I remember the day clearly; a friend and I were fooling around on the net. We found this video of a skater falling off his board and snapping his forearm. Yep, the video was grim but still funny as hell. We were just about to have a second viewing when my flatmate stepped into my room. ‘Oh yeah, I’ve just heard on the radio: Jay Dee from Slum Village has just died’. My friend stopped the video and the atmosphere in the room dropped. My flatmate sat down next to me ‘Sorry bro… Who was Jay Dee?’
That was the thing about Jay Dee or J Dilla, before his death he was largely slept on. I first came to know J Dilla as a member of Slum Village, the solid yet slightly dull Hip Hop unit. The group had something that kept me listening and that something was the producer, Jay Dee. I remember the first time I heard ‘Raise It Up’ the beat was insane but the flow over it was lacklustre. So I wasn’t surprised when J Dilla left the group, he had a spark and he wanted to blow.
The first time I noticed his genius was by accident. In 2004 the rapper MF DOOM had joined up with the producer Madlib to form the group Madvillain and their first release was Madvillainy. I remember putting that album on to this day. My mind literally blew, imploding then exploding. The eargasm was intense and Madlib was my new idol. In my mission to get more Madlib in my life I came across the album Champion Sound by Jaylib, the Madlib and J Dilla duo. J Dilla’s skill had me hooked and I waited patiently for the next J Dilla project.
The album Donuts was released three days before J Dilla’s death. The album was purely instrumental and it showcased a level of production that can only be described as genius. Probably inspired by his time working with Madlib, J Dilla took a sample then sliced and pasted to form his trademark luscious layers over stripped down beats. His manipulation of a sample wasn’t as extreme as DJ Shadow or Exile but the manner of his loop creation was unique yet it sounded accessible. It was like he took a sledgehammer to his finely honed neo-soul vibe and dented it repeatedly. To take a song by 70’s rock band 10CC and then to cut a single line from the song and loop it to make Waves, frankly trying to understand that level of mastery hurts my brain. Donuts was an instant classic and was a template for upcoming hip hop producers like Jnerio Jarel and Black Milk who were getting bored of carrying DJ Premier inspired boom-bap in their backpacks. In fact I’m struggling to think of an album in the last 5 years that has been as influential as this one. (If you can think of one, let me know in the comment section)
So to answer that 4 year old question, Who was Jay Dee? Well, He was one of the most influential musicians of our times having created masterpieces independently (check out Ruff Draft, Jay Loves Japan and the excellent The Shining for more goodness) and working alongside some of the finest producers (Q-Tip, ?uestlove, Madlib) to create the genre defining hip hop/R’n’B/soul soundscapes for the likes of Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson, De La Soul, The Pharcyde, Ghostface Killah etc . With the aid from his immense back catalogue, which ranged from the warm soul vibes to the street corner bangers, the tilt of underground hip hop and it’s fans shifted. To say that J Dilla is still a creative force is no exaggeration. The man who’s became a cult figure forged a path for other groundbreaking artists such as Jay Electronica, Kanye West and Flying Lotus to follow. And to boot he made one of my favourite songs ever, The Light by Common.
So join me for a minute in celebrating the life of J Dilla. One of the best to ever do it.
The Pharcyde- Drop
A Tribe Called Quest- 1nce Again
Janet Jackson- Got Till Its Gone
Q-Tip- Vivrant Thing
Common- The Light
J Dilla- Stop
Ghostface- Whip You With A Strap
J Dilla- Won’t Do
Line Break
