Milo

On Milo Takes Baths, the Wisconsin rhyming guy known as Milo raps as though he's buoyant in a sensory deprevation chamber. He strings together his thoughts as they creep up; it's a wonder they also rhyme. He's still yet to find his own beats, but we can't fault Milo for that since he sounds right at home over Baths' production. We hope no one has minded thus far.

Milo Takes Baths is an extension of the polite and nerdy world of Milo, who's in a tug-of-war with modern living. He dedicates "Prince Abakaliki of Nigeria needs your help" to a skype date, but relates"it depresses me I can use Google maps to find your house / I swear to goodness the Internet takes all the adventure out." He's frustrated with being a rapper, since he hates most rappers (as much as Tipper Gore). Milo has plenty of gripes, but he's sharp-witted in telling us why, which makes him a lovable grouch - the big hair and Baths beats help. - Impose Magazine

Wisconsin-based rapper Milo (aka Rory Ferreira) calls his style of music “nerd-hop,” a term that pops up in the chorus of a tune named after the hyper-literate author of Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace. Fortunately, you don’t need to read Wallace’s mammoth tome to enjoy Ferreira’s latest mixtape, I Wish My Brother Rob Was Here: Like most of the cultural references Ferreira slips into his introspective hip-hop tunes, Wallace’s role is merely a speck of a detail meant to help illustrate Ferreira’s lifestyle rather than act as the full illustration. It’s music from a self-described nerd made for everyone, regardless of interests.

That doesn’t necessarily mean that I Wish My Brother Rob Was Here is for everyone. With his laid-back, monotone flow and loquacious, self-deprecating lyrics Ferreira doesn’t exactly fit in with Top 40 hip-hop. He’s got more in common with Yoni Wolf (frontman of experimental hip-hop act Why?) and the rest of Wolf’s peers on Anticon than, say, the Young Money crew. His style might not work for every hip-hop head, but his subject-matter and delivery are sure to win over anyone on the fence. Ferreira rhymes about the tribulations and frustrations of creating music on “Mr. Doubt(w)riter,” finding solace and peers with strangers on the Internet on “For the Unheard ProBoard Warriors!,” and the pain of losing a close friend on “Just Us (For my friend Robert, who doesn’t live here anymore).”

Ferreira covers a wide range of oft-depressing subjects and manages to make them listenable with plenty of charm, wit, and humor, all packaged in little gems of lyrical stanzas: A swift spin on race and identity on “Backpacker’s Sermon from Mount Jansport” (“ Someone told me I was black as a saltine/Cause I listen to Rage Against the Machine”) is just one of many standout stanzas that come fast and hit the spot. And that’s just one of 14 songs.

Grab I Wish My Brother Rob Was Here from Bandcamp or Milo’s website. - Forbes