''The Preface'' is the debut album of rapper

eLZhi Jason Powers (born May 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Elzhi (stylized as eLZhi), is an American Rapping, rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a former member of Slum Village and now records as a solo artist. In his youth, he made nume ...

, released 12 August 2008 on Fat Beats Records. It features many other

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

's MCs including

Royce Da 5'9" Ryan Daniel Montgomery, known professionally as Royce da 5'9" (or simply Royce 5'9"), is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Montgomery is currently one half of the rap duo Bad Meets Evil with fellow Detroit rapper Eminem, and ...

Guilty Simpson Byron Dwayne “Guilty” Simpson is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan whose recording career spans more than 20 years. He is signed to Stones Throw Records, and is known for being one of the late producer J Dilla’s favo ...

Black Milk Curtis Eugene Cross (born August 14, 1983), better known by his stage name Black Milk, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Career In addition to Slum Village, Black Milk has worked with J Dilla, Elzhi, Phat Kat, Frank-N-Dan ...

Fatt Father Shabazz Ford (born February 17, 1980), known by his stage name Fatt Father, is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a one fourth part of the Fat Killahz (with Marv Won, Bang Belushi and King Gordy) and one half of Twin Towers (with Ma ...

Danny Brown Daniel Dewan Sewell (born March 16, 1981), better known by his stage name Danny Brown, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He has been described by MTV as "one of rap's most unique figures in recent memory". In 2010, after amassing s ...

and

Phat Kat Phat may refer to: People *Huỳnh Tấn Phát (1913–1989), South Vietnamese politician and revolutionary *Lâm Văn Phát (1920–1998), Vietnamese army officer *Phat Wilson (1895–1970), Canadian amateur ice hockey player *Richard Temple-Nug ...

among others. The album has been critically acclaimed and considered by many professional reviewers as one of the best hip hop albums of 2008.

Production

The whole album was produced by

except for tracks "Save Ya" (produced by T3), "The Science" (produced by DJ Dez), and interludes produced by Leaf K. Mayfield, Petey Pistol and

Denmark Vessey Denmark Martin Vessey (born August 28, 1984) is an American rapper and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is also a member of hip hop duo Crown Nation with Quelle Chris. He was named after Denmark Vesey, leader of a slave revolt planned ...

. A great amount of work was put on the songs' drum lines. Black Milk used various hard kicks and snares, which is a common aspect of his production style. The song which displays this fact the best is probably "Guessing Game". However, some tracks are noticeable for their deep and soulful samples such as "Save Ya" or "Transitional Joint". Eugene "Hexmurda" Howell served as executive producer of the album.

Songs and content

The Preface is known for containing songs which are related to various subjects and themes like dreams, colors or infatuation. *''"Guessing Game"'', can be considered as an oral "Fill the Blank" game in which the listener has to guess the final 2 syllable word of each bars. According t
HipHopMichigan.com's interview
Elzhi said he wrote this song in a couple of hours after listening to Black Milk's beat. On this track, the focus in on wordplays and flow variations.. *On ''"Colors"'', Elzhi is using words from the English dictionary which are related to colors like, for example : "Red Cross", "

Bluetooth Bluetooth is a short-range wireless technology standard that is used for exchanging data between fixed and mobile devices over short distances and building personal area networks (PANs). In the most widely used mode, transmission power is limi ...

", "Black Mail"... This track could be compared to

GZA ''Gary Eldridge Grice'' (born August 22, 1966), better known by his stage names GZA ( ) and The Genius, is an American rapper and songwriter. A founding member of the hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, GZA is the group's "spiritual head", being both ...

's "Labels" except that Elzhi is focusing his rhymes on colors and not on record labels. Like for ''"Guessing Game"'', he modifies his lyrics through the beats and rhythm variations. *''"Talking In My Sleep"'' is an immersive track in which Elzhi puts the listener in his dreams and describes different situations: the vision of his mom, to being in a barbershop, to flying through clouds, being in a fistfight, having sex, being chased by a killer armed with a chainsaw (who is possibly his father whom he faces in an inverted house) as well as other images. This track shows Elzhi's capacity for creating patterns, styles and his use of allegories and metaphors, along with his story-telling abilities.

Track listing

;Notes *D.E.M.O.N.S. **"No Quarter" by

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

*Transitional Joint **"Don't Let My Teardrops Bother You" by

Dionne Warwick Marie Dionne Warwick (; born December 12, 1940) is an American singer, actress, and television host. Warwick ranks among the 40 biggest U.S. hit makers between 1955 and 1999, based on her chart history on ''Billboards Hot 100 pop singles cha ...

*Talking in My Sleep **"I Can't Wake Up" by

KRS-One Lawrence "Kris" Parker (born August 20, 1965), better known by his stage names KRS-One (; an abbreviation of "Knowledge Reigns Supreme Over Nearly Everyone") and Teacha, is an American rapper from New York City. He rose to prominence as part of ...

**"Blackman In Effect" by

Boogie Down Productions Boogie Down Productions (BDP) was an American hip hop group originally composed of KRS-One, D-Nice, and DJ Scott La Rock. DJ Scott La Rock was murdered on August 27, 1987, five months after the release of BDP's debut album, ''Criminal Minded ...

**"Ain't No Half-Steppin'" by

Big Daddy Kane Antonio Hardy (born September 10, 1968), better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who began his career in 1986 as a member of the Juice Crew. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential and skilled MCs in hi ...

References

External links

HipHopDX.com's The Preface reviewMichiganHipHop.com's interview with Elzhi recounting how he created his classic songs (part 2)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Preface Elzhi albums 2008 debut albums Albums produced by Black Milk Fat Beats Records albums