Phat Kat
“Every time I step in the booth, I’m tryna make some classic shit,” promises Phat Kat, a pioneer of the Detroit hip-hop scene who was putting it down for the underground long before anyone ever heard of Eminem, Proof, D12, Slum Village, Natas, or Royce the 5’9.” And while rap from “the D” has come into the national limelight in recent years, few of Detroit’s current crop of MCs boast a track record or reputation as credible as Phat Kat. Back in the early ‘90s, Phat Kat helped to put the D on the hip-hop map as a member of First Down, pairing with legendary DJ/producer J Dilla (R.I.P.), then known as Jay Dee, years before Dilla’s involvement in Slum Village. After meeting Guru and Premier during a promotional stop through Detroit in 1994, Phat Kat gave them a demo tape – the first demo he had ever passed on to industry folks, he says — and First Down ended up getting signed to Payday records on the strength of one song, the now-classic “Front Street,” which appeared on the Representing the Streets compilation. First Down seemed poised to be one of the first Midwestern groups to blow up nationally; unfortunately, their label was folded into a much larger company and they were lost in transition. Undeterred, the MC also known as Ronnie Cash stayed on the grind in the ensuing years, appearing on albums by Dilla and Slum Village, hitting the road frequently, and releasing his first solo album Undeniable in 2004, followed in Spring 2007 by Carte Blanche, his first release for Look Records. At long last, Phat Kat notes, “I’m with a label that sees my vision.” Dilla contributes five tracks, but the work of up-and-coming producers Nick Speed, Young RJ, and Black Milk is nearly as impressive. Other guests include SV’s Elzhi and T3, Truth Hurts, Melanie Rutherford, Fat Ray, Loe Louis and Guilty Simpson. Rather than pursuing cameos and features from overexposed stars, Phat Kat chose instead to work with his peoples from the D, figuring “the people I got on my album is just as hot as people that’s out.” With its mix of original, streetwise rhymes that fall somewhere in-between gangsta, conscious, and backpack, grooves that can take you from the gutter to the VIP and back, and production that innovates rather than imitates, Carte Blanche is like no Detroit album you’ve ever heard before. It maintains the standard for excellence set by Phat Kat’s cohorts Dilla and Slum Village, but with a much more hardcore thrust. Asked what the album’s title means to him, Phat Kat says with a laugh, “Absolute authority. Full power,” adding, “It’s a good thing.”
ELzhi
Before the world ever heard the name ELZHI, the young artist was sitting in the back of classrooms thinking of rhymes and spitting verses, while his friend Fes banged out beats on lunchroom tables and battled rival emcees on the blacktop after school. He sharpened every blade in his arsenal, developing his style to measure up against the competition in Maurice Maloneís Hip Hop Shop, the legendary proving ground for Detroit artists that has produced some of the greatest emcees in the world.
ELZHI spent years paying dues, writing songs, entering battles, and recording demos until he finally made his international debut on Come and Get It, a standout track from J Dillaís album, Welcome 2 Detroit. The acclaimed song drew massive attention to the mysterious artist, and made his unfinished EP, Out of Focus, a highly sought after recording.
In 2001, Slum Village asked ELZHI to be a part of the group to elevate their reputation, allowing him to reach new levels of lyricism. He recorded multiple albums with his former group, sold hundreds of thousands of records, and toured the world performing his hit singles Tainted (featuring Dwele) and Selfish (featuring Kanye West and John Legend) in cities as distant as Tokyo and Amsterdam.
In 2004, ELZHI released Witness My Growth, a 2-disc mixtape featuring many of his lost or unfinished solo songs, which has come to be considered an underground classic by hip hop fans all over the world. Embarking on his first European solo tour in 2008, ELZHI released Europass as a merch-table exclusive. Upon his return to the United States, he promptly released the The Preface, his solo debut on Fat Beats Records. This album helped to solidify his reputation as one of the most respected and inventive lyricists in the world, earning acclaim from legendary artists and fans alike.
In 2009, responding to the demands of his passionate fan base, ELZHI released The Leftovers mixtape, a collection of rare tracks and unreleased exclusives featuring the hit single Deep. In 2010, due to complications with his former label and no longer content with being your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper, ELZHI signed with Jae Barber and The JAE.B Group, an Artist Relations and Management firm, drafting them to help launch his career to the next level.
Moving past the relationship with his former group, ELZHI has reinvented himself as a solo artist and reignited his buzz. Last year, he released ELMATIC, an homage to NAS’s classic debut, ILLmatic. A labor of love for ELZHI, the project finds the Detroit emcee creating new songs out of Nasís original titles while rapping over the Will Sessions Bandís interpretation of the original beats.
After the overwhelming success of ELMATIC, ELZHI is in the beginning stages of writing his new album using beats provided by an exciting roster of producers.
