thaFormula.com - How does the Sean P and Guilty Simpson project differ from the type of tracks you do when working on the "Caltroit" project?

Black Milk - Nothing really changes man. Of course the Sean Price and Guilty record is gonna sound different from the "Caltroit album," but it's all good music. At the end of the day, that's all we are doing is making good music. Whatever type of genre of music it is or whatever region it sounds like, it don't matter because it's all good music. So when I go in for the Sean Price and Guilty record, its a little more classic underground feel to it. Because Sean Price been doing his thing in the game for a minute and I was a fan of Sean Price with the "Knockturnal" days. I was like 15 or 16 listening to that record so I been a fan of Sean Price for a minute so for me to actually come in and work on the album in 2007, I'ma try and take those same elements that I used to love about Heltah Skeltah and Boot Camp back in the day and try to incorporate it into the 2007 type sound. We have about 10 to 11 songs already done so we're moving along with that pretty good. Everything is falling into place and going as schedules right now.

thaFormula.com - How has the chemistry been between Sean and Guilty and how did you feel about the project when it was brought to you?

Black Milk - When they first Brought the idea to me I was like "man let's do it because this is about to be crazy." When they brought the idea to me Sean Prices' last album "Jesus Price Superstar" had just came out and that was like the hottest record of the underground at that time and I was coming right after that with "Popular Demand" and I had a nice buzz going on in the underground. Then I had Guilty on my first single and Guilty was on Dilla's "The Shining" record and Guilty had his buzz going on at the time so everybody is anticipating Guilty's record so I was like, "man this album could be bigger than the underground." So I was like "yeah let's do it man" and once they told me I just had so many ideas musically that I wanted to hear Sean Price spit on. This was my opportunity for me to have Sean Price spit over another style of beats that I'd like Sean Price to rap on. I want to hear him experiment with different sounds and experiment with a different style. It's gonna be dope man. The songs we got are just crazy and it's coming out dope so far.

thaFormula.com - Is this album a situation where you are giving Guilty tracks and Sean tracks to rhyme on separately or are they both rhymin' together on every track?

Black Milk - Nah they are collaborating on all the songs. Like Guilty and Sean are putting verses on the same songs and I got a few verses on there on like 2 or 3 different songs. I did a few hooks on it and we got some features coming in for this album to so it's coming out dope. Guilty and Sean Price, their style of music and style of rhyming is kind of similar. It's kind of in the same vein. It's not like Guilty and Sean is such a big difference when it comes to MC'ing. They're both on some hard, grimy underground street-hop type shit. So the chemistry is perfect with them on the record man. It's just you got to hear it man. The shit is heat. I don't want people to think that it's all just gun busting and meta-lyrical just crazy through the whole record. Like we have our concept records on the album too so we gonna give people they didn't expect. It's not just gonna be every cut is just straight gun busting. Nah, its not gonna be like that. We gonna have our concept records, we are gonna have our lighthearted just having fun with it type records, plus we are gonna have just straight savage killer 16's type records.

thaFormula.com - As far as a release date and label situation, what is the plan for that?

Black Milk - For the Sean Price and Guilty record, most likely it will be coming out on Duck Down. I think Duck Down is probably gonna put that album out and also I think they want to wait until after Guilty's album to drop to put it out. I'm not 100 percent sure but if that does happen, the Sean Price and Guilty record unfortunately won't be coming out until the first quarter of next year.

thaFormula.com - Will this be a situation where you guys will come out as a group or will this be just labeled as a Sean Price and Guilty Simpson album?

Black Milk - I think we are just gonna label it as a collaboration album of all 3 of us. Like I'm doing most of the production and we are gonna have a couple of other producers on a few different records, but I'm doing the bulk of the album. But I don't think we are gonna try and make a group out of it because if we did that, that means we have to come out with multiple albums so I think we are just gonna leave it as a collaboration album.

thaFormula.com - Now I heard you and Ras Kass worked on some music together. What is the word on that?

Black Milk - Ras was in Detroit for a couple of weeks. Matter of fact he was here at the time Sean Price was here when were was recording so all of us were in the studio. Me, Ras and Sean P. We were just kickin' it and vibin' off of the music. Ras Kass cut a couple of records with me while I was here. He cut like 2 records while he was here in the D with me. Man, my god it's been a minute since I heard Ras Kass spit so ill. To hear him spit on one of my tracks, he's still got it, that's all I can say. Like he is still nasty with the wordplay and the rhymes, it was crazy.

thaFormula.com - From speaking to Sean can you understand his frustration with the industry and his thoughts on just calling it quits soon?

Black Milk - I could understand him to a certain extent. He has been in the game for a minute and I don't know what his goal is in the music game. I think his situation is more so that he has been in the game for a minute so I think he feels like okay like "I've been putting out record after record, it's that time where I need have more exposure and more shine that I have right now." That's his thing and I don't think Sean P wants to stop doing music. When you got the love for music man, you are going to record. So I doubt that he will stop recording, I think he will just fall back a little bit.

thaFormula.com - Have you faced any frustrations with the beat game and how frustrating can it get?

Black Milk - I wouldn't say I get frustrated because I understand the game now. I've been doing music for about 8 years now so I kind of watched other artists that have been in the game longer then me. I've been watching the music game and how the music industry has been changing for a minute since I've been in it so I kind of have an understanding for how it works so I don't really get frustrated. I just know that it's a steady grind and it's all about how you hustle and your work ethic. As long as I keep banging out good music and building relationships with different artists in the game that's talented with different people at different labels that's down to work with me and will try to just see me have more success than I have now, I think I'll be good and my time will come. I'm not trying to rush it. God gave me a gift to do something a lot of people can't do so I know that I'm here to stay for a minute so my time will come where I get my big break and the whole world will know who Black Milk is. But for now like I say, it's just a steady grind and then when I do reach a certain level of success, I've got to grind even harder so I can keep that number one spot. If that big break never came of course there would be some frustration because that's only natural, but if I had a regular 9 to 5 I would still do music. When I did have a regular 9 to 5 when I first started getting into beats and MC'ing, I was doing music for the love so if I never blow as big as I want to I would still be recording music. So as long as I have that gift to record songs and have some type of way to put it out or some type of avenue or label that will put it out, I will live. I am not gonna let it tear me down and destroy my confidence or what I am trying to do. I doubt if that happens though.

thaFormula.com - What kind of feedback have you received from the Pharoahe Monch work that you have done?

Black Milk - I have been hearing a lot of good responses from the tracks that I have produced and cats been trying to get at me for those beats after hearing the Pharoahe record so it's been a good look. I don't know what the chances are of us putting out an entire project but we have recorded about 4 or 5 songs outside of the album recently like in the past month or two. I have built a relationship with Pharoahe ever since I worked with him on this album. Me and him just stayed in contact. I sent him beats and he will record over some of the beats and send it back to me and that's how our relationship is so hopefully we can put an album out and I think that would be crazy. But for now, we are just recording music. Eventually cats will hear it but we came with some shit once again. My whole thing is that I'm building relationships with every artist I connect with and any artist that I think is dope, I'm gonna build a relationship with them and shit man, if I could have 10 projects out by 10 different artists I will. Like that's how my work ethic is right now. I'm just staying in the studio banging out beats. Like if I'm not on the road touring, I'm just trying to get a lot of music recorded.

thaFormula.com - How has the feedback been so far for "Popular Demand" and how did it feel to have your first official release?

Black Milk - It was good man. You know at the time I had a light buzz going on. A lot of people were checking for the record so it felt great. So when it finally dropped, it just got good responses from the majority of the people that listened to it, from the magazines, write ups and everywhere so it was a good look. So now we are at a point where the units is moving at a nice steady pace and just letting the album do what it do.

thaFormula.com - With the way the industry is now, how should an artist mind frame be when selling records? Should you expect to make money off of record sales these days?

Black Milk - I'm an independent artist, I'm on an independent label and I get a certain amount off of the records but I don't see that until months after the record drops because the record label needs to make their money. Everybody knows that part of the game. So unless I put out my own release on my own independent personal label, that's the only way an artist will really see a nice amount of dough. I put out a couple of projects before the actual album "Popular Demand." One project was called "Broken Wax" and another project was called "Sound of the City." I made a nice little amount of money off of those projects you know putting it out independently myself. So you can make bread if you put it out yourself but the thing is how much exposure is it really gonna get? How many people is it really gonna reach? When you find a certain label that has a certain clout in the game, whether it's a big major label or whether it's a underground label that has the resources to make major label moves, that's the only way you are gonna see the exposure you want. But like I said man it's just a steady grind. I don't really depend on my label to do all my work for me because I was doing it independently before I signed at Fat Beats and if I do sign to a major label one day, it's gonna be the same way. I like to do a lot of footwork myself and be hands on with my project and my music and know what's going on with it. So that's just how it is man. "Popular Demand" has been doing good though man like I said. I connected with a lot of people and a few major labels heard it. I got a couple of major labels interested in what I'm doing and it's just been a good look. I put out a crazy video for the album, a video that you wouldn't see a lot of the times come from the underground that was on some major label type shit. We made it happen and we are just staying grinding.  

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