Black Milk has been killing the game for more than a decade. Known for his innovative approach, the Detroit-born rapper/producerâs new record Fever is his seventh studio album since his 2005 debut, Sound of the City. During his rise, heâs collaborated with and been cosigned by living legends like Royce Da 5â9 and the Rootsâ Black Thought.
Lead single âLaugh Now Cry Laterâ is just one example of how Fever feels like scrolling through an infinite news feed. The songâs lyrics provide spot-on commentary about the ways in which the news cycle and social media impact the mental state of young people of color and their relationships. The characters in the music video burn sage, fill their home with plants, drink tea, light candlesâhopeful gestures of supposed self-care. Yet they spend the bulk of their time interacting with their phone screens, video games, or absorbing TV instead of each other. An image of a Black manâs tears and eerily bright eyes at the end of the video ends up feeling simultaneously terrifying and relatable.
But Fever also delivers sonically: Electronic soul production is layered with heavy guitar riffs on tracks like âTrue Liesâ and âDiVE,â while âCould It Beâ and âWill Remainâ feature smooth, danceable production. Perhaps my favorite song on the album is closing track âYou Like to Risk It All / Things Will Never Be,â with its beautiful keys, synth, and euphoric vocal effects. Black Milkâs Fever never sounds abrasive or explosiveâwith topical lyrics and fleshed-out melodies, itâs an example of his continuously inventive spirit. Now on his âFever Tour,â Black Milk is bringing along the Nat Turner live band from 2016âs The Rebellion Sessions and having Portlandâs cosmic-soul outfit Brown Calculus open the show.