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Check Out The New Single From Black Milk, The Best Rapper/Producer You Didn't Know Lived Here.

Serious hip-hop heads know well the name Black Milk by now.

They should: For the better part of the past decade, the Detroit-bred producer and emcee has been making waves amongst the backpacking set in particular with his signature sample-heavy, boom-bap beats. Over that time, he's become no stranger to acclaim; he started grabbing the attention of critics' ears with his 2008 Tronic LP, damn near broke on through all the way to the mainstream with 2010's Album of the Year (lead single “Deadly Medley,” with its nimble and memorable “My shit is Martin Luther / Your shit is Martin Lawrence” dig at all comers, remains one of the best rap singles of recent memory), and then kept his name in the most hipster of hip-hop conversations thanks to his 2011 Black and Brown! collaborative EP release with fellow Detroit native Danny Brown.

But what most people don't necessarily know — not even Black's most die-hard of fans — is that, for the past year or so, he's been calling Dallas home, having embraced the city in the wake of his early 2012 tour, during which time he took upstart Dallas hip-hop group A.Dd+ under his wing and, for the first time, onto stages outside of Texas while they served as his opening act. These days, if you know where to look, you can find him at most of the usual Dallas hip-hop hangs — which is pretty much to say wherever DJ Sober might be spinning on a given night.

Is his arrival a major coup for Dallas hip-hop? No doubt. Actually, if anything, that might be an understatement. In the coming months, Black will announce the formation of a new label, as well as the schedule for a whole string of solo releases he's planned to come out this year. Once more details settle on that front, Black's agreed to a sit-down with us so he can formally introduce himself to his new hometown fans.

In the meantime, we suggest you whet your palates with the bellow stream of his just-released double-single “Sunday's Best / Monday's Worst,” which finds the rapper/producer mining some familiar gospel- and soul-sampling territory, while simultaneously flexing the lyrical witticism and rhythmic flow that's made him such a highly regarded figure in the national rap community over the past few years. It's very much a jam — just as you should very much expect from Black at this point.

Welcome to Dallas, sir. It's nice to have you here.

(Fun sidenote: Local artist Joonbug, of Dallas clothing brand Fresh Kauffee, supplied the artwork for the single, which, yes, is appropriately fresh indeed.)

Cover photo of Black Milk by Rosalinda Ruiz.