He really did. My life became musically fuller and brighter once J Dilla entered it. To think, he was in my life before I even knew it. You think you do not know the Dilla? You do. So many hip hop tunes or albums that have greatness about them, more than likely were produced by Dilla. Pharcyde, Slum Village, Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson,De La Soul, Erykah Badu, Common, Talib Kweli, he did them all. He also did amazing albums of his own. There is no other producer that can do a Dilla beat, not one. The man is a legend, he was a living legend, but lupus took his life way way to early. 
I was lucky enough to see him in concert, at the Jazz Cafe, London. He was ill by that point, broke my heart, for I did not know he was ill til he was carried onto stage by his crew. He seemed like the kind of man who kept his crew tight, no big showy lifestyle like some, he kept it real til the end.
The illness had made it impossible for him to walk. The place erupted, we were his people and he our king. The kind quiet hip hop god was there before us, in pain like we will never know, but he caught a plane to see us. I cried like a baby at his kindness, not just for us, but for his family, the man was making cash for his children, without a thought for himself. A true man for sure.
I have read in different places on the net, that there are disputes over his estate, his children and mother may be left without a legacy that befits the family of a hip hop genius, why dont the moguls of the industry sort that shit out? Makes me mad to think that they all took his beats, but cant help his family.
Beautiful post about this man. He changed my life and my ear for hip hop. I remember in 95 when The Pharcyde came out. Of course he produced most of that CD but back then I didn't know it..What really did it was the remix CD (remember the maxi-singles?) for Running Away. There was a track called "Electric Butterfly" that was simply incredible...I read the credits and it said "Jaydee". It's been a wrap ever since.
ReplyDeleteThank you, yes, I remember when the Pharcyde dropped that album, blew my mind, the dream like tight production was intensly good, I had it on a loop for a long time. I also did not know it was Dilla til a few years later.
ReplyDeleteAnd the anthem fuck the police, have you ever been to a good hip hop night when somebody has not dropped that?
Every thing he did was 1st level brilliant.
I love the album he did for Common, Like chocolate for water, he and Common were a good team.
Dont get me started, I could wax lyrical about Jaydee all day long :0)
Oh man, I'm a massive slacker. I don't have a life.. I just can't think of anything to write, it's not that I'm watching Big Brother or anything, I'm really not.. I have been watching massive amounts of Ghost in The Shell (Stand Alone Complex) though - which is shit hot. I've also been tumblr-ing/twittering and abusing my neighbours with passive-agressive notes.
ReplyDeleteI really like J Dilla, I only recently got round to buying Donuts, but it's pretty amazing, even now it's epicly refreshing. So much better than the majority of bullshit that gets vomited out to us.. Good post.