Considering the influence Dilla had on the current wave of the culture, there’s more than plenty tributes, mixes and the like floating around out there and they’ll make appearances across the blogsphere all week long. Today, I chose this. Mos Def and Robert Glasper got together in Ann Arbor, MI. covering sixteen tracks of material. If that doesn’t work for you, @HouseShoes has been on his grizzly all day (literally) spreading all kinds of audio dope courtesy of Dilla.
01. Black Radio
02. Fantastic
03. The $
04. Interlude
05. E=MC2
06. Jam
07. Ms. Fat Booty
08. The Look of Love
09. Players
10. Bass Solo
11. Jam
12. Interlude
13. Paint The World
14. Interlude
15. Stakes Is High
16. Fall In Love
Download — Mos Def x Robert Glasper – J.Dilla Tribute Live In Ann Arbor
Respect: Blind I
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this looks dope, thanks for spreading it.
Was Dilla that dope? I know he get all kinds of industry cosigns, but I can only think of a few songs that I actually like. No shots at all, just want to hear from fans who can enlighten me.
My appreciation for James Yancey aka J Dilla aka Jay Dee’s production started in the mid-90′s, with Pharcyde’s “Labcabincalifornia” & ATCQ’s “Beats, Rhymes, & Life”. There was a noticeable difference in the way some of the songs on those albums sounded when compared to previous work, so me, being the meticulous liner note reader I was back then, saw that J. Yancey was credited with co-production on those songs. I didn’t learn about the group that Dilla was in, Slum Village, until about 2000, when ?uestlove was hailing them as the next best thing then. “Get Dis Money”, which appeared on the “Office Space” soundtrack, was what sold me on them. I copped their 2nd album, “Fantastic, Vol. 2″. Yes, I’m a card-carrying member of the Slum Villa/J Dilla cult, lol
Dilla’s work is quite expansive. Dude was prolific. He had such a wide range of sounds that he worked with, and was able to work with a wide range of artists. His shit will never be dated, imo.
did smokey robinson drop yet?
my guess is it’ll drop when he comes back down to Earth
@ Since1979
It’s about his sound scope and influence on other notable producer’s. You have so many artists like RZA, DJ Premier, Neptunes, or a Dr. Dre who kind of develop a lane or one sound. Dilla’s sound was kind of all over the place. Check Dilla’s production on Frank N Dank’s “48 Hours” and then listen to his “Ruff Draft EP” which were released around the same time.
I think Raekwon put it best when he said “Dilla is all his favorite producers combined.”
Happy Born Day Dilla Dawg!
Like for me I loved “Runnin”. That’s when I first noticed his work. I remember playin the instrmental over and over. I guess because I didn’t see him work with a lot of mainstream artist I didnt/dont see his genius. Runnin would be my fav track of his. I also think him messing up Beats,Rhymes, and Life has something to do with it.
Tape is up!!
Labeled Version of smokee robinson
http://bit.ly/smokeerobinson
@ Cudder
I knew if I came back extra late it would drop.
@ Since1979
Dilla did production for Busta Rhymes, Common (Sense), Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Janet Jackson, Macy Gray, Daft Punk, Lucy Pearl, Brand New Heavies, and A Tribe Called Quest who are/were all considered mainstream i believe.
No one was really screaming Dilla to were the avg fan was checking for his work. You had to be a liner notes reader to know his work.
I think the problem for me with J Dilla is that way too many people are hopping on the J Dilla bandwagon after his death that (not saying anybody here is; just in general) his music seems a little overrated to me. Like he’s great, its just way too many people are hopping on him after his death that it really bothers me. But then again, that can be said for all the artists like Tupac, Biggie, Bob Marley, Big Pun, Big L, etc. Their legend has grown even beyond their great content.
I have never claimed to be a Dilla stan and never will b/c I don’t think I ever will be. I do have a hefty amount of respect for his work and what he accomplished. And I’ve mentioned it before, I Omari (DJ O-Love) from the D CONSTANTLY telling me to “watch out for my boy Dilla. He’s working with Tribe. He’s from 7 Mile. The Hip-Hop Shop.” lol. So to me…it’s a whole different experience and memory that’s originates outside the music.
I about spilled my coffee seeing this. Can’t wait to listen. Thank you!
And see I didn’t want to say it, but I think he’s a bit overrated too. He has some great stuff but I to think people are bandwagon riding. The intro to be is another favorite.
I personally think there is nothing wrong with posthumous appreciation; it is better appreciated than ignored. I got into dilla around the same time i got into tribe after coppin beats rhymes and life. As i did not grow up during the tribe’s heyday i probably wasn’t prone to the disappointment associated with that lp. Personally, minus a couple of missteps and a slightly monotonous aesthetic i think its a quality album.
From there on i got into his work with the pharcyde and common (on like water for chocolate; cold blooded might be my fav dilla production). I haven’t got round to bumping Donuts yet which is considered his opus. Copped Jay Stay Paid last year and dude, all things considered was not overrated imo. Yet, it is just opinion and it shouldn’t be expected that any artist strikes chords with all people.
On a side note, Fantastic Vol 2. is like livin proof pt 2 lol
I’ll just say that unlike the rest of hip hop’s upper echelon of producers, it’s hard for me to think of a Dilla beat that I don’t care for.
Anyone have a link for somewhere other than rapidshare?
As a Young God (© Wu-Tang Clan) of Hip-Hop, I don’t have roots as deep as other people. I mean I was born the same year Tribe’s Low End Theory came out, so automatically I’m a Posthumous Dilla fan. I personally think Dilla appeals to some people more than others because of the nature of his beats and the way he samples. Donuts, which I listened to a while back (High School(Only 19 here)), was great because of the irregularity of the sound and the consistent, yet dysfunctional feel of the album.
I still have yet to listen to Fantastic Vol 1 or Vol 2, but that’s simply because I wanna buy the album instead of downloading. Same reason why I don’t have De La Soul’s 3 Feet High and Rising.
Stakes is High is another quailty track. But again I remember getting up early to get that Tribe album and me and my cousin being super disappointed in the rhymes and production. After that he was the dude who messed up the Tribe album until he passed. After that I found out about some joints he did that I liked bit still never considered him to be great.
Q Tip and Ali Shaheed made a sound (no pun) decision to add Dilla and become “The Ummah” on Beats, Rhymes and Life. If you wasn’t feeling that, then you wasn’t feeling ATCQ anymore.
Truthfully, there was this bandwagon that came after Dilla passed, but that was because so many artists and producers went nuts when he died. I admit I’ve always been a “liner notes reader” so I was familiar before most, but you can’t knock his influence. Hit up twitter and ask Premo, RZA, 9th Wonder, Timbo, Pharrell, Dre, Just Blaze, and Pete Rock if they were watching what Dilla was doing.
“It’s about his sound scope and influence…”
@geek
That is true. After that album I really didn’t check for Tribe or any of there solo projects after that. It left that bad a taste in my mouth. Also my musical taste had shifted to more underground Southern music (ball&g,UGK) so I his contributions went unoticed. Thanks for the insight to all that commented.
I was down with Mr Yancey when on the liner notes read Jay Dee for EPHCY Music.
I was championing Beats, Rhymes & Life during the summer of 1996 when everybody else was cold rockin’ The Score and All Eyez On Me.
Personally, I think it is a VERY slept upon album indeed.
Its good Dilla has a bunch of new post-passing supporters. Im old enough to have loved BeatsRhymes.. and Champion SOund the week they dropped and I think Dilla could use more fans. Even at this point, I bet Jiggaman has more supporters than Dilla in Michigan!So if its a DIlla bandwagon , let em get on esp. if they got weed!
J Dilla is one of the top 5 producers of all time, and i don’t think that is a very bold statement. He appealed to the most learned hip hop fan and also appealed to the ignorant who may not even like the genre to begin with (my dad hates hip hop, and replayed donuts multiple times). And fuck all this bandwagon talk. It’s called discovering new music. So for those not too knowledgeable with his catalogue check out Fantastic Vol. 2, Donuts, and Jaylib’s “Champion Sound” his project with Madlib.
I been following Dilla’s career since 1996, when I purchased a copy of 5-Elementz, YESTERYEAR, ep from the Maurice Malone Hip-Hop Shop. At the time, I thought it was pretty good, especially since my perception of Detroit hip-hop at the time was Esham or Awesome Dre. This sounded more like NY in the golden era, and the emcees (Mudd, Proof & Thyme) were coming with it. A few years later, I got Fantastic Vol. 2, and it was on ever since. It had me searching all of his work, SV’s work, and everybody that was associated with them. I never thought his beats could stand alone, but they could make any rapper look like a king. Now that I look back at it, Dilla was the rawest hip-hoper we ever seen, and his contribution will impact music as we know it for many many years to come. If anybody questions his greatness or relevance to music, I’ll put everything I own up to prove that he was.