In Memory of...

The first Jay Dee track that I ever fell in love with was Tribe’s “Find a Way”. I didn’t realize who produced it at the time, but I was instantly mesmerized by its thumping bass line. A few years later, I became increasingly interested in BBE’s Beat Generation series, and eventually picked up Welcome to Detroit. I was simply amazed. It was such a great mix of hip hop, soul and jazz. I knew from that instant that Jay Dee was far more than the average producer. Slum Village’s album Fantastic Volume 2 allowed Dilla the freedom to create beats vastly superior than the ‘bling-bling’ music which was ruling the genre at that time. Tracks like “Climax” and “Fall in Love” were hip hop love songs with hauntingly powerful beats. As Jay Dee’s career progressed, it became clear that his beats often outclassed the emcees with whom he worked. His production on Q-Tip’s Amplified and Frank-N-Dank’s 48 hrs proved that his capabilities were at times mismatched. However, even the faults of his collaborators could not tarnish Jay Dee’s reputation, as he became increasingly popular in the underground scene. Champion Sound, an album he co-produced with Madlib, marked Dilla’s first major efforts as an emcee. Although the record’s lyrics were mostly forgettable, the beats were almost all instant classics. 2006 was touted as a major year for Jay Dee. Recently re-emerging onto the scene after being hospitalized for kidney problems, he had 2 albums scheduled for release this year. The first, Donuts, came out earlier this week on Stones Throw Records. Although the status of The Shining is unknown, the brilliance of Donuts is enough to ensure that Dilla is not soon to be forgotten.



As difficult as it is to produce a best-of compilation for such a talented artist, I have put together a small collection of tracks to help you understand how large his contribution to hip hop truly was.

Tracklisting:
A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
Common - It's Your World
Common - Love Is
Common - The Light
De La Soul - Much More
De La Soul - Verbal Clap
Frank N Dank - Take Dem Clothes Off
Jaylib - Starz
Jaylib - The Red
Pharcyde - Drop
Pharcyde - Runnin
Q Tip - Breathe & Stop
Q Tip - Let's Ride
Q Tip - Vivrant Thing
Slum Village - Climax (Girl Shit)
Slum Village - Fall in Love
Slum Village - Raise it Up

Jay Dee Collection

One more thing...

Frank N Dank - 48 Hrs
(Prod. by Jay Dee)