Random Axe: "Monster Babies"

Ho-ho-ho-shit. So we’ve known for a minute that Black Milk was doing a project with Guilty Simpson and Sean Price but now we’re hearing the first track leaked and it’s as hard as it wants to be. And, yeah, it wants to be hard. From hearing about how the three decided on their seriously great supergroup name because it was kinda “dirty” and “raw-ass” to the dirty, raw-ass, ridiculous vibe of Milk’s further deconstruction of Dr. Dre to every line that comes out of Sean P’s mouth, you could cut diamonds on this motherfucker.

The beat for “Monster Babies” follows a downward arc from Milk’s elegant “Bounce” into a pit where the sick synth arpeggios drown in the sludge of shaker and single-celled bass drum percussion and some dude is making “caw!” noises, at which I would normally laugh but I’m kinda too scared in this particular case. Sean Price and Guilty Simpson are rappers who’ve built their cred on brutal street wit and on flows sitting heavy and corrosive, thick steaks marinating in balsamic vinegar or something. Black Milk is prepared to shovel this rich and unhealthy shit right down our open gullets—all pretty straightforward and juicy with a sour twist because, seriously, “Monster Babies”? That sounds awesome and also what the hell? Per Pitchfork interview with Black Milk, Price had been encouraging a reticent Milk to rap on some of the Random Axe beats; on “Monster Babies” Milk shrugs, says “Let me fuck with it,” then raps “If hip-hop’s gettin’ (‘deadin’, ‘fadin’?) out / Black Milk just gave that bitch mouth-to-mouth / Brought it back to life, I’m the hospital ill / The industry only got hospital bills.” After that he goes with a John Q narrative too hard for Denzel.

Then Guilty and Sean P rap and you die.