New Joint – ChanHays / Phat Kat etc.

ChanHays ft. Fat Ray, Phat Kat & Guilty Simpson – “Smokin” (@TheChanHays / 2018)

The Canadian producer enlists three of Detroit’s finest emcees for this rugged cut off his 2017 album “Here”.

New Joint – Valid & Slot-A / Phat Kat

Valid & Slot-A ft. Phat Kat – “What Up Doe” (@Valid313 / @IAmSlotA / 2017)

Raw beats and sharp rhymes off the forthcoming EP “The Alley-Oop” from Detroit emcee Valid and Chicago-based producer Slot-A.

New Joint – Phat Kat & DJ Dister

Phat Kat & DJ Dister – “S.O.S. (So Old School)” (@BelowSystem / 2017)

True-school beats and rhymes taken from the album “The S.O.S. Project”.

New Joint – Phat Kat & DJ Dister

Phat Kat & DJ Dister – “Revolt For Change” (@BelowSystem / 2017)

The veteran Detroit emcee tackles police brutality on this potent track off the forthcoming “S.O.S. Project” album produced by Germany’s DJ Dister.

New Joint – Ron Jon Bovi / Opio

Ron Jon Bovi ft. Opio – “Jump” (@RonJonBovi / 2016)

Taken from Casual and Phat Kat’s Unjust-produced collabo album “Neaux Mursi”.

New Joint – Phat Kat aka Ronnie Euro

Phat Kat aka Ronnie Euro ft. DJ Dez – “True Story Pt. 3” (@RonnieEuro / 2016)

The veteran Detroit wordsmith gets on his grown man steez with this punchy banger from his Agor-produced “Re-Dedication To The Suckers” project.

New Joint – Ron Jon Bovi / Guilty Simpson

Ron Jon Bovi ft. Guilty Simpson – “We Get It Poppin'” (@SmashRockwell / @RonnieEuro / 2016)

Animated visuals off the forthcoming “Neaux Mursi” collabo album from Hieroglyphics’ Casual and Detroit favourite Phat Kat.

New Joint – Ron Jon Bovi

Ron Jon Bovi – “Time Tunnel” (@RonJonBovi / 2016)

Animated visuals from the forthcoming Casual / Phat Kat collabo album “Neaux Mursi”.

New Joint – Ron Jon Bovi (Casual / Phat Kat)

Ron Jon Bovi – “Time Tunnel” (@SmashRockwell / @RonnieEuro / 2016)

Hieroglyphics member Casual and Detroit mic master Phat Kat drop the lead single from their forthcoming collabo album “Neaux Mursi” produced entirely by Chosen F3W’s Unjust – lyric lovers rejoice!

New Joint – Phat Kat aka Ronnie Euro

Phat Kat aka Ronnie Euro – “Rededication” (@RonnieEuro / 2015)

Granite-tough beats and rhymes from the veteran Detroit emcee’s “Re-Dedication To The Suckers” release, produced entirely by the UK’s Agor.

New Joint – Phat Kat

Phat Kat – “Revolver” (@RonnieEuro / 2015)

Taken from the veteran Detroit emcee’s forthcoming project “Re-Dedication To The Suckers”.

New Joint – Nolan The Ninja / Phat Kat

Nolan The Ninja ft. Phat Kat – “deploi.” (@NolanTheNinja / 2015)

The young Detroit emcee drops more raw microphone techniques on this 5ynoT-produced track from his forthcoming “F**k The Hype” EP, a project which is already sounding like it will be one of the best releases of 2015.

New Joint – DJ Dister / Phat Kat

DJ Dister ft. Phat Kat aka Ronnie Euro – “Rappin’ Ass Rappers” (@DJ_Dister / 2015)

Detroit’s Phat Kat delivers some heavyweight lyrical punches on this track from Berlin producer Dister’s forthcoming album “Consistent Knockouts”.

New Joint – Flip / Elzhi / Phat Kat

Flip ft. Elzhi & Phat Kat – “Without Warning” (@IllAdrenaline / 2015)

The Austrian producer looks to the Motor City of Detroit for lyrical assistance on this second single from his forthcoming album “Reflections”.

Album Review – House Shoes

House Shoes

“Let It Go”

(Tres Records)

A longstanding influence in the Detroit Hip-Hop scene, close friend of the late, great J. Dilla and a talented producer in his own right, Motown’s House Shoes is already something of a legend in his own time. From releasing hometown emcee Phat Kat’s classic “Dedication To The Suckers” single on his own indie label in the late-90s to more recently acting as tour deejay for the likes of Black Milk and Elzhi, House Shoes’ limitless passion for Detroit music and his desire to see local talent exposed has led to his name becoming synonymous with quality D-Town beats and rhymes, whether he’s playing them, tweeting about them, or making them himself.

“Let It Go”, House Shoes’ debut release for Los-Angeles-based imprint Tres, has been a long time coming, a project that both fans and no doubt the Midwest native himself have been desperate to see drop. An opportunity for House Shoes to fully showcase his production skills, draw attention to underground Detroit artists and also work with established figures from across the US, “Let It Go” sounds like the producer is doing just that, exhaling years of hard-work, struggle and determination throughout the eighteen-track set.

The main strength of this is album is that, irrespective of the long list of featured artists, as producer, it remains House Shoes’ project at all times. The main problem with many producer-led albums is that the individual behind the boards can sometimes appear overwhelmed by the diversity of styles brought to the table by their rhyming counterparts, leading to a producer bending their trademark sound to fit featured guests, which can result in nothing more than a patchy compilation rather than a cohesive body of work guided by the direction of one musical mind.

The sonic personality of House Shoes, however, is stamped all over “Let It Go” and is strong enough to constantly remain the driving force behind the project. No matter who’s on the mic, it’s House Shoes’ quality production that remains the primary focus of each track.

The instrumental “Empire / Get Down” officially begins proceedings, a melodic blend of swirling synths and knocking drums that builds into a stirring symphony of epic, bass-heavy brilliance, creating a feeling that the listener is on the verge of hearing something monumental as the remainder of the album unfolds.

After the ethereal vibes of that opening track, the Moe Dirtee-assisted “Goodfellas To Bad Boys” drags the project straight back into the streets of Detroit, with the upcoming emcee delivering gritty-but-witty gangsta rhymes over cinematic production that brings with it an atmosphere of drama and urgency. The subtle “Dirt” (featuring The Alchemist, Oh No and Roc Marciano) is built around a muffled bassline that sounds like it was recorded through a wall from the studio next door, with NY’s Marcberg dropping one of the best verses on the album, rhyming himself into a syllable-crazed frenzy with his usual mix of vividly rugged street observations and delicate wordplay.

The sparse “Crazy” features Black Milk and Guilty Simpson combining forces with House Shoes to create another certified Motor City banger, whilst the short-but-effective “Everything (Modern Family)” finds Fatt Father navigating the complexities of a broken relationship over a simple, string-laden soul loop that injects further emotion into the lyricist’s sincere rhymes.

St. Louis artist Black Spade delivers a brilliant performance on the effortlessly dope “Sunrise”, searching for success and enlightenment over hypnotic jazzy vibes and rolling drums expertly chopped by House Shoes (“Wanna be in the place where they like ‘Black Spade run it’, Like when Biggie was on The Source awards saying ‘Brooklyn we done it'”).

“Castles (The Sky Is Ours)”, the previously-released dedication to House Shoes’ friend J1, takes the album in an unexpected-but-welcome direction, a heartfelt track featuring vocalist Jimetta Rose turning the tragedy of losing loved ones into beautiful music, using memories of good times shared as inspiration to push on through life and honour those no longer with us.

It’s not overly dramatic to say that you can literally hear the heart and soul of House Shoes seeping through the beats of every track on “Let It Go”. His ability to work easily with artists as varied as the unpredictable Danny Brown and animated Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 fame without losing any of his own style and musical approach is evidence of both his vision and talent as a producer.

A definite triumph, “Let It Go” is a strong release that should finally see House Shoes being given the same well-deserved exposure he’s fought so hard to see other Detroit artists experience over the years. Salute!

Ryan Proctor

House Shoes ft. Nottz, Oh No & MED – “Last Breath” (Tres Records / 2012)

Gigantic Vol. 0 Mixtape Download – Small Professor

Following up his four-part “Jawns” instrumental series, Philly producer Small Professor drops this banging precursor to his “Gigantic Vol. 1” album containing a combination of remixes and original material featuring the likes of Phat Kat, Curly Castro, Has-Lo, Che Grand and more (be sure to peep the homage to Smoothe Da Hustler’s classic “Broken Language”) – download here.

New Joint – Phat Kat

Phat Kat – “Stylin On…” (BreadBreakers.TV / 2011)

Astronote-produced cut from the Detroit lyricist’s forthcoming album “Katakombz”.

New Joint – Iron Braydz / Phat Kat

Iron Braydz ft. Phat Kat – “The Dobermans” (IronBraydz.Com / 2011)

The London emcee teams-up with one of Detroit’s finest on this Agor-produced track featuring cuts from Shortee Blitz.

Freestyle Season – Kyza

London’s Kyza Smirnoff gets ferocious over Phat Kat’s classic Dilla-produced “Cold Steel” instrumental.

Live & Direct – Phat Kat

Detroit’s Phat Kat and Elzhi of Slum Village onstage recently at Toronto, Canada’s Tonic nightclub.