Black Milk Tells The Story Behind Jack White Collaboration
Back in April we reported that fellow Detroit natives Black Milk and Jack White were collaborating at White’s creative oasis Third Man Records in Nashville, Tennessee. This week the spawn of the project; “Brain” and “Royal Mega” are available for purchase on iTunes along with the 7” vinyl.
If you were wondering how it all came about, Black Milk told the entire story in a blog post on his website. Apparently the rock visionary contacted Black Milk’s manager Hex Murda via email after hearing the Royce da 5’9” and Elzhi assisted “Deadley Medley” sparked his interest. Fans weren’t the only ones pleasantly surprised.
“My first reaction was one of shock that an artist like him, who most people would categorize as a rock star, would want to work with an independent hip-hop artist. My second reaction was surprise that he even knew I existed, even though we’re from the same city. Of course, my response was “Hell yeah! When and where do I need to be to make this happen?”
The rest is recorded history. Milk flew out to Nashville with keyboardist AB; drummer Daru Jones; and bassist Malik Hunter to compound their respective sounds into something fresh and original.
“I was prepared to follow Jack’s direction with the songs, but not long into the creative process it became clear that he wanted me to take the lead role as the producer. For a guy who is so well-respected and musically accomplished to humbly step into the recording room as one of many musicians and to trust me as the producer to do what I do best was pretty crazy and such an honor.”
The live performance; Black Milk Live at Third Man Records, was also recorded and will be released on vinyl.
“It was a great performance for an amazing crowd, but the craziest part of the night was seeing (and hearing) Jack White in the crowd, cheering us on like a fan and seeming to have more fun than everyone.”
Have a listen to “Brain” and “Royal Mega”, and don’t forget to cop if you’re digging it.
