Painstakingly pieced together over a decade, producer Sterling Toles crafted something truly unique with Manger on McNichols. Interestingly, over that time, rapper Boldy James had been steadily increasing his prominence as a purveyor of hushed but threatening street rap, so by the time this project was released on the heels of James’ second full length collaboration with the Alchemist, The Price Of Tea In China, Manger reached a much wider audience than it otherwise might have. Manger is very much a tribute to both artists’ hometown of Detroit, and the city’s music, culture, and even a kind of audio patina redolent of the essence of the city itself suffuses the grooves of this record. These are not just beats, they are compositions, complexly layered and full of changes, stories unto themselves.

– Nate LeBlanc