1) I read somewhere that Big Pun died on 2/10 as well. Eerie.
2) I gotta file this tomorrow with the LA Weekly and I'm fucking brain dead from having spent the evening writing it. If anyone wants to check this for any egregious factual errors, please holler a PM at me:
(and also, plesae don't circulate until after it's posted (probably to the Weekly's website first, then the paper next Thursday)
Jay Dee, 1974 - 2006[/b]
Hip-hop beatmaker Jay Dee was never a household name but most likely, he was your favorite producers??? favorite producer. He was immensely admired by colleagues such as Kanye West, the Neptunes??? Pharrell Williams, and The Roots??? ?uestlove and spent his 12 year career working with everyone from Busta Rhymes to Janet Jackson, D???Angelo to De La Soul. His solo album of instrumentals, Donuts, just came out this past Tuesday. The next day, his friend and housemate in Los Angeles, rapper Common, presented onstage at the Grammy Awards. On Friday morning, February 10th, his mother came to his home and discovered that kidney failure had claimed him during the night. Jay Dee was only 32.
Dilla (n?? James Yancey) first came to prominence, seemingly out of nowhere, in 1996, working on two high profile projects: the Pharcyde???s Labcabincalifornia and A Tribe Called Quest???s Beats, Rhymes and Life. Ironically, he was neither from L.A. or N.Y. but rather, a Detroit native. He always kept roots firmly planted in his hometown: even when he was working with iconic hip-hop and R&B artists like The Roots and Erykah Badu, he???d also spend time producing for Detroit artists such as Bizarre and Royce Da 5???9???.
He was also rapped occasionally, having formed Slum Village in 1996 with two Detroit friends, T3 and Baatin. After releasing two well-regarded underground albums, Jay Dee left the group and began recording a slew of independent singles, finally signing with L.A.-based Stonesthrow Records in 2003. They released his Champion Sound that year plus this year???s Donuts.
Besides earning the esteem of veteran hip-hop artists, Jay Dee also became one of the most imitated producers amongst a younger generation of beatmakers. His musical style was distinctive but diverse, favoring a slew of obscure soul and jazz samples that he could rework into tracks as deliciously languid as the Pharcyde???s ???Runnin?????? or as brash and hyperactive as Q-Tip???s ???Vivrant Thing.???
For several years, Jay Dee had been suffering from the auto-immune deficiency known as lupus ??? kidney and liver failure are common complications that can arise from it. He had been on dialysis the last two years and actually began work on Donuts while in the hospital. Though he almost surely didn???t mean the album to be his swan song, it couldn???t be a better snapshot of his creative process.
The album is different from almost all its predecessors; instead of polished, finalized songs, Donuts is more like a 30+ track collection of different musical ideas caught mid-motion. Though far from sloppy, the album has an off-the-cuff spontaneity to it, as if Dilla left the tape running during a series of brainstorming sessions. They hint at where he might have gone with more time and focus, but what you???re left with is how so many of the songs are alive with potential and promise. For the many fans, friends, and colleagues of an artist who died far too young, that???s likely the best way they would have wanted to remember him. (Oliver Wang)
At first I thought it was some bullshit, like the Eric B. rumor from last year. But then all these people started coming in the store asking for Jay Dee stuff, so I knew it wasn't an internet rumor. Then I decided it was like that Luther Vandross rumor from a couple of years back, and he was just in the hospital and people were confused. Even checking the mighty Soulstrut, Stonesthrow, and Okayplayer couldn't cut through my denial.
But when the entertainment editor from the Detroit Free Press called me for some background help and an interview, I knew it was real. I mean with the new release there's been quite a bit of J. Dilla talk at our store recently and it was and still is wierd switching from present to past tense so quickly.
The main thing that bothers me though is people not in the know automatically asume it was from a gun shot. That's fucked up. That's really fucked up.
Rest In Peace.
Deep beats and deep crates, SonicReducer (TEAMAARON)
I'm in the minority of people who don't see what was special about dudes production. He received a lot of accolades from other producers and artist, so I guess I just missed the boat. To expire from the physical at 32 is a hard thing to deal with. God bless him and sustain his family so that they may cope with their loss.
i've been trying to shake this shit but it's really bothering me..... i consider Dilla to be the equivalent of Stevie,Sly,Coletrane when it comes to Hip Hop music.....Dilla re-invented hip hop production and SAVED R&B MUSIC.....
i have to watch a personal friend be buried this week and hearing this was the icing on a shit cake....too many good people my age & my race being buried .....this hip hop related death has affected me more than any other....a completely innocent legend taken away in the prime of his life....shit is sad
i've been trying to shake this shit but it's really bothering me..... i consider Dilla to be the equivalent of Stevie,Sly,Coletrane when it comes to Hip Hop music.....Dilla re-invented hip hop production and SAVED R&B MUSIC.....
i have to watch a personal friend be buried this week and hearing this was the icing on a shit cake....too many good people my age & my race being buried .....this hip hop related death has affected me more than any other....a completely innocent legend taken away in the prime of his life....shit is sad
R.I.P.
I spent an afternoon with him. I was really struck how humble and down to earth he was. He could have done a lot more work in NYC but chose to live and work in Detroit (Huntington Woods) instead. He was so soft spoken I could hardly hear him. He talked about how exciting it was to have Erika Badu singing in his basement. He talked about how close he was to his Slum Village friends and other little known Detroit musicians he came up with. At Everyday Music he stacked up the 80s rock records to take home and listen to for whatever they may hold. as low key as he was, he was busy. He was on the phone every moment he was not digging scheduling studio time, telling his employees to tell this person to wait, and that person can come Friday and on and on. Went to dinner at what had been a good Middle Eastern restaurant, but got a terrible meal. Never complained.
Comments
R.I.P.
Don't forget Big L and Big Pun too. Monster of all posse jams.
What a dope ass thing to say.
I'm very sad about it. What a loss. My heart goes out to his family and friends.
and then it hits me again - dude is really gone.
I don't know what to say.
Rest In Peace to one of the greatest. He will not be forgotten.
Slum Village f/D'Angelo - Tell Me
JayDee - Fuck the Police (Instrumental)
Phat Kat - Detroit
2) I gotta file this tomorrow with the LA Weekly and I'm fucking brain dead from having spent the evening writing it. If anyone wants to check this for any egregious factual errors, please holler a PM at me:
(and also, plesae don't circulate until after it's posted (probably to the Weekly's website first, then the paper next Thursday)
Jay Dee, 1974 - 2006[/b]
Hip-hop beatmaker Jay Dee was never a household name but most likely, he was your favorite producers??? favorite producer. He was immensely admired by colleagues such as Kanye West, the Neptunes??? Pharrell Williams, and The Roots??? ?uestlove and spent his 12 year career working with everyone from Busta Rhymes to Janet Jackson, D???Angelo to De La Soul. His solo album of instrumentals, Donuts, just came out this past Tuesday. The next day, his friend and housemate in Los Angeles, rapper Common, presented onstage at the Grammy Awards. On Friday morning, February 10th, his mother came to his home and discovered that kidney failure had claimed him during the night. Jay Dee was only 32.
Dilla (n?? James Yancey) first came to prominence, seemingly out of nowhere, in 1996, working on two high profile projects: the Pharcyde???s Labcabincalifornia and A Tribe Called Quest???s Beats, Rhymes and Life. Ironically, he was neither from L.A. or N.Y. but rather, a Detroit native. He always kept roots firmly planted in his hometown: even when he was working with iconic hip-hop and R&B artists like The Roots and Erykah Badu, he???d also spend time producing for Detroit artists such as Bizarre and Royce Da 5???9???.
He was also rapped occasionally, having formed Slum Village in 1996 with two Detroit friends, T3 and Baatin. After releasing two well-regarded underground albums, Jay Dee left the group and began recording a slew of independent singles, finally signing with L.A.-based Stonesthrow Records in 2003. They released his Champion Sound that year plus this year???s Donuts.
Besides earning the esteem of veteran hip-hop artists, Jay Dee also became one of the most imitated producers amongst a younger generation of beatmakers. His musical style was distinctive but diverse, favoring a slew of obscure soul and jazz samples that he could rework into tracks as deliciously languid as the Pharcyde???s ???Runnin?????? or as brash and hyperactive as Q-Tip???s ???Vivrant Thing.???
For several years, Jay Dee had been suffering from the auto-immune deficiency known as lupus ??? kidney and liver failure are common complications that can arise from it. He had been on dialysis the last two years and actually began work on Donuts while in the hospital. Though he almost surely didn???t mean the album to be his swan song, it couldn???t be a better snapshot of his creative process.
The album is different from almost all its predecessors; instead of polished, finalized songs, Donuts is more like a 30+ track collection of different musical ideas caught mid-motion. Though far from sloppy, the album has an off-the-cuff spontaneity to it, as if Dilla left the tape running during a series of brainstorming sessions. They hint at where he might have gone with more time and focus, but what you???re left with is how so many of the songs are alive with potential and promise. For the many fans, friends, and colleagues of an artist who died far too young, that???s likely the best way they would have wanted to remember him. (Oliver Wang)
Good read.
RIP
Rest In Peace Dilla.
At first I thought it was some bullshit, like the Eric B. rumor from last year. But then all these people started coming in the store asking for Jay Dee stuff, so I knew it wasn't an internet rumor. Then I decided it was like that Luther Vandross rumor from a couple of years back, and he was just in the hospital and people were confused. Even checking the mighty Soulstrut, Stonesthrow, and Okayplayer couldn't cut through my denial.
But when the entertainment editor from the Detroit Free Press called me for some background help and an interview, I knew it was real. I mean with the new release there's been quite a bit of J. Dilla talk at our store recently and it was and still is wierd switching from present to past tense so quickly.
The main thing that bothers me though is people not in the know automatically asume it was from a gun shot. That's fucked up. That's really fucked up.
Rest In Peace.
Deep beats and deep crates,
SonicReducer
(TEAMAARON)
He received a lot of accolades from other producers and artist, so I guess I just missed the boat. To expire from the physical at 32 is a hard thing to deal with. God bless him and sustain his family so that they may cope with their loss.
Rest in Peace, Dilla.
That's my dude. Been my dude, always gonna be.
RIP
R.I.P.
tribute set coming right up...
show ends at 9pm EST.
http://www.wdce.org
*hopefully will be archived too.
yousend
rip
R.I.P dude, you'll be missed
i consider Dilla to be the equivalent of Stevie,Sly,Coletrane when it comes to Hip Hop music.....Dilla re-invented hip hop production and SAVED R&B MUSIC.....
i have to watch a personal friend be buried this week and hearing this was the icing on a shit cake....too many good people my age & my race being buried .....this hip hop related death has affected me more than any other....a completely innocent legend taken away in the prime of his life....shit is sad
R.I.P.
I spent an afternoon with him. I was really struck how humble and down to earth he was. He could have done a lot more work in NYC but chose to live and work in Detroit (Huntington Woods) instead. He was so soft spoken I could hardly hear him. He talked about how exciting it was to have Erika Badu singing in his basement. He talked about how close he was to his Slum Village friends and other little known Detroit musicians he came up with. At Everyday Music he stacked up the 80s rock records to take home and listen to for whatever they may hold. as low key as he was, he was busy. He was on the phone every moment he was not digging scheduling studio time, telling his employees to tell this person to wait, and that person can come Friday and on and on. Went to dinner at what had been a good Middle Eastern restaurant, but got a terrible meal. Never complained.
Great guy.
Dan