Tracks:
01 - Popular Demand
02 - Sound the Alarm feat. Guilty Simpson
03 - Insane
04 - Lookatusnow feat. Phat Kat
05 - U feat. Ty & Kory
06 - Shut it Down feat. Ahk
07 - So Gone
08 - Say Something feat. Nametag & Slim S.D.H
09 - Play the Keys
10 - Watch Em feat. Fat Ray & QD
11 - Thee + Some
12 - Action feat. Slum Village & Baatin
13 - Luvin It
14 - One Song
15 - I'm Out
16 - Take it There feat. One Be Lo (Bonus Track)
Detroit has always been a source for quality Hip-Hop music with an active underground scene producing top acts like Eminem, Royce Da 5'9" and Slum Village, but after the loss of D12's Proof and J. Dilla last year the Motor City's Hip-Hop scene was left with a huge void. Thankfully, the next new talent isn't too far away. Black Milk, former member of production duo BR Gunna, is here with his Fat Beats Records debut "Popular Demand." Having already crafted beats for the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Slum Village, Proof, J Dilla and Lloyd Banks, Detroit's Black Milk is finally going solo and continuing the Detroit legacy.
From the off the album shows you what Black Milk is all about. He knows the reception producer rappers tend to get and he isn't concerned, he knows he is nice on the mic and nice on the beats, "producer rappers get the most criticism, until they heard Black, now they gonna feel different, they took it back, made 'em change their decision" he rhymes perfectly complimenting the beat, which is only to be expected when you are the one who made it. For the most part the rest of the album is no different as Black proves his worth as an emcee, however, there are a few instances where the flow seems to slip a little and you find yourself focusing too much on the production, which may not seem like a bad thing when it is of such a high quality as it is, but it does shift attention away from Milk's mic skills and make you feel a little more attention should have been put into the lyrics to keep them on par with the beats.
It is quite clear Milk has some serious musical talent, not only can he craft the beats, but he understands how to make an album. His choice of guest appearances compliment the production well and none of them sound out of place, although they do tend to outshine Black lyrically like on "Sound The Alarm" where Guilty Simpson just seems to have a much stronger verse as he delivers hard line after hard line. Also on the subject of guest spots, Milk has managed to reunite Slum Village with Baatin, something few would have envisioned and the result is as expected, a great track full of chemistry.
Other highlights from the album include "One Song," Black Milk's answer to Nas' "One Mic," "Shut It Down" with its memorable hook Black effortlessly rides the beat as he describes the trials you undergo as a producer rapper, the piano-laced muffled vocal sampling "Say Something" and "Three Sum" in which Milk tackles the subject of cheating on his woman, something that crops up on most albums, but Milk still manages to do it in his unique way and deliver a standout track from an overplayed subject.
One of the best things about "Popular Demand" is its lack of skip-able tracks. There is plenty of diversity between tracks thanks to Black's selection of soul samples, rock samples, guests and use of instrumentation so no two tracks really sound alike. Also, all of the tracks seem to be between 2 and 3 minutes so it never feels like the album is dragging. Combine this with a number of catchy hooks and equally catchy tunes and you have an album with a lot of replay value, something that is getting more and harder to come by.
It may only be March, but "Popular Demand" is definitely an early contender for album of the year, it’s just a shame people who are not already familiar with Black Milk's production and his underground buzz, may pass this one by. The beats are among the best I have heard recently and Milk's flow shows promise, despite the occasional dips. His production continues to improve and for such a young artist, he clearly has a great career ahead of him, he just needs to work on the rhyme element and he could easily be one of the best all-round artists in the next generation of real hip-hop. While the J Dilla comparisons are inevitable, Black Milk is different enough to standout in his own right.
Hot Tracks:
"Popular Demand," "Sound The Alarm" feat. Guilty Simpson, "Watch Em" feat. Fat Ray & QD, "Three Sum," "Action" feat. Slum Village & Baatin, "One Song"
Verdict: 9.0/10
Artist: Black Milk