A legend in Detroit, eLZhi became a member of Slum Village in 2002 when members of the Dilla-produced group heard him rap over Dilla’s beats. His wordplay and back-to-basics hip-hop would emerge more fully in his solo career, which began with The Preface, a block party of Detroit underground hip-hop that pulls in everyone from Royce Da 5’9'' and Black Milk to Danny Brown and Guilty Simpson. eLZhi would go on to release albums that were even bigger, but this is where his career launched.