In just a matter of years, Detroit producer-rapper Black Milk [click to read] has gone from a local mainstay to an artist heavily progressing the Midwest Hip Hop movement. HipHopDX got a chance to catch up with Milk, who made the trip to Seattle to perform for the Red Bull Big Tune Beat Battle.
Being one of the most consistent beatsmiths in the game as of late, Black Milk has diversified his production with the likes of Bishop Lamont [click to read], Elzhi [click to read], Guilty Simpson [click to read], and Skyzoo [click to read] to name a few. When asked if he found time outside the studio, Milk was straightforward answering, “Not really man. I’m grinding. I’m just trying to put out as much music as I can. I feel like I got a good fan base and it’s still early in the game for me, so I have a lot of work to do. And of course it pays the bills, so I gotta constantly get stuff out there.”
Focusing on his latest studio album, entitled Tronic, Black Milk kept his features to a minimum in an effort to spotlight his lyrical abilities, as well as to solidify his production skills. Of course, there was one man he had to snag for a few chops; DJ Premier. “It came down to like the last minute. There were a couple other people I was trying to get cuts from for the album, but I had to get Premier. I got Premier on the phone, talked to him and told him I was gonna send him a track to chop. Like two days later he sent it back to me. It’s classic Premier, just like always.”
Whereas DJ Premier’s inclusion on Tronic is warranted, indie artist Colin Munroe’s role would seem questionable at first glance. Black Milk explained that the collaboration was met by certain chance, thanks to a mix up on YouTube.
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“I was looking for Kanye [West’s] ‘Flashing Lights’ video, and I ended up seeing [Colin Munroe’s] video on YouTube. I clicked it and thought that shit was kinda dope. So I went to his MySpace and saw he had J Dilla in his top eight. I thought ‘Damn, this guy must be on that real Hip Hop shit.’ I sent him a message saying I liked the joint. He hit me back saying he liked Detroit producers and all that Hip Hop. Like two days later, he sent me a track with a hook on it. I heard it and I was blown away. That’s the only track on my album that I didn’t produce. I redid the drums a bit cause they were a little weak, but it came out dope.”
Black Milk’s Tronic will be released October 28th on Fat Beats Records.
