Let’s just get this out of the way: hip-hop shows, more than any other genre, regularly feature an absurd amount of waiting before the headliner you went to see finally hits the stage—often after midnight. Some of the opening acts or DJs you see beforehand might be good and you may even be hyped to have been introduced to them, but when it takes four hours before the main act steps on stage, shit can get old. With this in mind, Black Milk’s last minute, Red Bull Big Tune pre-show in Chicago at Reggie’s Rock Club was as close to ideal as you can get.

After only an opening set from DJ Sye Young, there was no long list of performers—Black Milk did a few interviews in the subteranneous green room of Reggie’s and then headed upstairs to perform. For a show that was only announced maybe a week beforehand, Reggie’s filled up nicely with dedicated hip-hop heads ready to see one of the culture’s most respected producer/MCs today—one who’s pushing his fourth and arguably best LP yet, Album of the Year.

Looking back, Black’s line from the 2008 track “Hell Yeah” especially rang true on this night: “I’m on stage rocking real shows / lookin’ at the fans with they hands up / taking pictures on they cell phones.”

Seeing the hyped crowd, it was easy to sense the loyal following Black has acquired in the past few years. The draw of his show is that he keeps unadulterated lyricism a focal point but balances the potent raps with a hefty sonic backing—a live band featuring keys (Aaron “AB” Abernathy), drums (Daru Jones), a DJ (Bill Sharp), and bass. While countless rappers have added a backing band to their set, Black’s band doesn’t seem tacked on—it’s seamlessly integrated. The free-flowing funk version of the track “Without You” was particularly cool to see how these guys bounce off each other sonically. It felt like a freestyle jam session. There were even points when Black just stood there with his eyes closed and arm extended feeling, for example, the keys and vocals of AB.

During the show, Black Milk admitted that he hadn’t performed in awhile, since his fall Europe Tour. But this cat was never rusty, ripping it with percussion-heavy versions of song like the melodic “Welcome (Gotta Go).” By the time the audience-requested booming single “Sound the Alarm” closed out the set, it felt like the future of hip-hop was being paved on the stage of Reggie’s. Representing the still overlooked Detroit scene, Black Milk avoids gimmicks while finding a way to make raw rap more musically rich than ever. Leading up to the Red Bull Big Tune beat battle finals in Chicago, this performance no doubt showed the up-and-comers how it’s done.

Words and photos by Max Herman.