of Detroit for one second and to realize that Black Milk doesn’t even need to emancipate himself. His MPC-produced tracks are loaded with soul, neither plain nor annoyingly obvious, and fill the full spectrum between hanger and banger. Of course, he’s not the only one following that very line, but only few people know how to pleasently reconcile the rough method with the harmonious raw material. Black Milk proves himself skillfull with his new Solo-LP »No Poison No Paradise«, continuing the journey he began with »Tronic«, still using electronic elements to implement his sounds. Synthetic sounds, on the other hand, courtly take a back seat, so that the result is perfectly intertwined, never topsy-turvy. The concept works ideally as a setting for his raps. In addition, Black Milk presents himself from a personal angle, introducing the fictional character Sonny who tries to find his very own path between the city’s diverging moral conceptions, being dubbed by the rapper’s hoarse and throaty flows. Guests like Black Thought, Robert Glasper or Dewle fit perfectly into that concept. It doesn’t make an era – but it sure makes one’s day, to speak with Calahan.
Carmike
Comin’ At Yo Ass
Now-Again