Rap's most eclectic producer sets his sights on yet another genre, and once again draws on that style in inventive and exciting ways. This time, Black Milk's muse appears to be R&B, making DiVE a deep decent into mellow grooves, soothing rhythms and swaying melodies. And it sounds like nothing else in the prolific beatsmith's extensive catalogue.
Yes, unlike some of the Detroit bred producer's most renowned prior genre-hopping — the electronica he engulfed for his 2008 breakthrough Tronic, or the funk and rock he cherry-picked from his backing band on 2010's Album of the Year — DiVE grafts hip-hop onto a different genre, rather than bending that other style into punchy samples and other rap conventions.
The abundance here is dedicated to sheer singing as opposed to rapping — those croons coming from the producer himself, along with some of the best voices in the game, like BJ the Chicago Kid and Sam Austins — not to mention the moody, immersive slow jam vibes, all set this release far apart from Black Milk's beloved early backpack-rap-indebted releases.
