2002. The year Detroit group Slum Village dropped their second album. Trinity (Past, Present & Future) was the trio's first album without J Dilla as a main member (although he provided a few beats) but was the first with Elzhi. The album featured production from a big variety of producers. Black Milk was part of that variety. Being another musician from Detroit, he was 18/19 at the time, getting his first major beat placements with "What is This" and "Trinity (Interlude)", both on the SV album. As time went on, he started to collaborate with the group a lot often, even when they turned into a duo. Black then linked up with Young RJ, forming the production team B.R. Gunna. The duo contributed heavily to SV's next two albums, producing majority of the albums and with Black Milk providing some additional vocals and hooks.
Sound of the City, Volume 1 was the album that happened to show off Black's rapping skills more. Before, he was known for spitting occasionally, and most of the time, he would just provide hooks and additional vocals. Entirely produced by Black himself (obviously), the album is known to be short and snappy, with the 16 tracks equaling to a runtime of only 40 minutes; with features from many Detroit rappers including Slum Village members Elzhi, T3 & the late Baatin (all separate appearances, not together), Fat Ray and Phat Kat.
Interludes and instrumentals also come in between the songs, helping to make this album a pretty comfortable listen. "Dirty Guitar" is my favourite of the bunch, and so funky yet bangs so hard. "Dirty Horns" is short but funky as well, providing that 70s groove to it.
Black's skills on the mic now have definitely improved, with projects like Glitches in the Break and If There's a Hell Below providing some interesting content from the Detroit rapper/producer. But his raps weren't too bad on his debut. There was room for improvement, of course, but his delivery and flow was a key part to this album, especially on songs like "Swing Dat Far" and "Holla Like You Know Me", some of my favourite cuts off SOTC. After starting the album off with a bang, shouting out his fellow Detroit artists over a bumpin' instrumental, "Nigga What" gets to the point very well, the flow is nice, the bars are decent, and the beat knocks so hard. "So Gone" is one of the more upbeat cuts, and the way Black flows over the beat is just amazing. He was in his BAG! And the beat was A1 as well, that sample is heat.
The features came through, but in most cases, outdo Black on his own track unfortunately for him. Phat Kat & T3 deliver on "Danger", and Black does his thing with the flow, but I think Phat had a slightly better verse. Elzhi spun everyone on the title track, making Fat Ray & Black's verses sound so unnecessary in comparison. I'll say Black did have a better verse than Que Diesel on "Holla Like You Know Me", that flow was on point. Baatin is solo dolo on "Eternal" while Black acts as the hypeman. 'Tin sings instead of rap, and errr... it adds on to the song well, at least. NameTag killed "Bang Dis Shit", one of my favourites, and he spun Black on that. The beat just knocks so hard, MY LORD!
The production on SOTC is solid too, full of soul samples and some aggressive moments here and there. The title track "Sound of the City" bangs so hard, and Black, Elzhi & Fat Ray did their thing, especially El. "Pimp Cup" and "Swing Dat Far" are both some chill ass tunes to vibe out to. The latter is one of my favourites, being an ode to them big booty women. It's the flow and beat that gets me, and I enjoy the fun energy over the track. "Duck" is just a little interlude about protecting yourself in the streets, but the sample loop is so intriguing, even if Black didn't do much with it. Same with "Applause", another soul sample loop where Black goes off on one verse. "Eternal" is the one that is different from most of the album, not only does Black not provide vocals but the song gives a slightly aggressive rock vibe while Baatin comes with his soft singing.
Overall, Sound of the City is nothing special, in comparison to his later work. But it's a short and snappy effort with a some pretty good moments, from "Pimp Cup" to "Holla Like You Know Me". The production delivers, with the soul samples and aggressive drums. The features did their thing, from Phat Kat to Que Diesel. It's a nice showcase of the Detroit sound, and Black was real decent on it. With his new album FEVER dropping this coming Friday, it's interesting to hear how much Black has progressed as a producer and rapper. Someone that definitely deserves a lot more credit in hip-hop.
Recommended Tracks: "Sound of the City","So Gone", "Bang Dis Shit", "Holla Like You Know Me", "Swing Dat Far", "Dirty Guitar", "Pimp Cup"
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