When I heard about this project I was overly enthused about it. J Dilla is easily my favorite producer of all time, and Madlib definitely ranks at the top of the list as well. Jaylib is probably my favorite collaboration of all time, so when I heard that Madlib and J Rocc were going to be doing a tribute Beat Konducta series for Dilla I was overcome with joy. This Beat Konducta volume is 42 tracks long and pays respect to the greatest mind and producer of the modern era. Dilla was “your favorite producer’s favorite producer”, and this is a dedication that you cannot miss. I can tell you right now that I will be going to the store to grab this immediately on February 10th, if you are a fan of beat tapes I can tell you that you honestly should be to. You can be sure that I will have a review of this album up once I have a copy and have had a good listen.
Archive for J Dilla
Madlib & J Rocc’s Homage to J Dilla to drop February 10th
Posted in News with tags Beat Konducta, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, J Rocc, Madlib, Stones Throw on Friday, January 9, 2009 by Tim AlthausFree DJ Set: DJ Concept Live J Dilla Mix!
Posted in Downloads with tags DJ Concept, J Dilla, Ruff Draft on Monday, January 5, 2009 by Tim Althaus
This is a link to a live mix by the man known as DJ Concept, and he did this set live in NYC. This is a great collection of music from my idol and favorite artist J Dilla. This mix covers everything from the Pharcyde/Tribe Called Quest days all the way up to Ruff Draft and everything that was in between. J Dilla was an absolute genius, and the impact that this man and his music have had on my life is remarkable.
If you are unfamiliar with Dilla please take a listen to this mix because it really is a great collection of tracks that Dilla was featured on and produced. At just under an hour long this mix will not disappoint.
Download: DJ Concept Live Dilla Set
Spotted at Ipso Facto
One more thing folks: TURN IT UP!
Raekwon gives details about Only Built For Cuban Linx 2, Wu Tour Dates
Posted in Concert Dates, Music News with tags Dr. Dre, Ghostface Killah, GZA, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, Only Built For Cuban Linx 2, Pete Rock, Raekwon, RZA, The Chef, Wu-Tang Clan on Monday, December 15, 2008 by Tim Althaus
It seems as though the Chef is cooking up some classic material once again. Raekwon talked to Pitchfork about his new masterpiece, the sequel to arguably one of the greatest solo Wu albums of all time, Only Built for Cuban Linx 2. According to Raekwon, “This record is the shit, it’s been getting around in my camp. It’s another masterpiece that is ready to be released.” The Chef also said that he strayed away from all RZA production because as an artist he felt as though he wanted to move on to other things. He noted that he has some of the best producers in the game for the last 20 years on this shit. Who would he be speaking of? Dr. Dre, Marley Marl, J Dilla, Pete Rock and DJ Scratch (holy shit, what a producer list) will be heading the production side of the album and guest appearances will include Ghostface, Method Man, GZA, Busta Rhymes & Inspectah Deck.
If you go over to the original article Rae talks about how he wanted the new OBFCL to compliment the original one coming out. he wanted to “be like seeing DeNiro do a mafia flick, do something completely different and then come back to another mafia film and be the same dude he was in The Godfather.” That’s almost exactly the way that Raekwon’s career has gone, he released two other albums since the original OBFCL and this is like him going back to the stove and cooking up classics.
It sounds like this album is already going to be one of the biggest albums to come out next year. All of you Wu heads out there get ready because this album is going to be exactly what you’ve been waiting for. Based on the last OBFCL I can assure you that chances are, you are going to be seeing plenty of Ghost on this album to.
ALSO… go check out the Wu in your city because they are on the road right now:
12-14 Chicago, IL – House of Blues
12-15 Minneapolis, MN – First Avenue
12-17 Cleveland, OH – House of Blues
12-18 Rochester, NY – Main Street Armory
12-19 Philadelphia, PA – Trocadero
12-20 New Haven, CT – Toad’s Place
12-21 Sayreville, NJ – Starland Ballroom
12-23 New York, NY – Hammerstein Ballroom
12-26 Pittsburgh, PA – Mr. Small’s
12-27 Lancaster, PA – Chameleon Club
12-31 Baltimore, MD – Sonar
01-01 Washington, DC – 9:30 Club
01-02 Providence, RI – Lupo’s
01-03 Worcester, MA – Palladium Nightclub
01-04 Burlington, VT – Higher Ground
01-07 Norfolk, VA – The NorVa
01-08 Richmond, VA – The National
01-09 Greensboro, NC – N Club
01-10 Charleston, SC – Music Farm
01-11 Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend
01-12 Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre
01-13 Columbia, SC – Level
01-14 Atlanta, GA – TBA
01-15 Jacksonville, FL – Plush
01-16 Tampa, FL – Jannus Landing
Video: Skillz on KarmaloopTV
Posted in Video with tags Detroit Hip-Hop, Ghost Writing, J Dilla, KarmaLoopTV, Rap Up, Skillz on Monday, December 8, 2008 by Tim AlthausVodpod videos no longer available.
Skillz is an emcee that is based out of the mighty D (Detroit), and he has been known to tear apart a microphone. He has ghostwritten songs for many of the emcees that people adore in the mainstream media. This is an interesting interview that he did for KarmaLoopTV in which he talks about a variety of topics. One of them being J Dilla. He says in the interview that he was the first emcee (on a major) to buy a beat from Dilla. He also says that he passed on some of the biggest hits that Dilla ever produced. This guy can really do his thing, and I can see why Dilla liked working with him. Continue reading
Video: Out Da Box Tv Episode 4 feat. Black Milk
Posted in Video with tags Black Milk, Detroit Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, Out Da Box TV, Tronic, Wajeed on Thursday, November 27, 2008 by Tim AlthausVodpod videos no longer available.
Here is a fine episode of Out Da Box TV featuring one of Detroit’s finest Black Milk. This is a great episode, Black talks about his new album Tronic as well as a lot of the comparisons he has been getting to J Dilla (note Wajeed‘s comment about the situation). There is even a live performance from Southpaw at the end of the video for you to enjoy.
Album Review: Illa J, Yancey Boys
Posted in Music Reviews with tags Affion Crockett, Detroit Hip-Hop, Frank N Dank, Guilty Simpson, Hip-Hop, Illa J, J Dilla, The Ummah on Monday, November 24, 2008 by Tim Althaus
The first thing that I need to tell you in regards to this album is that it’s never easy to follow in the footsteps of a legend. The second thing that I need to tell you is that this album may be the best treasure trove of “Ummah era” beats I’ve ever heard, and for that alone I could give the album at least a 7. The beats that are on this album are very laid back and very omniscient of the work that Jay Dee did with Tribe and Pharcyde. The one thing that I love about Jay Dee is that he had the ability to make beats seem so effortless, and at the same time sound so complex.
Illa J is one of those cats that can rhyme and sing (as Phonte would say “Sometimes I rap, sometime I sing like the Moody Blues), and it really makes for an interesting mix. “We Here” is the first track that really kicks things off with a sly and smooth beat with Illa going off like a pistol on this beat. I’ve heard a lot of people critisizing Illa J’s flow but I don’t think that’s necissary because this kid definitely has some major potential. “R U Listenin’?” is a serious highlight for the album that has Illa J and Detroit veteran Guilty Simpson exchanging verses over a futuristic synthy beat. Guilty completely kills this track (“I cheef cheeba/sleep with divas/and serve these whack rappers like pizzerias”) and outshines Illa J a little but not too much. Frank Nitty (of Frank N Dank) gives some great insight into the Yancey family and very well may convince you that they are all aliens and Affion Crockett provides some comedic relief and spits some rhymes as well. The beats (as I’ve said before) are great, and this album may be one of the best compilations of ummah era Dilla beats I’ve heard.
I have seen a lot of people giving this album a pretty low rating for the quality that it actually has. I think that a lot of people are over estimating Illa J because they expect to hear the next Dilla. Illa J has some serious potential, and I wouldn’t be surprised to end up seeing him on the Stones Throw roster doing some serious damage in the future.
7.5/10
Kanye West’s Head Gets Even Bigger?
Posted in Music News with tags Douche Bag, Dumbass, Hipster-Hop, J Dilla, Kanye West on Saturday, November 15, 2008 by Tim Althaus
Here is a quote that is directly from Mr. (Douche bag) West from an interview: “I realize that my place and position in history is that I will go down as the voice of this generation, of this decade, I will be the loudest voice,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “It’s me settling into that position of just really accepting that it’s one thing to say you want to do it and it’s another thing to really end up being like Michael Jordan.”
I really feel sorry for the people that feel Kanye West really is the voice of this generation. I hate to think that anyone would think he was the Mike Jordan of Hip-Hop. I know a lot of you heads out there love this guy, but I simply cannot stand him. Dilla was a better producer than Kanye will ever be, Black Milk has way more talent that this egotistical fuck. You know I hate to say this, but I think the size of his ego has to do with a lot of the media and fans. There has literally been so little good main stream material that people just latch on to shit out there (i.e. Kanye, Lil’ Wayne) and they assume it to be great. There are so many artists out there in the Hip-Hop world that people have no idea about.
How can you go ahead and basically say that you are on your way to being the greatest beat maker or emcee when you’ve been in the game for 5 years? Anyone who wants to argue this I would be willing to debate with. I think that people really need to stop riding Kanye’s tight pants and his dumb ass hipster Hip-Hop music. This guy is turning the form of Hip-Hop into a hipster trend and it really bothers me. I remember a quote from one of Kanye’s tracks: ” I gotta apologize to Mos and Kweli…” he was talking about rhyming about jewelry, he needed to appologize for being an egotistical douche bag.
I have to let you all know, that this blog (as far as my posts are concerned) will be completely Kanye free, unless I can trash on him. I have to say I was a huge fan of College Dropout, and then his head got to big for his own good and I lost all interest in his music. I found out that there were other producers out there that were way better and didn’t need to tell the world how good they were to make a point.
(Note: The picture above is from Bonnaroo this year when Kanye put on the wackest show of his career and made constant excuses about how it wasn’t his fault.)
You can read the Blog post that he wrote about his reactions to Bonnaroo here, it’s actually quite comical as to how big of a baby he is. (On a side note I think it’s funny how he thinks that people are trying to “plot” his downfall.)
Review: Q-Tip, The Renaissance
Posted in Music Reviews with tags A Tribe Called Quest, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, Q-Tip on Wednesday, November 12, 2008 by Tim Althaus
It’s been 9 long years since Q-Tip has put out a solo album (and even longer since we’ve heard something from Tribe except for Rock The Bells), and the last time he put out a solo album it had the beat crafting of J Dilla. If it weren’t for the label disagreement with Kamaal the Abstract we would have seen a Tip release sooner.
9 years later and The Renaissance is here, and boy is it one hell of an album. The first thing that I really want to stress about this album is that Q-Tip has some serious production skills on top of his already “all the time” “on point” rhymes. This album carries more of a funk/groove feel to it that creates a great vibe for the album as well as Tip’s rhymes. The album starts out with “Johnny Is Dead” which has a great guitar riff at the begininning and a mesmerizing beat throughout and Q-Tip’s flow is like liquid over the track (keeping in mind that he doesn’t sound half bad singing). “Won’t Trade” is another great beat with a spot on sample (“I wouldn’t trade it for nothin’!”) that compliments the piano in the background. “Gettin’ Up” which was the album’s lead single is one of the highlights on the album with a rolling thick bassline and great piano melody. Tip’s rhymes fit “Gettin’ Up” perfectly (as well as every single track on the album) and the track gives off a very groovy feel. I really like the track “Official” because the cuts are crazy and I love the beat as well as the sample, I can’t keep saying this enough as well but Q-Tip really flows well and sings great over this track. The Highlight of this album in my opinion is definitely “Move” which is the only track produced by someone else, and of course it’s Dilla. The first part of this track literally smacked me right in the face and gave me a great vibe, the Jackson 5 flip on this is amazing and the beat just makes me want to dance. I can see why Tip loved to work with Dilla because their chemistry together is great and always makes for an amazing track.
This album is very solid from front to back and there really aren’t any moments that I can say make this album drag at all. This album is going to be a serious contender for album of the year on a lot of people’s charts, and makes for a great late entry. You can bet that it’s going to make a great deal of top 10 lists without question.
8.5/10
Video: Illa J “My Brothers Keeper” Pt. 1 & 2
Posted in Video with tags Delicious Vinyl, Detroit Hip-Hop, Hip-Hop, Illa J, J Dilla, The Ummah on Monday, November 10, 2008 by Tim Althaus
Illa J released his solo debut Yancey Boys (on Delicious Vinyl) last week on Tuesday which is comprised completely of beats done by his big brother (and my inspiration) J Dilla. This is another album I just haven’t gotten a good listen of yet, but I can guarantee that this album will be something special. If you can all think about what Jay Dee’s sound was like back in the Ummah era (Tribe, Pharcyde) then you know what I am talking about. I will try to get a good listen here and get a review up for you guys soon. If you are a fan of Dilla or anything that sounds like him go out and get this album Illa J is definitely someone to watch for.
Check out these video interviews, the videos skew a good amount of material. It’s amazing to see just how much music was really coming out of the Yancey family. No wonder J Dilla and Illa J are beasts.
Part 1
Part 2
Take a listen to the lead single:
Video: Q-Tip “Move” (Live on Letterman)
Posted in Video with tags A Tribe Called Quest, Hip-Hop, J Dilla, Q-Tip on Monday, November 10, 2008 by Tim Althaus
Well as most of you heads in the Hip-Hop world know, Q-Tip (of A Tribe Called Quest) released his sophomore LP The Renaissance last Tuesday. I haven’t gotten a really good listen of this record yet, but I know that I am highly anticipating it. This is Tip’s first album in 9 years (Amplified was released in ’99 (which was produced entirely by Dilla) ), and there has been no sign of Tribe anywhere (except Rock the Bells last year). I must admit I heard a snippet of the song “Move” and I almost went nuts. I had to find out who produced that track because the sample was flipped just perfect and I couldn’t get enough. I then found out that Tip produced the entire album except for that one track. Does anyone wanna talk a wild guess who the producer of “Move” is? That’s right my man Dilla did the beat and to be honest I’m really not surprised because he was the best at what he did, and that’s making beats. This beat is no different with a great sample flip of the Jackson 5 that sounds like Dilla chopped the track like butcher meat.
I’ve heard a few tracks off of this record and I can honestly tell you that Tip has some serious skill on the MP, and that this record jives way more like a disco-hop than anything. I love the vibe I’ve heard and I’m going to get a review up really soon. In the meantime check this great performance of “Move” live on Letterman.
MIND INVERSION 
