Archive for J Dilla

The Soul Brother #1 Talks Influences

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , on Thursday, April 2, 2009 by Tim Althaus

peterock21 Pete Rock is the guy you look to constantly for the most consistent and great Hip-Hop you will hear. There’s no denying that Pete Rock is one of the greatest producers of all time. There is a whole lot of emcees and producers that will make the same statement. I haven’t heard much about Pete since his album NY’s Finest dropped last year, so it’s a breath of fresh air to see this video over at Crate Kings.

In this video Pete Rock talks about his major influences as far as the game was concerned when he was coming up back in the day, as well as who he looks to now as being the best in the game. Pete gives a huge shout out to J Dilla saying that if Dilla was still around he would still be the greatest to have made the beats (I feel the same way). It’s great to hear what the thoughts are from the mind of a genius, make sure you check out the video to learn some lessons from one of the greatest in Hip-Hop.

Tim’s Top 10 Albums of All-Time (At Least To This Point)

Posted in Mind Inversion Exclusive, The Learned Man's Take with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, March 18, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Tim's Top 10 Albums of All-Time (At Least To This Point)

I have to tell you all that this list was one of the hardest things I’ve had to get myself to do, because I knew it wasn’t going to be anywhere near easy. Even while going through this list I had to constantly change things because I felt something was missing. This list (to the best of my abilities) contains the quintessential list of albums that shaped my taste in music. To be put another way, I don’t know where I would be without these albums. I can also say that I feel that each one of these albums is timeless as well a masterpiece. So without further ado…

Top 10 Albums of All-Time (In Order from 10-1)

live-at-leedsThe Who – Live At Leeds (Deluxe Edition): Honestly I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to this album. I remember buying it in the store years ago, and it cost me just about thirty-five dollars. It may be the best money I’ve ever spent on an album. This album truly shows the pure rock fury of The Who. If you have ever had a doubt in your life as to the legitimacy of The Who, please listen to this album. The original album was released with just 35 minutes of the 120, and this album has all of it. This is one of the greatest live albums of all time, no doubt in my mind. Every single member of The Who sounds precise and musically sound. This also might be the heaviest material you will ever here from The Who. From the rapid fire boulder crashing drums of Keith Moon to the lion roaring vocals of Roger Daltrey this album is everything a live album should be and more… Continue reading

Ma Dukes & Pete Rock Are Making Sure That Jay Stay Paid

Posted in Music News with tags , , , , , on Tuesday, March 10, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Ma Dukes & Pete Rock Are Making Sure That Jay Stay Paid It truly looks like the one album I have been waiting on for the last two years will finally see the light of day. Pete Rock & J Dilla’s mother (Ma Dukes) will be releasing Dilla’s album of posthumas material that has never seen the light of day. The music on this album will include music from his old floppy disk and programs as well as music that Dilla made while he was in the hospital. Ma Dukes explains, “This album combines what he did in the beginning of his career, [and] what he did in some of our early hospital stays, which was very deep.” She says, “This is like the missing link to Dilla’s legacy”.

The part that I really like about this is that it is going to be something like a concept album where all of the tracks are being played over the radio, and Pete Rock is the DJ. You can expect guest appearances from Black Thought, The Roots, M.O.P. & DOOM. Sounds like this album is going to be one hell of a release. Watch out for Jay Stay Paid or [J$P] (for short) dropping on Nature Sounds on June 2nd. Continue reading

J Rocc’s 4th Thank You to Jay Dee

Posted in Downloads with tags , , , , on Thursday, March 5, 2009 by Tim Althaus

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I went over to Hip Hop Official today to get my daily does of news (as I do with all of my sources) and I stumbled across J Rocc’s latest masterpiece. Thank You Jay Dee, Act 4 is the latest installment of the podcast mixes that J Rocc has been putting out exclusively through Stones Throw. This mix sounds top tier and it doesn’t surprise me because J Rocc makes some of the best Dilla mixes out there. You will hear beats that you might have not heard, originals of samples Dilla used, and great remixes. After you get this one, make sure you go out and download the rest (Act 1, 2 & 3) as soon as you can because those are tight as hell to.

Download

Black Milk Talks Hip-Hop, The D & J Dilla

Posted in Video with tags , , , , , , , on Tuesday, March 3, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Vodpod videos no longer available.

I love being able to hear about any news that pertains to Black Milk. As I’ve said numerous times in the past, this guy is a phenom and he’s “Putting the “D” on his back like a shirt that he bought”. He’s been coming out with some of the most consistent Hip-Hop for the last few years with two critically acclaimed albums. I also gave his album Tronic which came out last year the nod for album of the year.

This is a really good interview that was put on by Carter Cartel and it’s very in depth. The interview rings in at almost 12 minutes long, but I think it’s totally worth it. There are a lot of issues that get discussed here. Black talks about performing to a crowd full of white kids in Boulder, Colorado, who he would work with now (dead and alive) and that Random Axe collabo that’s going to be absolutely ridiculous. Random Axe is a super group composed of Guilty Simpson, Sean Price & Black Milk. Not to mention that Black Milk will be doing production for the entire album. Black Milk also brings up, of course, the late great J Dilla and what it was like working with him as well as how much of an influence he is on Black Milk.

All in all a great interview. Make sure you watch the video and watch out for Random Axe dropping sometime this year.

Spotted at Crate Kings

Suite For Ma Dukes (Finale & Encore)

Posted in Video with tags , on Wednesday, February 25, 2009 by Tim Althaus

I seriously can’t tell you how much I wish I could have been in L.A. for this. It was pretty much the one thing that I wanted to see this year. As you will notice, De La Soul came out to perform some tracks as well as Talib Kweli. I haven’t had the chance to listen to this EP yet, but I can’t wait until I actually do.

Jam Session for Ma Dukes

Posted in Media, Video with tags , , , , on Friday, February 20, 2009 by Tim Althaus

This video was shot back in January when Suite for Ma Dukes was being prepared. This Sunday February 22nd, the Suite for Ma Dukes will be going down with a 36 piece orchestra in LA. If I was in the area there is absolutely no way that I would miss this show, it’s going to be an amazing representation of a legend’s music. In the video you can here these guys putting together a “from scratch” version of Slum Village “Fall in Love“. It sounds like this album is going to have a very nostalgic feel to it, and I can wait to hear it. You can download the EP on iTunes here. Make sure you grab the album and keep listening to Dilla, because February is Dilla month. TURN IT UP!

Video: Dope Dilla Tribute

Posted in Video with tags , on Friday, February 13, 2009 by Tim Althaus

Vodpod videos no longer available.
I saw this over at Stones Throw’s website today when I jumped over there for my weekly dose of news. It’s about a minute and thirty seconds long and it features some bad ass animation. It goes through Jay’s career with different clips of songs that he did during that era.

Video: Dilla Keeps Shining (Jay Dee Tribute)

Posted in Video with tags , , , , on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 by Tim Althaus

I’m really glad that Hip Hop Official had this video up. I actually used a clip of this video last year when I gave a speech on Dilla, I think the clip I used was roughly a 30 second summary of this one. This video has names like Pharoahe Monch, Phife Dawg (of Tribe Called Quest) & Talib Kweli. These guys are all talking about their feelings on Jay Dee’s music. Talib tells a great story about Dilla and the Grammys. Apparently The Roots were nominated for a Grammy on a track that Dilla produced, when Kweli said something to Dilla he didn’t pay it any mind, he just kept making beats. This video has some of the best names in emceeing all talking about how Dilla changed the production game. This is a great video tribute for a great man.

Mixtape: RP3 Present J Dilla – “Midnight Snack”

Posted in Audio, Downloads, Music Reviews with tags , , , , , , , , , , on Wednesday, February 11, 2009 by Erik Burg

So there seems to be an endless amount of J Dilla material out there, and by “seems to be” I mean, there is. Whether it’s original material leaking out, Dilla mash-ups, Dilla collaborations, or what I’m about to discuss at length, Dilla Mixes. 

Mmmmmmm....

Mmmmmmm....

 

The newest Mix to hit the Dilla enthusiast circuit, Midnight Snack, is a unique blend of jazz influence and smooth hip-hop from Dilla’s long and storied catalogue. Running just over an hour, this mix is the perfect treat for that “midnight snack” that we all crave. It’s mellow and calm, yet it doesn’t bore the listener at all. The entire mix flows so well, mixing in various vocal sample, my favorite being from the lady who adorns your glorious voicemail. 

I might be over-matched trying to review this tape, seeing as I’m not the biggest Dilla fan in the world, or even on Mind Inversion. But I think it’s nice to have news about the guy coming from someone who doesn’t absolutely worship him. So yeah, with a level head and an honest conscious I can say without a doubt that any lover of music will enjoy this mix. You don’t have to appreciate Dilla, you don’t have to have a ph. d. in hip-hop, just sit back, turn the lights low, work on some homework maybe, and enjoy this awesome awesome stellar mix of beautiful music from a legend.

8.8 yummy tasty delicious scrumptious donuts out of 10

mp3: RP3 PRESENT J DILLA – “MIDNIGHT SNACK”

OFFICIAL SITE