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Artist - J Dilla
Title - Ruff Draft LP
Label - (BBE)
Released - out now
Posted 12.05.07
My 100th article for Skiddle.com had to be a special one, so I picked this great new LP from hip hop hero and super producer J Dilla / Jaydee (RIP). In fact it is so special that I posted it here too!
Background
James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 - February 10, 2006), better known as
J Dilla or Jay Dee, was a hip hop producer and MC, who emerged from the
mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit.
He left behind an impression on hip hop that will last the test of time. His contributions ranged from single handedly defining Detroit hip hop as a founding member of Slum Village, to producing classics for Common, D'Angelo, Q Tip, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Amp Fiddler, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest, The Pharcyde, The Roots, Dwele, Dwight Tribble, DJ Jazzy Jeff, T-Love, Janet Jackson and Macy Gray to name a few
“One of the most important musicians of our time. When we think of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, J Dilla will be going down along that history line of greatness. “ - Common
If you’re into hip hop and soul, the chances are you have been listening to J Dilla for years. Check his full discography for more information.
J Dilla Biography
Frequently and rightly placed in the same context as DJ Premier, Pete Rock,
and Kanye West, Jay Dee built and sustained a high standing as a producer's
producer while maintaining a low profile. When Pharrell Williams appeared on
BET's 106 & Park in 2004, he excitedly declared that Jay Dee was his
favorite producer and told an audibly stumped crowd that it had probably never
heard of the man.
At the time, Jay Dee had been active for well over a decade and had netted enough beats - including the Pharcyde's "Runnin'," De La Soul's "Stakes Is High," Common's "The Light," and several others with the Ummah and the Soulquarians - to be considered an all-time great.
He never produced a mainstream smash and, in many cases, his presence has to be confirmed with a liner notes scan. He never marked his territory like Just Blaze ("Just Blaze!") or Jazze Pha ("This is a Jazze Phizzle produc-shizzle!"), and he never hogged the mike like P. Diddy. He let his music, and its followers, do the talking. Rather than provide immediate (or fleeting) thrills, he was hooked on working the subconscious as much as the neck muscles.
Dilla was forced by his parents to become involved with music, and he was a record fanatic at a young age, absorbing funk and rap singles and jazz albums, from Slave to Jack McDuff. He learned to play cello, keyboards, trumpet, and violin, but drums got him like nothing else.
In 1988, he formed Slum Village with High School friends Baatin and T3. In 1992 a session keyboardist, called Amp Fiddler, who had worked with Prince and Parliament taught Dilla how to use the MPC drum machine. Fiddler introduced his protégé to A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, who heard some of Slum Village's material, liked it, and helped get the word out. In 1996 he worked with Busta Rhymes, De La Soul and the Pharcyde, all the while playing a major role in the Ummah with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He also did extensive work on Tribe's last two albums.
Before long, hardcore hip-hop fans began to know Dilla for his steady, shuffling high-hats, oddly placed handclaps, spacious drum loops with reshaped samples of both obscure and obvious tracks.
He collaborated with Q-Tip on all of 1999's Amplified. As a core member of the Soulquarians, with James Poyser and the Roots' Ahmir "?eustlove" Thompson, Dilla worked on Common's Like Water for Chocolate, D'Angelo's Voodoo, Erykah Badu's Mama's Gun, and Talib Kweli's Quality. A favor was returned on Fiddler's 2004 Waltz of a Ghetto Fly. Steve Spacek's "Dollar" and Dwele's "Keep On" were released in 2006.
Dilla was also a prolific solo artist. The singles Fuck the Police and Pause and the Welcome 2 Detroit album came out in 2001. Rarely praised for his mike skills, he was often assisted by the likes of Phat Kat, Lacks, and Frank-n-Dank. Wooed by a Madlib mixtape that featured the rhymes of Oxnard's finest over his own beats, Dilla forged an alliance with his admirer for 2003's Champion Sound, released under the name Jaylib.
It was around this time that his health took a sharp decline. Lupus, a disease of the immune system, severely weakened his body. For over two years, he had to use a dialysis machine. Despite having to perform in a wheelchair, he was still able to tour in Europe during late 2005. Donuts, an album of instrumentals that had been completed during one of his extended hospital stays, was released on February 7, his 32nd birthday. Three days later, while staying at his Los Angeles home with his mother, he passed away, a victim of kidney failure. While reflecting on the tremendous loss, close colleague and friend Thompson compared the producer's level of genius to that of jazz giant Charlie Parker.
Life after death
A slew of Dilla LP's have been released since his passing, including The Shining
(BBE) , two anothology's (Gram Slam). Now we get The Ruff draft...
The Ruff Draft
Ruff Draft was originally released in February 2003 by his then-newly
founded label, Mummy Records, and distributed by Groove Attack, a German record
label. No in 2007, Ruff Draft has been remastered and re-released by Stones
Throw Records. The re-release sold 8,049 copies in its first week!
The original vinyl release of Ruff Draft is long out-of-press. Although the album is one of Jay Dee's lesser known works, it includes some of his most abstract and experimental work, all self-produced, and recorded in under a week.
Highlights include 'Reckless Driving' that contains the spine tingling line 'the low end theory all you feel is the bottom', the haunting 'Nothing Like This', the ultra phat 'The $' jam packed full of Slum Village samples, the neck snapping beats groove of 'Make'em NV', the massive 'Crushin' "if you wanna f.. all night, let me hear you say I wanna crush all night" (out now on a limited 7"), the hilarious Slade ("Come on feel the noise") influenced 'Wild', the Jaylib sounding 'Take Notice' and the large beat led 'Shouts alt'.
The CD also comes with a bonus Ruff Draft instrumentals CD, so you can have an undisturbed bath in the brilliance of Dilla's beats. The guy is a genius, hip hop will never be the same without him and when I think of his passing I always get a tear in my eye. The Ruff Draft is out now and I recommend you buy this piece of hip hop history as soon as you can!
Original 2003 EP Release
1. "Intro"
2. "Let's Take It Back"
3. "Reckless Driving"
4. "Nothing Like This"
5. "The $"
6. "Interlude"
7. "Make'em NV"
8. "Interlude"
9. "Crushin' (Yeeeeaah!)"
10. "Shouts"
Re-release Disc 1
1. "Intro"
2. "Let's Take It Back"
3. "Reckless Driving"
4. "Nothing Like This"
5. "The $"
6. "Interlude"
7. "Make'em NV"
8. "Interlude"
9. "Crushin' (Yeeeeaah!)"
10. "Shouts"
11. "Intro (Alt.)"
12. "Wild"
13. "Take Notice"
14. "Shouts (Alt.)"
Re-release Disc 2
1. "Let's Take It Back Instrumental"
2. "Reckless Driving Instrumental"
3. "Nothing Like This Instrumental"
4. "The $ Instrumental"
5. "Make'em NV Instrumental"
6. "Crushin' Instrumental"
7. "Intro (Alt) Instrumental"
8. "Wild Instrumental"
9. "Take Notice Instrumental"
10. "Shouts (Alt) Instrumental"
Links
www.jdilla.org
www.jdilla.com
www.bbbemusic.com
www.myspace.com/jdilla
www.bbbemusic.com/jdilla
www.stonesthrow.com/jdilla
Rating - 10/10
Reviewer - PT
