SoundNexx

SOUNDSPOT: TA'RAACH
Unbeknownst to many, Detroit has a pretty large hip-hop music scene. Due to local haterizm and poor promotion, not many of the hip-hop artists have made it past the city limits (8 Mile) when it comes to being recognized by the masses! As in all situations there are a few exceptions. Ta'Raach a.k.a Lacks is one of them. No, his rap name may not ring any bells, but I am quite sure some of his music will? He's definitely not new to the whole music scene. Some would say he's one of Detroit's undergroud vets that is finally getting some well deserved exposure. He has worked with several artists over the years like J-Dilla, Platinum Pied Pipers, Dwele, DJ Exile, Scienz of Life & Dabrye developing his musical resume.

Ta'Raach grew up in Detroit, and he got his start working with his homies Dwele, Elzhi (Slum Village) & Big Tone back in the late 1990s. At that time, all of those artists were pretty much unknowns, so working together seemed like the right move. They formed a super-group called The Breakfast Club, which made a lot of buzz locally, but never really reached the mainstream arena. Ta'Raach handled most of the production on the project. The group's endeavor did get the attention of the local producer phenom Jay Dee (J. Dilla), and he asked Ta'Raach to come out to California to put in some work on his Welcome 2 Detroit album. After hanging out in Cali for a few weeks, he met some key folks that could basically take his career to next level. After making several trips back and forth between Detroit and California, he finally relocated to Cali in 2005. His move to California was strictly to further his career by capitalizing on some great opportunities. Unlike Detroit, California had a lot of production work available for an up & coming rapper/producer to capitalize on while networking and establishing new relationships.

Ta'Raach may now reside in California, but he still reps Detroit pretty hard. He's borrowing the career blueprint of his good friend and mentor J. Dilla who had a gift of meshing that Detroit sound with other genres of music. You can definitely feel that vibe on his new album "Fevers," which hits the streets at the end of the month. This joint is packed with that unorthodox Detroit boom-bap with a nice twist. On the "Fevers" album Ta'Raach manages to balance hardcore street and the neo-soul vibed tracks pretty well. He doesn't sacrafice the level of quality on either end of the spectrum, which is nice to hear. Some of the tracks are pretty short, but that is normal for Ta'Raach's music. Where most rappers may spit 16 bars on a song, Lacks may only spit 6 bars and let the instrumental bang for a few extra seconds. Works for me! This method definitely prevents you from getting bored with his tracks, plus there aren't any of those infamous filler verses that you hear on other cheezy rap albums. Ta'Raach may not be for everyone, but I dig his style. For all of you J. Dilla/Slum Village fans, you should give Ta'Raach a listen and hear what you think!


Checkout his myspace page:

www.myspace.com/taraach

LISTEN TO SOME SNIPPETS FROM THE FEVER JOINT HERE