DJ House Shoes is easily one of the best ambassadors of Detroit hip-hop that a city could ask for. The fact that he’s moved to Los Angeles like so many other Michigan hip-hop staples (J Dilla, Ta’raach, T3, Mayer Hawthorne, Now On, etc.) is actually fitting. There’s a musical kinship between Detroit and LA that dates back to when Berry Gordy packed up Motown and landed in California over 40 years ago. Since then, it’s been on!

While Shoes is out here on the West Coast, he’s keeping the Detroit hip-hop torch blazing and producing tracks as if he never left the 313. His latest production gem is called “Newports” and features another Detroit to LA transplant, Jordan Rockswell. It’s on the upcoming All City Records LA 10″ vinyl series that hits iTunes on May 18th.

Check out “Newports” below. Then get your hands on Elzhi’s criminally slept on Out of Focus EP. House Shoes produced the lions share of that underground jewel back in ’98 and I still listen to it once a month on cassette. No joke.

[audio http://www.thesouldojo.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/House_Shoes-Newport.mp3]