It has been almost three years since the tragic passing of legendary hip-hop producer J Dilla, an ingenious beat smith known for his neo-soul sampling style who left an indelible posthumous influence on hip-hop, most notably on Detroit’s producer/MC prodigy Black Milk. As Dilla’s onetime understudy, Black Milk has already proven to be a consistently innovative figure in hip-hop production, and his recent projects have established him as one of the foremost ambassadors of underground hip-hop today.

In 2007, Black Milk released Popular Demand, a collection of Motown soul samples, self-confident lyricism and pounding drums. However, on his latest album, Tronic, he assumes a new approach. Giving the impression that he still has to prove his versatility, Black Milk relies less on crate digging for samples and more on complex, layered instrumentation.

The opening track, “Long Story Short,” is one of the most compelling songs on Tronic. Black Milk raps over some nifty synth work for three minutes straight, essentially laying out his entire career’s path until now. “Give The Drummer Sum” blasts a live horn section over a choppy drum loop. One of the album’s best tracks, though, is “Losing Out,” on which Black Milk and fellow Detroit heavyweight Royce Da 5’9″ rap over a punishing instrumental about putting their city back on the map.

Whereas Black Milk’s rapping has held some of his previous efforts back, Tronic also marks his drastic improvement as an MC. For the most part, Black Milk holds his own throughout the entire album, using only three guest artists to contribute (Pharoahe Monch and Sean Price both kick great verses on “The Matrix”). There is also an appropriate mix of gloating, conceptual raps and smooth jawn to keep all types of fans pleased.

The true brilliance of the album rests on the production, though. Most tracks are supported by Black Milk’s characteristic syncopated break beats and ear-splitting snare hits. The aptly titled “Bounce” loops an electric synth groove over a light, harmonious backdrop. Contrastingly, “Hell Yeah” is a relentless aural barrage of thunderous horns and echoing synths. Lastly, Black Milk does his best J Dilla impression on the soulful instrumental interlude, “Tronic Summer,” symbolizing an official passing of the torch from the legendary J Dilla to his evolving successor.

In short, the groundbreaking and brilliant Black Milk has developed a one-of-a-kind sound that separates him from most artists today. If Popular Demand was Black Milk’s coming out party, then Tronic is his certification as a leader in hip-hop’s emerging generation. Tronic is easily one of the best five hip-hop albums of 2008 thus far, and it succeeded in proving that Black Milk, and the entire genre of hip-hop, still have room to grow.

4 1/2 stars out of 5