Reporting By: William E. Ketchum III, Paul W. Arnold and Allen Jacobs
In an exclusive conversation with HipHopDX,
Black Milk has denied rumors that he signed a production deal to Aftermath Entertainment.
“Signed to who? Nah, that’s not
true,” Milk laughed. “I wish, but that’s not true. That’s
far from true.”
The connection isn’t unfeasible.
While it didn’t make his Rotten Apple album, Milk produced
a song for Lloyd Banks, “Death Wish.” He also put together
an entire compilation, Caltroit, with Aftermath emcee Bishop
Lamont. Fellow Detroit producer Nick Speed has also signed
to Aftermath as an in-house producer, and has landed beat placements
on Rotten Apple and the soundtrack for Get Rich Or Die Tryin’;
Speed and Milk work with some of the same artists, like
Phat Kat and Slum Village’s Elzhi.
If a production deal were reached, however, may have
an effect on the seemingly endless amount of collaborations Milk
had planned with Guilty Simpson and Sean Price, Elzhi
and Royce Da 5’9’, and more [click here].
This isn’t the first rumor Milk
has seen about signing with another label. He’s currently listed as
an “Affiliated Artist” on Duck Down Records’ website. In a previous
interview with HipHopDX’s Producer’s
Corner [click here], Milk
said that he thinks it’ll take a major label to maximize his potential.
“I’m just trying to figure out
how am I going to be on a major label and still do what I do? Where
are we going to meet in the middle?” Milk says. “…I know
they’re going to want certain things that I might not feel, on some
mainstream, commercial type shit. I have to figure out, what can I do
to still give them what they want, but still do what I do without having
to compromise too much. So when that time comes, it’ll come, but I
think a major will definitely help me go to that next level
.”
In other news, today, February 12, 2008, HipHopDX will be joining several additional sponsors in showcasing independent and unsigned artists via “I Am The Underground.” Organized by Remy Ma’s deejay, Bedtyme357, and hosted by Hot97 and Shade45 radio personality Dee Vazquez, the concert/showcase will include performances from HipHopDX audio section regulars Skyzoo, Stimuli, Sic Osyrus, and many other purveyors of raw underground sounds. The event will be held at Don Hills (511 Greenwich Street at Spring Street in New York City). Doors open at 9 p.m. and admission is just $1, but you must be over the age of 21. For press, RSVP contact jhatch@sprint.blackberry.net
Technology giant Microsoft acquired Danger this week, the makers of the Sidekick mobile device. The 10-year-old company earned over $56 million dollars last year, as they released the fourth edition of their popular smart phone. The company will retain an exclusive deal with T-Mobile, which will end at the close of this year. Sources have yet to reveal what the sale went for.
