Loop Diggin' Thursdays, News & Rants 02.16.06

Posted by Phil Watts, Jr on 02.16.2006

James "Jay-Dee/J-Dilla" Yancey...1974-2006.

James "Jay Dee/J-Dilla" Yancey...1974-2006

Damn...I never thought I would ever type that. This has been happening way too many times lately. Just like OBD's death, it just came out of nowhere. And on the same month as Big Pun's death and Big L's murder at that.

James has been suffering of unspecified illnesses since late fall of last year, even to the point where there were rumors of him slipping into a coma (which turns out wasn't true). For a while, people thought it was just kidney problems, only to find out that he had been suffering from lupus, a disease which effects the immune system and turns the body's defenses against the body itself. This disease brings about a variety of symptoms, from skin rashes to kidney problems, to blood clots, and problems with the nervous system. For the past few months, James has been seen in a wheelchair while trying to recover from this disease. The weird thing about it is that he just wouldn't let this disease stop him from working on his projects, as he had been working on his recently released DONUTS instrumental project straight from his hospital bed. He had also been working on his upcoming album, THE SHINING, his follow-up to WELCOME TO DETROIT, as well (rumor has it that the album is about 80-90% complete by the time he passed away. ) On Friday, February 10, 8am, he lost that battle with lupus.

Depending on who you ask, he was either one of the illest producers to ever come out during the mid to late 90's, or one of the biggest CURSES to ever happen during the mid to late 90's. Either they'll tell you that he was one of the most creative beatmakers ever, or that rat bastard that broke up The Pharcyde & a Tribe Called Quest. If you've been reading my columns since I was with Evocator Manes, you know which side of the fence I'm on.

J-Dilla, who grew up in the streets of Detroit, was inspired to get into Hip-Hop after listening to Whodini's "Big Mouth". He tried to do the whole pause/record mixtape deal in his attempts to try to make beats. He then hooked up with Baatin & T3 to form the Slum Village in 1988. The moment J learned to use the MPC-60 in ‘92, the sky was the limit from there.

The Slum Village spent years trying to find a nitch in the Hip-Hop game (not to mention a decent record deal)...that was until J-Dilla got his first major break in the industry in 1996 by pretty much being a FILL-IN producer. He filled in for the departing Prince Paul on De La Soul's STAKES IS HIGH. He then filled in for the departing J-Swift and did a good chunk of The Pharcyde's second album, LABCABINCALIFORNIA. And of course, he pulled most of the weight for Ali Shaheed during the last two Tribe albums. Also, during 1996, the Slum Village tried to put out their first album, FANTASTIC, VOL. 1...but with hardly any distribution, no one knew this album ever existed (after years of being bootlegged and downloaded through the Internet, the album was FINALLY officially released 9 years later.)

From the next few years, J-Dilla would get to work with Busta Rhymes (Dilla always had at least one beat on each of his albums), Janet Jackson ("Got Til It's Gone"), N'Dea Davenport ("Bullshittin'"), her former group The Brand New Heavies ("Saturday Night"), and the Roots ("Dynamite"). In 1998, Dilla and SV tried to release their second album, FANTASTIC VOL. 2, but A&M Records (which they signed to) folded, and they wound up putting the album on hold for a few more years.

2000 was a break-out year for J-Dilla and the SV. J became a part of the Soulquarians, with ?uestlove of The Roots, keyboardist James Poyser, and D'Angelo. The team would work on Common's LIKE WATER FOR CHOCOLATE, but for all their work, it was J-Dilla's beats (and let's not forget DJ Premier's joint, "Sixth Sense") that shined the brightest. In fact, it was the single, "The Light", that lead Common to his first GOLD plaque. Thanks to the buzz from that project, J-Dilla and the SV finally released FANTASTIC VOL. 2 to much fanfare. Yeah, they'll never be considered the greatest MC's on the planet ("All the ladies in the house if you got big BREASTS-BREASTS/you can come to MY place and we can PLAY CHESS!!") but it did give the trio more exposure than they've ever had before.

From then on, J-Dilla became a workhorse, as he was given the opportunity to put out his own projects, as well as continue working for other artists. As a result, he had to step aside from his place in the Slum Village just to lighten the load some. In 2001, he dropped his first compilation album called WELCOME 2 DETROIT on BBE Records. He uses this album to show off his diversity is a producer and highlight some Detroit rappers, including the man who would take his place in the Slum Village, Elzhi ("Come Get It"). J-Dilla would have minimal involvement with SV from here on, doing 3 songs for the third album, TRINITY, while Wahjeed and the team of BR Gunna would step in and handle the production duties for not only TRINITY but also DETROIT DELI, and the self-titled album released last year.

J-Dilla would release a shitload of instrumental albums, a few more Common albums (ELECTRIC CIRCUS and Common's second GOLD album, BE), he would also hook up with California's beatmaking scientist Madlib for the JayLib project, CHAMPION SOUND. He would also put out one of his hardest projects, THE RUFF DRAFT EP, which was definitely a departure from his usual sound. Just recently, he released one of his most creative albums of his career, DONUTS, a mish-mesh of different sounds and samples, which some describe as his version of Madlib's Quasimoto projects, with all the songs clocking at 2 minutes or less...without the helium, of course. J-Dilla was also hard at work on his next compilation album, THE SHINING, but with on 80% of the project completed, nobody knows whether or not it will be released.

Below is a complete discography of J-Dilla's creative output, courtesy of Renaissance Soul (RenSoul.com):

DISCOGRAPHY

Artist Titles (As Producer and/or MC):
1st Down - No Place To Go 12" single 1993
1st Down - A Day Wit The Homiez 12" Single 1995 (Pay Day Records)
Slum Village - Fan-Tas-Tic 12" single 1996
Slum Village - Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) CD/LP 1996 (Donut Boy Recordings)
Slum Village - We Be Down/Players 12" 1997 (Sudden Impact)
Jay Dee - Jay Dee Unreleased (Remixes) 12" EP 1997 (House Shoes Records)
Slum Village - Fantastic Vol. 2 CD/LP 2000 (Goodvibe) 2002 (Capitol)
J-88 - Look Of Love (Remix) 12" single 1999 (Groove Attack)
J-88 - Best Kept Secret 12" EP 2000 (Groove Attack)
Jay Dee - Fuck The Police/Move, feat. Frank N Dank 12" single 2001 (Up Above)
Jay Dee - Welcome 2 Detroit CD/LP 2001 (BBE)
1st Down - A Day Wit The Homiez CD 2002 (RonnieCash.com)
Jay Dee - The Official Instrumental Series: Vol 1 12" EP 2002 (Bling47.com)
Jay Dee feat. Frank N Dank - Take Dem Clothes Off/Off Ya Chest 12" single 2002 (ABB)
Jay Dee feat. Frank N Dank - Push 12" EP 2002 (Mummy / Groove Attack)
Jay Dee - Vintage 2003 CD/LP (Bling47.com)
Jay Dee - Ruff Draft 12" EP 2003 (Mummy/Groove Attack)
Jaylib - Champion Sound CD/LP 2003 (Stones Throw)
Jaylib - Blaze Up, Raw Shit (Remix), The Mission (Remix) from Stones Throw 101 12" EP 2004 (Stones Throw)
Jay Dee - Welcome 2 Detroit Instrumentals CD/LP 2005 (BBE)
Jay Dee - V.3 Instrumentals (Bling47.com)
Jay Dee - Donuts: The EP 12" 2005 (Stones Throw)
Jay Dee - Donuts CD/LP 2006 (Stones Throw)

MC only:
Tami Hert - If You Were Mine (Detroit Demolition Mix) from "If You Were Mine" 12" single 1997 (550 Music)
v/a - Fight Club, feat. Dilla, Nottz & Boogie from "Best Kept Secret Mix" CD 2003 (Bling47.com)
Dabrye - Game Over 12" single 2004 (Ghostly International)
Wale Oyejide - There's A War Going On 12" single 2004 (Shaman Work)
Wale Oyejide - There's A War Going On from "One Day, Everything Changed" CD/LP 2004 (Shaman Work)
Slum Village - Reunion from "Detroit Deli" CD/LP 2004 (Barak/Capitol)
Pete Rock - Niggaz Know from "Soul Survivor II" CD/LP 2004 (Rapster /BBE)
v/a - Do Your Thang, Stupid from "BR Gunna Presents Dirty District Vol. 2" CD 2004 (Barak)
Phat Kat - Door from "The Undeniable LP" (New Version) CD/LP 2004 (Barak)
Sa-Ra Creative Partners - Thrilla from "The Second Time Around" EP 2005 (Sound In Color)
Lawless Element - Love (feat. Jay Dilla) from "Soundvision: InStereo" 2005 Babygrande
Platinum Pied Pipers - Shotgun, Act Like You Know from "Triple P" CD/LP 2005 (Ubiquity)
Diamond - We Gangstas from "Diamond Mine" CD 2005
Platinum Pied Pipers - Shotgun (Remix) from 12" single 2005 (Ubiquity)

Production Credits (by year):

1994-1995
Da Enna C - NOW from "Throw Ya Hands In Da Air" 12" single 1994 (Up Top)
Little Indian - One Little Indian 12" single 1995 (Premeditated)
Poe - Fingertips from "Hello" CD/LP 1995 (WEA / Atlantic)

1996
5-Elementz - Whutchawant, Feed Back, Rockshows, Party Groove, Janet Jacme, E.G.O., Don't Stop, Searchin from "The Album Time Forgot" cassette 1996 (That Was Entertainment)
A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again, Get A Hold, Keeping It Moving, Stressed Out, Word Play from "Beat, Rhymes, & Life" CD/LP 1996 (Jive Records)
Busta Rhymes - Keep It Movin', Still Shinin' from "The Coming" CD/LP 1996 (Elektra)
Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! (Jay-Dee Bounce Remix), Woo-Hah!! (Jay-Dee Other Shit Remix) 12" single 1996 (Elektra)
Busta Rhymes - It's a Party (Ummah Remix), Ill Vibe (Ummah Remix) 12" single 1996 (Elektra)
De La Soul - Stakes Is High from "Stakes Is High" CD/LP 1996 (Tommy Boy)
De La Soul - Stakes Is High (Remix) from Itzsoweezee 12" single 1996 (Tommy Boy)
Mad Skillz - It's Going Down, The Jam from "From Where???" 1996 (Big Beat)
Keith Murray - The Rhyme (Remix), Dangerous Ground from "Enigma" 1996 (Jive)
Natives Of Da Underground - Pack Da Hous/Brotha's Juss Don't Know/Whatcha Gonna Do? 12" single 1996 (ALR)
The Notorious B.I.G. - The Ugliest from DJ Head "W.E.G.O." mixtape
Phife Dawg - Game Day from "NFL Jams" 1996 (Castle)
Proof - Da Science from "Detroit Hip Hop Volume 1" 1996 Modern Tribe
Proof - Vibe Session from "Anywhere" 12" single 1996 (Hip Hop Shop)
Tha Pharcyde - Runnin', Bullshit, Splatittorium, Somethin' That Means Somethin', Drop, Y? from "Labcabincalifornia" CD/LP 1996 (Delicious Vinyl)

1997
5-Elementz - Sun Flower from "Yester Years" 12" EP 1997 (That Was Entertainment)
A Tribe Called Quest - Get A Hold, Mardi Gras At Midnight from "Jam" EP 1997 (Jive Records)
Brand New Heavies - Sometimes (Ummah Remix) from "Sometimes" 12" single 1997 (Delicious Vinyl)
Busta Rhymes - So Hardcore from "When Disaster Strikes" CD/LP 1997 (Elektra)
Crustation - Purple (ATCQ Edit) 12" single 1997 (Zomba)
Janet Jackson - Got Til It's Gone (Ummah Jay Dee Revenge Mix) 12" single 1997 (Virgin)
Somethin' For The People - All I Do (Remix) from "All I Do" 12" single 1997 (WB)
T Da Pimp - Why You Lookin Hard?/We Knowwe Rockit 12" single 1997 (Penmp)
Tha Pharcyde - She Said (Remix) 12" single 1997 (Delicious Vinyl)
Tha Pharcyde - Runnin (Remix), Y? (Remix) from "Drop" 12" single 1997 (Delicious Vinyl)
Truz - True Dawgs/Routes To Hell 12" single 1997 (Ad Fam)

1998
A Tribe Called Quest - 4 Moms, Against The World, Busta's Lament, Da Booty, Find A Way, His Name Is Mutty Ranks, Start It Up, Steppin' It Up from "The Love Movement" CD/LP 1998 (Jive Records)
A Tribe Called Quest - That Shit from "Funkmaster Flex Vol. 3" 1998 (Loud Records)
Bizarre - Butterfly from Attack of the Wierdos 12" EP 1998 (Federation)
Mood - Secrets Of The Sand (Remix) from "Snake Backs" 12" single 1998 (Blunt)
N'Dea Davenport - Bullshittin (Remix) from "N'Dea Davenport" CD/LP 1998 (V2) (mixed by Jay Dee)

1999
5 Ela - You Ain't Fresh, Ain't No Love from 5-E Pt. 3 1999 (That Was Entertainment)
Brand New Heavies - Saturday Night (Jay Dee Remix) from "Saturday Night" 12" single 1999 (Delicious Vinyl)
Heavy D - Listen from "Heavy" CD/LP 1999 (Universal)
Macy Gray - I Try (Remix) 12" single 1999 (Epic)
Nine Yards - Always Find A Way (Remix) 12" single 1999 (Virgin)
Phat Kat - Dedication To The Suckers 12" single 1999 (House Shoes Recordings)
Phife Dawg - Bend Ova/Thought U Wuz Nic 12" single 1999 (Groove Attack)
Que D - Underestimated, Supa Shit, Kilo, Cash Flow, Michelle, Rock Box, Don't Stop from "Quite Delicious" cassette 1999 and "Que D Limited Edition" CD 2003 (Royal Flyness)
Q-Tip - 11 tracks from "Amplified" CD/LP 1999 (Arista)
The Roots - Dynamite from Things Fall Apart CD/LP 1999 (MCA)
The Roots - New Year's @ Jay Dee's from "You Got Me" CD single 1999 (MCA)
Zooco - Butterfly from "Glow-Mellow-Flow" CD/LP 1999? (Columbia Japan)

2000
Black Star - Little Brother from "The Hurricane (Soundtrack)" CD/LP 2000 (MCA)
Brand New Heavies - Sometimes (Remix), Saturday Night (Remix) from "Trunk Funk Classics" CD/LP 2000 (Delicious Vinyl)
Busta Rhymes - Enjoy Da Ride, Live It Up, Show Me What You Got from "Anarchy" CD/LP 2000 (Elektra)
Common - 10 tracks from "Like Water For Chocolate" CD/LP 2000 (MCA)
Common - The Light (Remix) from "Bamboozled (Soundtrack)" 2000 (Motown)
De La Soul - Thru Ya City from "Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump" CD/LP 2000 (Tommy Boy)
Erykah Badu - Cleva, My Life, Didn't Cha Know, Kiss Me On My Neck from "Mama's Gun CD/LP 2000 (Motown)
Frank N Dank - Me & My Man/Love (A Thing Of The Past) 12" single 2000 (McNasty)
Frank N Dank - Everybody Get Up/Give It Up Pt. 2 12" single 2000 (McNasty)
Guru feat. Bilal - Certified from "Guru's Jazzmatazz Street Soul" CD/LP 2000 (Virgin)
Innerzone Orchestra - People Make The World Go Round (J-88 Mix) - 12" single 2000 (Planet E)
Phife Dawg - Bend Ova, 4 Horseman from "Ventilation: Da LP" CD/LP 2000 (Groove Attack)
Phife Dawg - Ya Heard Me from "Definition of Ill Compilation" 2000 bootleg
Royce Da 5'9" - Let's Grow from "Lyricist Lounge Volume 2" CD/LP 2000 (Rawkus)
Spacek - Eve (Remix) 12" single 2000 (Blue)

2001
Bahamadia- One-4-Teen (Remix) from "Summer Sampler" CD 2001 (Goodvibe)
Bilal - Reminisce from "1st Born Second LP" CD/LP 2001 (Interscope)
Busta Rhymes - Genesis, Make It Hurt from "Genesis" CD/LP 2001 (Elektra)
Chino XL - Don't Say A Word from "I Told You So" CD/LP 2001 (Metro Records)
De La Soul - Peer Pressure (Intro & Outro Monologues by Jay Dee) from AOI: Bionix CD/LP 2001 (Tommy Boy)
Lucy Pearl - Without You (Remix) 12" single 2001 (Pookie/Virgin)
Mos Def - Can U C The Pride In The Panther? (Remix) 12" Single 2001 (Interscope)
Que D - In Yo Face from "Still Bangin" 12" single 2001 (Up Above) and "Que D Limited Edition" CD 2003 (Royal Flyness)
Toshi Kubota - Nothin But Your Love (Remix) 12" single 2001 (Epic)
2002
Big Tone - Party Crasher (mixed by Jay Dee) from Party Crasher 12" Antidote 2002
Busta Rhymes - It Ain't Safe No More, What Up, Turn Me Up Some from "It Ain't Safe No More..." CD/LP 2002 (Elektra)
Common - various production & instrumental credits from "Electric Circus" CD/LP 2002 (MCA)
DJ Jazzy Jeff - Are You Ready (with Slum Village) from "The Magnificent" 12" EP 2002 (BBE)
Phat Kat - Dedication To The Suckers, Don't Nobody Care About Us, Microphone Master, Big Booties, World Premier from "Dedication To The Suckers" LP/CD 2002 (RonnieCash.com)
Slum Village - Hoes, Let's, One from "Trinity" CD/LP 2002 (Capitol)
Talib Kweli - Where Do We Go, Stand To The Side from "Quality" CD/LP 2002 (Rawkus)

2003
ASD (Afrob & Samy Deluxe) - Komm Schon from "Wer Hatte Das Gedacht?" CD/LP 2003 (Eimsbush)
ASD (Afrob & Samy Deluxe) - Wenn Ihr Fuhlt... from "Hey Du" 12" EP 2003 (Eimsbush)
Common - Come Close "Remix" (Closer) 12" single 2003 (MCA)
De La Soul - Much More/Shoomp 12" single 2003 (AOI)
Fourtet - As Serious As Your Life (Remix) 12" single 2003 Domino
Frank N Dank - 48 Hours CD 2003 (Bootleg)
Vivian Green - Fanatic (Remix) 12" Single 2003 (Sony)
Phat Kat - Dedication 2004, Destiny, Big Booties from "The Undeniable LP: Detroit Edition" CD/LP 2003 Barak Records
Que D - Supa Shit 12" single 2003 (Royal Flyness)
Royce Da 5'9" - Life Goes On from "Build & Destroy: Lost Sessions Part 1" 2003 (Trouble Records)
Subtitle - Mark Luv Mixtape Song from "Greatest Hi$$" CD 2003 (Marks03 Recordings)
T-Love - When You're Older, Who Smoked Sunshine, Chiquita, Long Way Back from "The Long Way Back" 2003 (Pickininny)

2004
5 Ela - Scenario 2004 from "The EP" 2004 (5 Elements)
Amp Fiddler - You Play Me, Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly from "Waltz Of A Ghetto Fly" CD/LP 2004 (Genuine/PIAS)
Amp Fiddler - I Believe In You (Jaylib Mix) CD/12" single 2004 (Genuine/PIAS)
Brother Jack McDuff - Oblighetto (J Dilla Remix) from "Blue Note Revisted" CD/LP 2004 (Blue Note)
DJ Cam - Love Junkee (Remix) 12" single 2003 (Inflamable) and "Liquid Hip Hop CD/LP 2004 (Inflamable)
Elzhi - Love It Here, Days & Nights, Concrete Eyes, Friends from Libido Speedo Presents..."Elzhi: Witness My Growth The Mixtape '97-'04" 2CD (Libido Sounds)
Frank-N-Dank - Let's Go, Okay, MCA from "Xtended Play" CD/LP 2004 (Needillworks)
Jaylib - Popshit from "Stones Throw 100" 12" (Stones Throw)
Lawless Element - The Shining 12" single 2004 (RMR/Fat Beats)
Oh No - Move from "The Disrupt" CD/LP 2004 (Stones Throw)
Proof of D12 - Bring It 2 Me from "I Miss The Hip Hop Shop" CD/LP 2004 (Iron Fist)
Prozack - Leisure Rules from "Death, Taxes, and Prozack" CD 2004 (Outofwork Records)
Slum Village - Do You from "Detroit Deli" CD/LP 2004 (Barak/Capitol)

2005
Common - Love is..., It's Your World (Part 1 & 2) from "Be" CD/LP and "Be Instrumentals" LP 2005 (GOOD Music/Geffen)
Common - The Movement from "NBA 2K6 - The Tracks" CD/LP 2005 (Decon)
Dwele - Keep On from "Some Kinda" CD/LP 2005 (Virgin)
Dwight Trible & The Life Force Trio - Antiquity from "Love Is The Answer" CD/LP 2005 (Ninja Tune)
MED - Push, So Real from "Push Comes To Shove" CD/LP 2005 (Stones Throw)
Moka Only - One Time from "The Desired Effect" CD/LP 2005 (Nettwerk)
Oh No - Move Part 2 feat. J Dilla & Roc C 12" single 2005 (Stones Throw)
Slum Village - Who Are We from "Prequel To A Classic" CD 2005 (Barak Records)
Spacek - Dollar from "Space Shift" CD/LP 2005 (Sound in Color)

***

I advise you to go to RenSoul.com and check out the MEDIA section and listen to some of J-Dilla's work. This sight has some of his more obscure work (from his work with pre-D12 Proof & Bizarre, to outtakes from his Tribe and Busta recordings, and many of his homegrown talent like 5-Elementz and his brother Que-D). Check it out.

Whether it's as 1/3 of Slum Village, 1/3 of the Ummah, or by himself, J-Dilla was one of the most creative producers to ever touch a record. His impact on Hip-Hop and R&B is definitely felt. This is definitely one of the worst loses this year...