I remember back in 2006 it was Nas’ release “Hip Hop is Dead” that got me into hip-hop on a deeper level than your standard radio airplay. Nas combated his statement with a record packed with street tracks, collaborations and message behind his music. It was his attempt to give life to his genre. Since then, I’ve seen myself slowly fade back into the mainstream hip-hop scene listening to the Young Money label heads and the “next generation” hipster MC types. Well, I’ve found a reason to look back a little deeper to the true sense of hip-hop: Black Milk.

In the past five years, the man born Curtis Cross has really cut his name into the Detroit music scene as one of– if not THE– best producers in the industry. His production is on point, and he has developed musical swagger by using eccentric, atypical drum beats along with lacing the tracks with soul samples just like the Motor City king J Dilla did.

Well in 2010, Dilla’s heir has stepped up to the plate and crushed one, Troy Tulowitzki style, with his new release entitled Album of the Year. Although he didn’t mean it, it has the potential to be just that. Reviews everywhere are hyping it as a must listen album and also claiming Black Milk as a must see artist live. And that’s where we are now.

This Sunday, October 3^rd, Black Milk cruises through town for his record release party at Hollywood’s Roxy Theatre. But here’s what makes it so fresh: he’s rolling through with the backing band that he used for his album: keyboard/vocalist AB and drum machine Daru Jones bringing the beat just like Black Milk imagined it. Some of my favorite aspects of the album are the sprawling jam sessions that close out a few of the songs and you know that Daru & AB will be going bananas live. The Roxy will be packin some serious punch this Sunday.

Tickets are just $12 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com or The Roxy Box Office.