@VannDigital Reviews ZoTheJerk (@TheJerkNation) x @FrostGamble’s Album ‘Black Beach’

Being familiar with Canadian producer Frost Gamble’s work as we worked with him last year on the promotion of ‘Veteran’, his collaboration EP with upstate New York rapper Tone Chop, The DigiSpot has once again casted the limelight on him with the promo of another collabo project. This time around, the collabo project in question happens to be ‘Black Beach’ which has Gamble reaching out to Detroit rapper ZoTheJerk. With all that in mind, here are our thoughts on the upcoming project below…

‘Black Beach’ is one of those albums that give the listener that classic Motown-inspired Hip-Hop sound that Detroit has always been known for. The lead-off single, “Risk vs. Reward”, is a perfect example of that sound even with featured vocals from BX legend Sadat X. Even with the new wave of Detroit “rappers” (quoting this for a reason) attempting to make their way to the mainstream, ZoTheJerk is that needle in the haystack that you’d have to dig & scratch for. Cutting-edge, boom-bap production from Frost Gamble doesn’t hurt either as the beats flow perfect with ZoTheJerk’s hard-hitting rhymes.

Seeing that ‘Black Beach’ is his second project, it’s already clear that ZoTheJerk has no problem evolving his sound while staying true to himself and keeping his music fresh for his fans old & new. The Guilty Simpson-featured “My Negus” is a good example of how Zo can come with a fresh, new sound without compromising himself. Another example is his cut “If”, featuring fellow Detroit emcee Boldy James, which has both artists wondering what society would be like if things were done different than they were over a modern boom-bap instrumental.

While ‘Black Beach’ focuses on serious issues—past, present, & future—plaguing the Black community for the most part, the subject matter on the project can cut across all cultures when given a good, deep listen. But even under all that, listeners of modern-day jams aren’t left out on the 13-track offering either. ‘Black Beach’ will be available to stream & cop on 5.26.2017 on iTunes as well as other digital platforms via 22 Entertainment.