Black Milk Plans A Busy 2008

Black Milk is quickly becoming one of the hardest-working men in Hip Hop. This year saw him gain ground with his Popular Demand album, as well as beat placements with the likes of Pharaohe Monch and Lloyd Banks. But the Detroit producer/emcee is ending 2007 on a high note, and riding his momentum well into the new year.

With the help of Aftermaths Bishop Lamont, Black originally released Caltroit as a free online mixtape with DJ Warrior, but a mastered version without any drops is available for digital download on Fat Beats Records website, and the CD is available on the Fat Beats website. The new version is dubbed as Black Milk Presents instead of Bishop Lamont & Black Milk due to clearance issues with Aftermath, but only one of the songsRet 2 Go with Ms. Jade, Lady Of Rage and Peepsis missing. Two new songs are added: Ape Shit and Get Em, the latter featuring Detroit heavyweights Marv One, Fatt Father and Trick Trick.

The emcee/producer has other collaborative efforts in the works as well. He says that The Set Up, an album with fellow Detroiter/B.R. Gunna partner Fat Ray, should hit stores in January under his Music House label and with distribution by Fat Beats. One of the songs, the Guilty Simpson-featured Bad Man, can be heard in our Audio Section [click here]. Most of the highly anticipated full-length with Sean Price and Guilty Simpsonthe trio collectively going by the name Random Axis three to four songs away from completion as well. He plans to finish recording for that project by mid-January, and to release the disc on Prices Duck Down Records in summer 08.

I know people expect just to hear shoot em up, street shit through the whole album. But thats when I get my producers hat on, and actually produce the songs, Black told HipHopDX. Im not just giving them hard beats and telling them to put 16s on them. Weve got some concept songs, and songs of substance, plus those hard joints people want to hear.

An untitled EP with Michigan mainstay One Be Lo, whose R.E.B.I.R.T.H. album dropped earlier this month, is also nearing completion.

Black says that hes adopted some beat-making techniques that allow him to increase his productivity, and at this rate, hes going to need them. After the aforementioned collaborative efforts, hes got others. Hes been in talks with Pharaohe Monch to collaborate on an entire album, and he says that Pharaohe has already recorded to four or five more tracks after the two he did for Desire, which Pharaohe released earlier this year. He also says that hes agreed to do an album with Detroits two most respected emcees: Royce Da 59 and Elzhi. People always probably thought about it in their head, but they probably thought it would never come to life.

Elzhi and Royce were working on a Black Milk-produced track for Elzhis upcoming solo disc, and after Black presented Elzhi with the idea, Elzhi approached Royce.

I was surprised, Royce was like, Nigga lets do that, Ive been wanting to do that. Im like, Damn, why you aint say nothing?" Black laughed. But hopefully it goes down. Im going to try to knock out all this other stuff fast, because thats one project that needs to be heard. I think that wouldI dont even want to think about it, man, cause its going to mess up my concentration on all this other stuff.