In his own words, the Montreal hip-hop producer Nicholas Craven has been serving up “Soulful Gritty Beats from the North Since 2006.” Today one of those beats goes to the Detroit veteran Boldy James. On “Death & Taxes,” Boldy rides Craven’s weightless soul loop with a casual command. The song features no drums at all, but his deep, rugged vocals are their own kind of grounding force. Listen below.