Album: Fat Ray & Black Milk – The Set Up

advertisement

Long known for its musical roots, dating back to the glory days of Motown, Detroit has established itself as somewhat of a Mecca for Hip Hop music in the last several years thanks to the likes of Eminem, Slum Village/J Dilla and Royce Da 5’9”. As a new school of no nonsense up and comers emerge, veterans Fat Ray and Black Milk (two-thirds of the group BR Gunna) step up to the plate and drop one of the most potent releases this reviewer has heard in some time.

Like a tribute to a bygone era, The Set Up keeps it short and sweet, with a tracklist consisting of simply 11 tracks. When those said 11 tracks are each as consistent as the last you are left wanting more rather than dwelling on why the duration is relatively short.

The immediate standout for me would have to be the potential dance-floor banger Lookout. Musically assaulting the listener (in a good way), you are taken on a slow-burning percussive ride, washed in a middle-eastern flavoured vocal loop and topped off with clever verses from Milk, Ray and talented guest Nametag; addictively intense to say the least.

Fat Ray steals the show particularly, as his rhymes drip with menace and intent (“The game is rotten like tooth decay/I’m the modern day Doc Martin Luther K”).

Another gifted guest vocalist, in this case songbird AB, lends her talents to the lead single Take Control. While this too contains trunk-rattling drums and no-nonsense spitting, both the hook and squelchy synth provide a more balanced listening experience, without comprising the rawness.

Directly following Take Control, is the equally rugged electric-guitar infused Not U, which doesn’t let up the momentum for a second. Other highlights include Nothing To Hide (with its Kanye-esque drum pattern and clever Ferris Bueller musical sample), the Dancehall-injected Bad Man and Get Focus (featuring Phat Kat and Elzhi).

With no filler and quality control an obvious priority, The Set Up is nearly flawless in execution and delivery. However, it does miss that certain intangible that makes it definitively classic. Fat Ray and Black Milk have done themselves and the city of Detroit proud. Back-to-basics brilliance!

Available through Music Factory Records