Spotlight: Black Milk

Straight out of Detroit, the city that brought you Jay Dee and Eminem, comes Black Milk. Before he became a hot commodity in the Motor City, Black Milk (real name Curtis Cross) was a young beatsmith in search of a big break. So how did he go from being a fledgling producer to being compared to J Dilla?

Black made his debut as a producer/emcee on Slum Village's Dirty District mixtape in the summer of 2002. He honed his skills by crafting beats with fellow Detroiter Young RJ, with whom he formed the production duo B.R. Gunna. The two produced 11 out 13 tracks on Slum's third album Trinity (Past, Present & Future). SV's self-titled fourth album featured more solo production from Black Milk. Meanwhile, the young gunner was busy packaging a surprise for the world in the form of an independently released street album, Dirty District, Vol. 2 (Barak Records). The disc was well received by fans and critics, selling 20,000 copies, .

Armed with a beat and a mic, Black Milk is ready to propel the new generation of Motor City rap with his stunning debut, Popular Demand.