An Elegy for J Dilla on the 15th Anniversary of ‘The Shining’
J Dilla’s The Shining debuted 15 years ago and remains an essential collaborative effort between the master producer and his favorite rappers.
J Dilla
J Dilla’s ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’ Pointed the Way to 21st Century Hop-Hop
J Dilla's Welcome 2 Detroit announced where hip-hop could go in the 21st century. This reissue, expanded and spread over 12 seven-inch records, with a book that tells the whole story, reveals just how crucial an album it remains.
Fave Five: Kwes
UK electronic producer Kwes can write his own future, but outside of pushing his sound in directions, looks back fondly on the records that inspired and taught him.
J Dilla: The Diary
Fifteen years after J Dilla signed a two-album deal with MCA, his solo rap album The Diary is finally seeing release.
J Dilla – “The Introduction” (Singles Going Steady)
Bold, intense, with skillful rhyming and an incredible array of sonic textures, another sad reminder of a brilliant artist gone too soon.
Karriem Riggins and J Rocc (360°) – “Lightworks” and “E=MC²”
Renaissance man Karriem Riggins slays on the traps over a medley of J Dilla tracks.
De La Soul: Smell the Da.I.S.Y.
It’s a blast to hear Posdnous whispering the chorus to “The Magic Number” – but what this ad hoc remix approach really does is get you to focus on Dilla’s beats. And they’re tremendous.