The Preface (album)
Encyclopedia
The Preface is the debut album of rapper Elzhi
, released 12 August 2008 on Fat Beats Records. It features many other Detroit's MCs including Royce Da 5'9", Andy "Bells" Pickens, Guilty Simpson
and Black Milk
. The album has been critically acclaimed and considered by many professional reviewers as one of the best hip hop albums of 2008.
except for 2 tracks:
A great amount of work was put on the songs' drum lines. Black Milk used various hard kicks and snares, which is a common aspect of his production style. The song which displays this fact the best is probably "Guessing Game".
However, some tracks,are noticeable for their deep and soulful samples such as "Save Ya" or "Transitional Joint".
Elzhi
Jason Powers is a hip-hop artist from Detroit, Michigan. Many Underground fans know him as "Detroit's Best Kept Secret". As a former member of Slum Village he now records as a solo artist...
, released 12 August 2008 on Fat Beats Records. It features many other Detroit's MCs including Royce Da 5'9", Andy "Bells" Pickens, Guilty Simpson
Guilty Simpson
Byron Simpson, better known by his stage name Guilty Simpson is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He was previously known as Guilt. Over time, he saw that there were more emcees using the alias. In order to set himself apart from the others, he added his last name to become Guilty Simpson. He is...
and Black Milk
Black Milk
Curtis Cross, better known as Black Milk, is a hip hop producer and MC from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:In 2004, he formed B.R. Gunna, with Young RJ, and Fat Ray, and together they released Dirty District: Vol. 2, a follow up to a compilation released in 2001 by Slum Village, which he had...
. The album has been critically acclaimed and considered by many professional reviewers as one of the best hip hop albums of 2008.
Production
The whole album was produced by Black MilkBlack Milk
Curtis Cross, better known as Black Milk, is a hip hop producer and MC from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:In 2004, he formed B.R. Gunna, with Young RJ, and Fat Ray, and together they released Dirty District: Vol. 2, a follow up to a compilation released in 2001 by Slum Village, which he had...
except for 2 tracks:
- "Save Ya" produced by T3T3T3 or T-3 may refer to:* SPARC_T3, a CPU introduced by Sun Microsystems in 2010* Digital Signal 3 or T3 line, a type of telecommunications service* Fletcher's Ice Island or T-3, an iceberg discovered by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph O...
from Slum VillageSlum VillageSlum Village was a hip hop group from Conant Gardens, Detroit, Michigan.The group was formed by three members: rappers Baatin and T3, plus rapper and producer J Dilla . J Dilla left in 2002 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records... - "The Science" produced by DJ Dez
A great amount of work was put on the songs' drum lines. Black Milk used various hard kicks and snares, which is a common aspect of his production style. The song which displays this fact the best is probably "Guessing Game".
However, some tracks,are noticeable for their deep and soulful samples such as "Save Ya" or "Transitional Joint".
Songs and content
The Preface is known for containing songs which are related to various subjects and themes like dreams, colors or infatuation.- "Guessing Game", can be considered as an oral "Fill the Blank" game in which the listener has to guess the final 2 syllable word of each bars. According to HipHopMichigan.com's interview, Elzhi said he wrote this song in a couple of hours after listening to Black Milk's beat. On this track, the focus in on wordplays and flow variations..
- On "Colors", Elzhi is using words from the English dictionary which are related to colors like, for example : "Red Cross", "BluetoothBluetoothBluetooth is a proprietary open wireless technology standard for exchanging data over short distances from fixed and mobile devices, creating personal area networks with high levels of security...
", "Black Mail"... This track could be compared to GZAGZAGary Grice , better known by his stage names GZA and The Genius, is an American hip hop artist and founding member of the seminal hip hop group the Wu-Tang Clan. He has also appeared on his fellow clan members' solo projects and has maintained a successful solo career...
's "Animal Planet" except that Elzhi is focusing his rhymes on colors and not on animals. Like for "Guessing Game", he modifies his lyrics through the beats and rhythm variations. - "Talking In My Sleep" is an immersive track in which Elzhi puts the listener in his dreams and describes different situations: the vision of his mom, a killer armed with a chainsaw, a twisted and reversed room as well as other images. This track shows Elzhi's capacity for creating patterns, styles and his use of allegories and metaphors, along with his story-telling abilities.
Track listing
| # | Title | Producer(s) | Samples | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Intro (The Preface)" | Black Milk Black Milk Curtis Cross, better known as Black Milk, is a hip hop producer and MC from Detroit, Michigan.-Biography:In 2004, he formed B.R. Gunna, with Young RJ, and Fat Ray, and together they released Dirty District: Vol. 2, a follow up to a compilation released in 2001 by Slum Village, which he had... |
1:02 | |
| 2 | "The Leak" (feat. Ayah Ayah Ayah or Aayah is the Arabic word for sign or proof:"These are the Ayat of Allah, which We recite to you with truth... ) |
Black Milk | 3:32 | |
| 3 | "Guessing Game" | Black Milk | 5:38 | |
| 4 | "Motown 25" (feat. Royce da 5'9") | Black Milk | 3:57 | |
| 5 | "Brag Swag" | Black Milk | 2:41 | |
| 6 | "Colors" | Black Milk | 3:16 | |
| 7 | "Fire" (Remix) (feat. Black Milk, Guilty Simpson Guilty Simpson Byron Simpson, better known by his stage name Guilty Simpson is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He was previously known as Guilt. Over time, he saw that there were more emcees using the alias. In order to set himself apart from the others, he added his last name to become Guilty Simpson. He is... , Danny Brown, Fat Ray, Fatt Father) |
Black Milk | 4:05 | |
| 8 | "D.E.M.O.N.S." | Black Milk |
|
4:12 |
| 9 | "Save Ya" (feat. T3 T3 T3 or T-3 may refer to:* SPARC_T3, a CPU introduced by Sun Microsystems in 2010* Digital Signal 3 or T3 line, a type of telecommunications service* Fletcher's Ice Island or T-3, an iceberg discovered by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph O... ) |
T3 T3 T3 or T-3 may refer to:* SPARC_T3, a CPU introduced by Sun Microsystems in 2010* Digital Signal 3 or T3 line, a type of telecommunications service* Fletcher's Ice Island or T-3, an iceberg discovered by U.S. Air Force Colonel Joseph O... |
4:00 | |
| 10 | "Yeah" (feat. Phat Kat Phat Kat Phat Kat , is a rapper from the east side of Detroit, Michigan. His career began in the mid 90's as part of 1st Down, which consisted of Phat Kat on vocals and Jay Dee on production... ) |
Black Milk | 4:14 | |
| 11 | "Transitional Joint" | Black Milk |
Dionne Warwick Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health.... |
4:57 |
| 12 | "Talking in My Sleep" | Black Milk |
KRS-One Lawrence Krisna Parker , better known by his stage names KRS-One , and Teacha, is an American rapper... Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions was a hip hop group that was originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, months after the release of BDP's debut album, Criminal Minded. The name of the group, Boogie Down, derives from a nickname for the... Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop... |
4:19 |
| 13 | "The Science" (feat. Fes Roc) | DJ Dez | 3:03 | |
| 14 | "Hands Up" | Black Milk | 4:13 | |
| 15 | "What I Write" | Black Milk | 3:40 | |
| 16 | "Growing Up" (feat. A.B.) | Black Milk | 5:02 |