If Richard Pryor was my favorte person to ever grab a mic,J. Dilla was my favorite guy to get behind a beat machine.He is your favorite producer's favorite producer that you might not have heard of.Pharrell Williams and Kanye West have noted him as one of their greatest influences.
From producing alongside a Tribe Called Quest, to the Pharcyde's songs "Running' & "Drop", to uncredited production on Janet Jackson's "Got til It's Gone" (Jam and Lewis took credit for it but that was classic Jay Dee) To artist like Erykah Badu,The Roots,De La Soul,Busta Rhymes, and production on Common's last three albums including his song "The Light", and his original group Slum Village.
What makes this even sadder is that he a had just released an album this past Tuesday....
bingolong,
DAMN!!!! Jay Dee... was one of the best, a true hip hop producer. When he stepped away from Slum Village to focus on production, I knew it would hurt the group but so many other artists would benefit from his skill.
Damn... I would say a large amount of the muxic I've loved over the last ten years has been produced by him. Two of my favorite albums in the last 10 years... Velvet Rope and Like Water For Chocalate... heavy Jay Dee influence.
God bless...
Now that Johnnie's gone, I guess I should start being nice to the cops.
robfharris,
Yeah man my favorite album of this century so far is Slum Village's Fantastic Vol 1. They had that joint "Thelonius" Common did with him on that "Like Water For Chocolate" too. "The Light" gave Common a big boost in his career which set him up for what his career is now.
I had been waiting all week for my homeboy to send me a copy of Dilla's new instrumental album "Donuts"b/c I couldn't find it in my town anywhere. He still hadn't sent it yesterday so I had to go ahead and order that an another album I had that I have seemed to misplaced, "Live From Detroit".
I really think in te world of hip-hop he is equivalent to alot of jazz greats that didn't get the props they deserved while they were alive.Just Thursday I was about to go thru some of the albums I had to with his productions in anticipation of getting his album.....still in shock cause dude was in our age range too....
I went to Zimbabwe. I know how white people feel in America now; relaxed! Cause when I heard the police car I knew they weren't coming after me!
bingolong,
You got that right... it upsets me when everyone thinks Hip Hop is 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg. I have all their stuff, but damn it's so many cats in the game that have a fan base, but because "the suburbs" don't have somebody on their IPod, he's irrelevant. Damn that... Long live the underground, Hip Hop, BLACK FOLKS INC!!! Press...
I have to get "Donuts" just saw he has 31 tracks on it... how insane is that?
Now that Johnnie's gone, I guess I should start being nice to the cops.
Sad news. Jay was a rare force in the culture. While I can't name all of his joints off-hand, over the years I've seen his name on many a credit. Always dope.
bingolong,
NEW YORK (Billboard) - J Dilla, a founding member of hip-hop act Slum Village, died Friday (February 10) in Los Angeles. The Detroit-hailing rapper/producer succumbed to complications from lupus. He was 32.
Before his passing, J Dilla (born James Yancey and also known as Jay Dee) had been working on "The Shining," the follow-up to his 2001 solo debut, "Welcome to Detroit." The new album was scheduled for a June release via BBE Records.
"Jay was one of my favorite hip-hop producers of all time. His passion for music was a rare thing amongst people in the music industry," BBE founder Peter Adarkwah said. "His music and presence will be sorely missed for many years to come."
Since forming the rap trio Slum Village in the late 1990s with MCs Baatin and T3, J Dilla has worked closely with such artists as A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip, Common and the Pharcyde.
J Dilla left the group to pursue a solo career, and in 2003 released "Champion Sound" with fellow rapper/producer Madlib. J Dilla's instrumental album "Donuts" was released last week by Stones Throw.
Now that Johnnie's gone, I guess I should start being nice to the cops.
bingolong,
Diggin' in the crates, completely forgot how I vibed out to Slum Village's Fantastic Vol. 2 for damn near 2 years. 'Jealousy', 'What's it All About', 'Get Dis Money', 'Go Ladies'... Yeah damn. God bless.
Now that Johnnie's gone, I guess I should start being nice to the cops.
