Slum Village’s catchy rhymes and charismatic stage presence evoked a vibe circa their arrival on the scene in the late 1990’s. Sharing their Detroit roots and a history of collaboration with Phat Kat, Kat was slotted before SV to promote his newest solo album, Carte Blanche.

Working for over a decade in the shadows of other Detroit hip-hop artists like Eminem that have been catapulted into the public eye, Phat Kat is the silent and persistent hustler whose confidence is unwavering. Reaching down to hold the hands and sing to the eyes of the most persistent of women at the front of the stage, Kat interacted with the rest of the audience with this same level of intensity.

His songs from his newest album demonstrated his consistently innovative abilities with words and his talents as an MC, but the beats and music behind his songs began to blur together as one indistinguishable backdrop. This worked to effectively prove Kat as a solo artist but slightly restricted his stage presence and performance next to the über diverse and enthusiastic Slum Village.

Continuing their partnership of collaboration, the show emotionally peaked with the entire J Dilla family (including younger brother Illa J) performing a soul felt tribute song.