Fat Ray & Black Milk, The Set Up
A Dilla disciple comes into his own.
When an artist passes, there're two possible reactions: fans either wonder who will to step up to fill their shoes, or they lament that there's nobody out there who could possibly do such a thing. When J Dilla died in 2006, most people took the latter route, but a few heads pegged fellow Detroiter Black Milk to pick up the mantle. A member of underground favorites B.R. Gunna and an accomplished producer/MC in his own right, Black Milk is already become known for his Dilla-esque knack with thick bass and immaculately-timed drum breaks — as well as for having a certain skill with the mic. Pairing him up with Detroit mixtape and guest-spot vet Fat Ray, however, gives him an opportunity to throw off those comparisons and establish himself as his own man.
Harsher and with a bit more throw-’em-up force than his blunted 2007 solo debut Popular Demand, The Set Up aims straight for the streets, with Fat Ray's sidewalk-cracking rumble of a voice acting as the frequently funny enforcer (“I know flowin', I know 4-4-in'”) and Black Milk's more slippery flow (“Straight gutter, I mean everything I utter/ Speaking the language, no I ain't stutter”) proving that he's not just hot with the beats. Between the organ-driven heavy funk/rock of “Flawless,” the epic gothic-gospel soul of “Take Control” and the psychedelic synthesizers of “Get Focus,” The Set Up demands rolled-down windows.
