My Bass Rocks

I was in Amoeba last weekend, on the hunt for some new music.  Aside from scoring the first Jungle Brothers LP Straight Out the Jungle, as well as the 12″ of Group Home’s Supastar, I wanted a new record to blast in my iPod.  I’d heard great things about the new Knux joint (review soon), so I figured I’d grab a copy there.  Turns out, they hadn’t received the shipment of these CD’s yet…What?

However, sitting next to the register was a shiny new copy of Tronic, the sophomore effort from Detroit beatsmith Black Milk (Fat Beats).  I’d been tripping so hard off that new Jake One, that I totally forgot about this release.  His debut Popular Demand was pretty dope, and I could see the potential there for hip-hop greatness..Needless to say, I kept it real.

Peep game below for my thoughts on Tronic..

The second I hit play, it was on.  ”Long Story Short,” the first track off Tronic, is about as energetic as an album intro can get…It starts off with a piano ballot, that sounds like something from a classical-only radio station.  However, when the drums kick in, it gets real hectic.  Wait for it.

“Give the Drummer Sum,” is the first single from Tronic, and can be described as a tribute to the golden era.  Not only does it share the same title as the infamous Ultramagnetic track, but the overall feeling is that of vintage New York hip-hop.  Honestly, this is the best Milk has sounded to date.  From the production (live horns!), to the lyrics, he’s definitely advanced since his last release:

“Hold it Down” reminds me of true Detroit sound.  It’s no secret that house music has influenced musical culture in the D, and this is proof.  While it’s not as throwback or “traditional” as most underground rap tracks, it leaves just as much (if not more) of an impact.  This is one of those joints that gets better over time.  It blasts in the speakers too!

“Losing Out” is another track that grows with time, and is slowly becoming my favorite of the album.  The drums kill it, while Black and special guest Royce the 5’9″ deliver like their lives depend on it.  While Royce outshines Black Milk for the most-part, the song isn’t effected negatively at all.  This is what I would call well-produced music.  Check it:

Another song that holds significant weight, is “The Matrix”, which includes an all-star underground cast of contributors.  How about this for a guest appearance list: Pharaohe Monch, Sean Price, and DJ Premier (on the cuts).  Oh, and don’t forget that Black Milk absoultely destroys it with his production.  I’m really liking the combination of Pharaohe and Milk, and hope to hear a lot more material between the two:

Overall, I was taken back on just how ill this project is.  Nearly every track is flawless (minus “Without U,” which doesn’t hit as hard as the rest), which isn’t something I could say about Popular Demand.  Black has progressed immensely as a producer/MC, but the level of growth is definitely natural from the previous effort.  Out of all the Q3/Q4 releases, this one has grown on me the most with each listen.  There aren’t too many hip-hop records that I can say that for.

I’m not going to get all “Black Milk-Stan” and declare classic status or anything, but Tronic is damn close.  During the Detroit dominance we’ve seen lately in hip-hop, Black Milk is slowly becoming THE producer to go to for that sound.  Not only does he understand and pay homage to the golden era, but he adds on top of this effectively, which can’t be said for a lot of new music.

Please do youself a favor and grab a copy of the latest Black Milk…You won’t regret it.

Overall: 9 (out of 10)

Vote for Tronic HERE!