INTERVIEW: Rapper ELLZZ and producer Milkshake Godfather team up on BROTHERHOOD
Listening Party 07/25 @ Foster House Studios, Rensselaer
Photo provided by Milkshake Godfather
“I hope the project helps expose [ELLZZ] to new people who are gonna be into what he's doing as an artist.”
It started with a shared hometown, a network of Capital District artists and a suggestion to “do a little EP!” Rapper ELLZZ teamed up with producer Milkshake Godfather, leading to BROTHERHOOD, a six-track album releasing on July 31, including several of ELLZZ’s fellow BlackTop Music Group artists.
“They have this whole collective going and those are all of the features on the project,” Milkshake Godfather said. “So it's kind of cool. They sort of have their own brotherhood.”
Two years ago, Milkshake Godfather invited ELLZZ over to record in his home studio. “There's a mic in a laptop. It's nothing fancy. I try to make it a really fun laid-back environment where you're not in a studio paying some crazy hourly rate.” After recording a few singles there, they decided to start a project together.
“He kind of started with the vision and the theme.” Milkshake Godfather explained that ELLZZ wanted to keep the album loosely connected throughout. “I basically played him a ton of beats to choose from, but he was very decisive in which ones he felt would fit well together and which ones he wanted.”
BROTHERHOOD has features from all over — from the Capital District, to New York City, to Philadelphia. ELLZZ was strategic with the placement of the artist. He carefully decided which features’ voice complemented his vision, and he used his large music network to find the perfect fit.
“He's got a good connection with everybody,” Milkshake Godfather said, noting that some of his features were even last minute. “He gets a lot of opportunities and a lot of people want to work with him. He's really talented and it’s fun to work with him.”
The duo developed a great working relationship. Milkshake Godfather explained that he tried to take a hands-off approach to the project's creative direction, allowing ELLZZ to lead while he helped bring it to life. The two eventually formed a mutual trust in each other's artistic eye — one that shows through the music.
The album flows, yet each song is unique. The song’s beat is as distinctive as the voice it accompanies. It’s hard-hitting and introspective with layered production that gives the lyrics life. It is the kind of music that you can listen to on repeat and not get sick of.
To celebrate the release, ELLZZ and Milkshake Godfather will host a listening party on Saturday, July 25. The event will be held above Stage One Dispensary at Foster House Studios in Rensselaer, where doors open at 7:00 p.m.
“Just come and hang out, hear some cool music, get to hear the project a week before it drops. It's a good way to kind of get everybody together, showcase the work and just kind of have a good night.”
Albany-based rapper and DJ, Mista Pigz, is DJing the event, and Beat Behemoth, Speig, KNW.BDY, and Less will play producer based sets. Attendees will later get an exclusive listen of BROTHERHOOD when ELLZZ and Milkshake play the project start to finish.
“I hope the project helps expose [ELLZZ] to new people who are gonna be into what he's doing as an artist,” Milkshake Godfather explained, raving how incredibly talented and hardworking ELLZZ is. “I hope it just brings more awareness to the fact that there's a lot of good stuff going on here.”