Blakroc | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by The Black Keys | ||||
Released | November 24, 2009 | |||
Recorded | 2009 (Brooklyn, New York City, New York) |
|||
Genre | Rap rock, alternative hip hop, garage rock, blues rock | |||
Length | 35:35 (physical) 31:27 (digital) |
|||
Label | BlakRoc LLC, Cooperative Music, V2 Records | |||
Producer | Damon Dash (exec.), Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, Joel Hamilton | |||
The Black Keys chronology | ||||
|
||||
Singles from Blakroc | ||||
|
Professional ratings | |
---|---|
Aggregate scores | |
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 72/100 |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
BBC | (favorable) |
Clash | |
NME | (7/10) |
The Observer | |
Pitchfork Media | (6.7/10) |
Slant Magazine | |
Spin | (5/10) |
The Seattle Times | (favorable) |
The Washington Post | (favorable) |
Blakroc (stylized as BlakRoc) is a studio album by American rock band The Black Keys, in collaboration with Damon Dash, co-founder and former co-owner of Roc-A-Fella Records, who oversaw the project. The album features guest appearances from several hip hop and R&B acts, namely Mos Def, Nicole Wray, Pharoahe Monch, Ludacris, Billy Danze of M.O.P., Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest, Jim Jones and NOE of ByrdGang, as well as Raekwon, RZA and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard of Wu-Tang Clan.
After Damon Dash began listening to Ohio-based rock duo The Black Keys, which he says quickly became his favorite band, he reached out to the musicians to meet in person. Dash suggested they enter the studio with his friend and associate, New York City-based rapper Jim Jones, with whom Dash had recently partnered to form Splash Records. While recording with co-producer and engineer Joel Hamilton at Studio G, Brooklyn-bred rapper Mos Def, interrupted the session and ended up recording with them as well. With new artists being called in to work on the album, it was completed after eleven weeks of recording. Included in the project are vocals from deceased rapper and former Roc-A-Fella Records artist Ol' Dirty Bastard, tapes which were signed over to his brief Roc4Life venture under Def Jam, with the intention of an eventual album release. In order to release Blakroc, Dash founded an independent record label in conjunction with the band.