Album of the Year

Detroit based producer/emcee Curtis "Black Milk" Cross really went for it all with his previous record, 2008's Tronic, attempting, like so many hip-hop artists before him, to create a new kind of hip-hop record. For the effort, Milk attempted to mix the elements of classic boom-bap with experimental electronic music. The project was neither an extreme departure from his previous work nor a complete failure, instead feeling like a slight side step for an artsit in development. For his latest, the still recent Album of the Year, Milk has jumped right back into his creative circle of trust, creating a record that should launch him to the top of today's underground heap.

All along, while Kanye West acted foolish on TV, gave away music via his G.O.O.D. website and, eventually, released the year's most celebrated hip-hop record, I kept thinking of Album of the Year. And it's true, Milk is cut from the same cloth as West - an excellent producer who also has ambitions to be a rap star. The difference is that, while West works to catch the popular eye (often by focusing on hooks, gimmicks, slang and popular guests), Milk plays it straight, here coming off like a classic underground lyricists, made perfect for the now-long-gone Rawkus era, dropping punchlines like "my s#%& is Martin Luther / Your S#%& is Martin Lawrence." Both artists clearly better producers than emcees, Milk's rhymes will hold up much better over time, as will his much better developed style. If Milk were to tighten up his jeans, smile big and wide and buddy up with the hotshots, I'm certain he'd be on his way. That said, this is an underground artist, through and through.