Name: Leilanie Name of Playlist: Chill Out Genre: Downbeat hip hop, Japanese downtempo, a bit of jazz, some soul Mood: It’s for the late night marauders and drives to our St. Elsewheres. Also pairs well with a glass of fine wine and fine company.
Playlist Inspiration: With it still being Dilla month, I’ve been more appreciative of the beats more than the voices. Already being a fan of Foreign Exchange, Nicolay, Jazzanova, Nujabes and then rediscovering Chimp Beams’ “Menina” (thanks to M.I.S.S.’ very own Valerie), I just had to share the good vibes.
Tracklist:
1. Flying Lotus – Visions of Violet ft. Jose James
2. Crustation – Purple (Ummah remix)
3. The Ins x Miles Bonny – J. Birly
4. Uyama Hiroto – Stratus
5. Smooth J – Kiss
6. FS Green – Preppy Lady
7. Suff Daddy – S.E.X. (experiment)
8. DJ Mitsu the Beats – Stay with Me Remix
9. J Dilla – Sounds Like Love (instrumental)
10. Suff Daddy – Chinatown Chill
11. DJ Mitsu the Beats – Mine Lady
12. Jose James – Lay You Down
13. Chimp Beams – Menina
14. Blue Scholars – Coffee and Snow (instrumental)
15. Full Crate & Mar – She Was Fly
Entire tracklist available also for download here.
As many people around the world continue to celebrate the life and music of J Dilla, clothing brand Stussy has partnered with Stones Throw Records to create a limited-edition J Dilla Stussy Tee. The tee features Raphael “Raph” Rashid’s classic pic of J Dilla in his L.A. dining room-turned-studio, summer 2005. This picture comes from Rashid’s book entitled, “Behind The Beat: Hip-Hop Home Studios“, which features a look into the creative spaces of producers and DJ’s from the US and UK. The tee is now available in white and black and has J Dilla’s name printed on the back. You can purchase the tee at Stones Throw online store. It is licensed with J Dilla’s heirs who have recently announced a reorganization of the J Dilla Estate. Just a week ago, M.I.S.S. reminisced about the life and legacy of J Dilla. This limited edition tee is so cool because it displays J Dilla completely in his element.
Stussy x J Dilla in black.
In addition to the limited-edition tee, Stussy has partnered with Stones Throw on a 3-part documentary on J Dilla’s life during his later years in Los Angeles. The documentary features interviews with people such as J. Rocc, Garth Trinidad, DJ Rhettmatic, DJ Houseshoes, photographer B+, and Stones Throw Records founder Peanut Butter Wolf. Many of them speak about their first time hearing Dilla’s music and the impact that it had on them. Part 1 – Introductions and Part 2 – Detroit to Los Angeles – were just recently released. Part 3 (Donuts) will be released later this month. Be sure to visit the Stussy or Stones Throw website to check out all parts of the documentary as they become available over the next few weeks. Check out Parts 1 & 2 below!
Whenever I see donuts, I immediately think of J. Dilla. Some things are just strangely synonymous with one another. In my mind; Dilla and donuts should always go together. In fact, eating donuts while spinning J. Dilla’s Donuts album is something that I think everyone should do! The tracks on that album or any other Dilla album are always guaranteed to put me in good mood. J. Dilla’s music always made me feel all warm and tingly inside. He was one of the most respected, loved, and influential hip-hop artists and producers of all time. Many of the artists and producers that we listen to today including Pharrell Williams, Kanye West, and JustBlaze consider him to be their personal favorite producer. In my humble opinion, J. Dilla was nothing short of a musical genius. His use of sampling and hard-hitting beats made him stand out amongst his peers. I grew up listening to artists that he worked with so his sound always remains familiar to me. It brings on a feeling of nostalgia that is bittersweet. I’ve always heard the saying, “The good die young.” In J. Dilla’s case, this happens to be true. However, a talent and star as bright as J. Dilla certainly knows how to say goodbye leaving behind a legacy full of inspiration and plain good ole’ music. Reminisce with M.I.S.S. as we indulge in all of J. Dilla’s glory.
J. Dilla emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan.
J. Dilla or “Jay Dee” was born James Dewitt Yancey in Detroit, Michigan on February 7, 1974. Music would inevitably run through veins as it did through his family. His mother was formally an opera singer and his father was a jazz bassist. It was through his parents that he was able to acquire a vast musical knowledge and began collecting vinyl records at the tender age of two. Although he had a love and respect for all musical genres, Hip-Hop was Dilla’s passion. He formed the rap group Slum Village in high school with classmates T3 and Baatin, while also taking up beatmaking after being inspired by a number of people, most notably Pete Rock of the hip-hop group Pete Rock and C.L. smooth.
J. Dilla had a deep love and appreciation for vinyl records.
He would spend hours alone in his basement, surrounded by records, using only a simple tapedeck to create beats. When he met Detroit musician Amp Fiddler in 1992, he was first introduced to the Akai MPC (Midi/Music Production Center) Sampler. This electronic music instrument is used as a drum machine and has the ability to sample one’s own sounds. With this machine in hand, Dilla made magic! He mastered the MPC drum machine, serving up one of a kind beats that would be become classics among his generation. By the mid 1990s, Dilla had made his way through the Detroit music scene and was well on his way to becoming the producer that everyone wanted to work with. He still made beats in his basement, but also ventured into the studio, producing sounds for the likes of artists such as Erykah Badu, Common, De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, and Janet Jackson among many others. The majority of J. Dilla’s productions were released without his name recognition. He produced a number of tracks under the alias of “The Ummah”. The first time I heard Janet Jackson’s single “Got Till It’s Gone”, I was in awe. Even though he never officially took credit for producing that track, it reeked of J. Dilla’s presence. The “Got Till It’s Gone” EP also featured a remix appropriately entitled “Ummah Jay Dee’s Revenge Mix”. You see with J. Dilla, it was never about the money or the fame. It was always about the music. He didn’t just strive to be the best producer he possibly could be. He strived to make “music” as a whole the best that it could possibly be.
Donuts hit stores on February 7, 2006, which was also Dilla's 32nd birthday.
At the beginning of the millennium, J. Dilla worked on a number of solo and collaborative projects. Although a great portion of his material was never released by a major record label company, he was able to gain notoriety and build a fan base through word of mouth and the internet. Welcome 2 Detroit, Ruff Draft, Champion Sound, Jay Love Japan, and The Shining are a few of the albums that J. Dilla worked on during this time. J. Dilla also started to work on what was probably his most successful and well-known record to date, Donuts. Donuts was raw, edgy, and filled with instrumental tracks so beautiful that lyrics weren’t even needed. The Donuts album was the first time I was introduced to Dionne Warwick’s “You’re Gonna Need Me” that was later sampled for one of my favorite Usher tracks entitled “Throwback”. Other tracks such as “Two can Win and “”Gobstopper” are always guaranateed to bring a big smile on my face
J. Dilla formed the hip-hop group Slum Village with schoolmates T3 and Baatin at Pershing High School.
In 2002, J. Dilla started to get really sick. He was diagnosed with lupus and TTP, a rare blood disease that causes a low platelet count. Doctors told him there was no cure or direct treatment. Despite his health problems, he continued to make music with his mother by his side to take care of him. In 2006, his health took a turn for the worse and he was once again hospitalized. He would work on the Donuts album from his hospital bed while letting doctors hear some of the music that he created. He finished all but two songs on the album. Donuts was released on February 7th of that year. J. Dilla died from complications of his disease just three days after that on February 10, 2006. Since his death, fans have come together to mourn his passing and celebrate the life and legacy of one of music’s finest. In May 2006, J Dilla’s mother announced the creation of “The J Dilla Foundation”, which will work to cure lupus and help kids who were musically gifted but had little hope due to poverty. J. Dilla’s music experienced a rebirth after he was gone and there have been countless tribute tracks and concerts by many artists dedicated to this bright star. Just recently, Mochilla announced the release of a limited edition DVD box set of Timeless, the 3 part event honoring producer J. Dilla featuring The Suite For Ma Dukes Orchestra. It’s evident that the force that was J. Dilla touched so many around the world .
J. Dilla's music touched the lives of people all over the world.
At times, I get emotional when I think about J. Dilla and his legacy. He taught me a lot about music and life in general. His passion, love, and dedication to his craft were not only admirable, but inspiring as well. He lived out his dream to make music until it was physically impossible for him to do so anymore. He made others in his field, even those whom he had personally looked up to, want to be better or just as good he was. Can you imagine what the world would be like if we were all as dedicated to something as J. Dilla was dedicated to music?
J. Dilla's legacy continues to live on through his music.
I grew up in a household that constantly played music. I was always surrounded by so much music and my parents’ vinyl records in particular that I kind of took it for granted. Taking trips to my local record shop had become routine to the point that it was beginning to get just a tad bit boring. After listening to a lot of J. Dilla, I felt the urge to dig for records and create a collection of my own. I would carefully read the credits on his albums and search vigorously for the songs that he sampled. I gained a new appreciation for my parents’ albums and the collection that I was starting to build for myself. J. Dilla really did change my life and the lives of so many others as well. I thank him for helping my discover my passion and re-introducing me to my first love which is and will always be music. Happy Birthday J. Dilla!- from everyone here on the M.I.S.S. Crew.
Here’s a quote from one of our M.I.S.S. staff:
“Although there are so many classics – the Dilla track that can always turn my frown upside down is “Won’t Do” from his album The Shining. That beat is so tuff!”
-Randi Hernandez
In loving memory of James Yancey aka J. Dilla. February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006
For more information on J. Dilla, please visit his website at: http://j-dilla.com/
“The distilled ambiance of an Al Green song, the ambiguous sexual majesty of a Prince song, the creative genius of Stevie Wonder” – description of D’Angelo in the liner notes of his album Voodoo
“That n***a sounds like Bobby McFerrin on opium” –Same source as above
Never has an album set the mood for a romantic night as well as D’Angelo’s Voodoo does. Just skip to track #4 (“The Line”), and let that sucker play into the evening. Somebody’s going to get pregnant.
D'Angelo plays many of the instruments on his albums
Unlike most of the other D stans in the world, I wasn’t obsessed with the single “Untitled (How Does it Feel)”. People jumped on D’Angelo for that track, most likely because of the highly sexualized video in which D was reportedly completely naked and being “serviced” throughout. Most argue his facial expressions during the shoot point to the alleged sexual act, but there are no proven reports that this is what actually happened. What most don’t know is that he was persuaded to shoot the video for this Prince tribute song nearly nude, and was against the idea in the first place. He thought the idea was ludicrous, and unfortunately, it continued to be an issue for him as his career progressed. According to his tour drummer, Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, “He’d get angry and start breaking shit.” says Questlove. “The audience thinking, ‘Fuck your art, I wanna see your ass!’ Made him angry.” (http://www.whudat.com/newsblurbs/categories/C346/)
On right, still image from the video for "Untitled (How Does It Feel)"
D’Angelo, born Michael Eugene Archer in Richmond, VA in 1974, was probably not comfortable with his image as a sex symbol, as he was the son of a Pentecostal Preacher. (wikipedia) Many of his album liner notes reference God and his devotion to God. It is important to mention that when he first started his career at age 21, he was quite chubby. He got svelte for Voodoo, but as you can see by the photos now, he is back to his old self. As a former fat girl who got skinny for a while, and is now back to being fat and happy, I can attest that it is very hard to deal with the instant attention that comes with getting fit. A healthy body image is hard to suddenly fit into, especially when you start fitting into a smaller size jeans. The ghost of the former fat person sometimes haunts you. This may have plagued D’Angelo. But I digress.
D’Angelo first got his break when he got a publishing deal after penning the song “U Will Know” for the soundtrack to Jason’s Lyric for the group Black Men United. Shortly after, he got a record deal with EMI and released his debut Brown Sugar in 1995. He worked with Raphael Saadiq and The Sequence’s Angie Stone on the project, and although Angie later mothered two of his children, he mentioned her in the liner notes by saying “everlasting love and respect to my ‘Big Sis’ Angie B. Stone”. On Brown Sugar, he had a hit with “Lady”, and his bad boy crooning captured many a heart in the music world. The single “Brown Sugar” was also successful, along with “Me And Those Dreamin’ Eyes of Mine”. Aside from the remake “Cruisin’”, D’Angelo wrote and produced the majority of the tracks on Brown Sugar, which certainly set him apart from many of the other “neo-soul” artists coming out around that time.
After Brown Sugar, D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” was featured in the epic movie Belly, during the movie and at the start of the credits for the movie. He was also on the classic The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill for his duet with L-Boogie “Nothing Even Matters”. He also performed many covers, including “She’s Always in My Hair” (which was on the Scream 2 soundtrack) and Eddie Kendricks’ “Girl You Need a Change of Mind”. He also sang the hook on the the EPIC, EPIC remix of Gza’s “Cold World”. In fact, it seemed as if he would never fall off, because during this time he was staying active and relevant in the music scene by jumping on other peoples’ tracks.
The cover of Voodoo left, cover of Brown Sugar right
Finally, about 5 years after Brown Sugar, D’Angelo released Voodoo in 2000. Voodoo was heavily padded with the finest of musicians, including ?uestlove on drums, Roy Hargrove on trumpet, Pino Palladino on bass, James Poyser on keyboard, and Charlie Hunter on bass and guitar. In most cases, if D wasn’t getting help from these musicians, he was writing the music parts on the songs and PLAYING ALL THE OTHER INSTRUMENTS himself!!! Voodoo was obviously a labor of love for the musical craftsman, and he set himself apart from the average musician by saying: “More artists seem to yearn to own their own labels than they seem to yearn to master their crafts. No, we cannot allow any more ‘Bessie Smiths’ to occur, but once an artist owns their (sic) own publishing, the question then becomes, what are you going to publish?” (liner notes for Voodoo). A few of the best tracks on the album include “Send It On”, “Spanish Joint”, “The Root”, and “One Mo’Gin” – yet, unfortunately, too few people know about these tracks. D’Angelo won a Grammy for best male R&B vocal performance for “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” and a Grammy for best R&B album for Voodoo.
D’Angelo went on “The Voodoo Tour” after the release of the album, and was backed by the band The Soultronics, assembled by ?uestlove. Slum Village opened for many of the dates, and the talented Anthony Hamilton was one of the backup singers with the band. I am still mad I didn’t get a ticket to see this amazing group of musicians perform.
Recent photos, with D's mugshot on the right
After this tour is when the “great wait” began for D’Angelo fans. The “where is D’Angelo?” questions were answered when he showed up in the Raphael Saadiq video for “Be Here” looking a little portly, and with some scraggly facial hair. Then in 2005, D was arrested for driving while intoxicated, possession of marijuana, and possession of a controlled substance (wikipedia). His mug shot shocked the public, to say the least. Then later in the year, on September 19, 2005, D’Angelo was critically injured in a car accident when the SUV he was driving hit a fence, ejecting him from the vehicle. He healed, but was hit with various charges. Plus, his baby momma Angie Stone, who rarely commented on his actions in interviews (she had her own music career, check her out!), started getting angry with D. She spoke out against his behavior, saying: “Ain’t nothin’ happen with us. I never really say nothin’ negative about him, but he’s on my shit list right now.” (http://www.dyfuse.com/?q=node/2589). After much coaxing, and after an alcoholic binge in San Juan, Puerto Rico, D’ Angelo finally checked into Eric Clapton’s Treatment Centre in Antigua in 2006 (http://www.spin.com/node/33730).
Although everyone is concerned with D’Angelo’s health, most fans are concerned with when D is going to put out another album. I mean, people are chomping at the bit for some new D material, much like they are for Lauryn Hill to make a (true) comeback. This year (2009), there was a virtual frenzy when iTunes announced they would release a “new” D’Angelo single. It turned out to just be the release of “I Found My Smile Again” on iTunes, which was a remake of the tune D’Angelo originally recorded for the 1996 Space Jam soundtrack. Most fans were totally disappointed, as this is far from “new”. D’Angelo HAS been popping up here and there though, like in “So Far to Go” on J. Dilla’s The Shining in 2006 (which was also on Common’s Finding Forever), on Q-Tip’s “Believe” in 2008 (which was actually for an older Q-Tip album – long story). He appeared on the tribute album Red Hot+Indigo, and on tracks with the group the RH Factor. Since around 2007, there has been buzz that his next album will be called James River and will feature collaborations with such artists as Prince, Raphael Saadiq, Roy Hargrove and Mark Ronson (http://www.wdkx.com/show_article/2009/01/21/D%27Angelo_And_Prince_-_Wow.html). But this album was supposed to drop in 2009 and – people! – 2009 is almost over. We hope this project eventually comes to fruition. We will take you looking any way D’Angelo, as long as you sound the same!
Until then, check out some rare D’Angelo tracks!
VIDEOS! (All Live, so you really get the idea)!
“Shit, Damn, Motherfucker” (language NSFW)
“Lady” (Listen for them saying “Shadrach, Meshach, Abednego”)
Considering how fantastic a producer J. Dilla was, it must be very daunting for 22-year old newcomer Hudson Mohawke to be labeled as the next “Disciple of Dilla.” (XLR8R Magazine, April 2007) But Hudson, who also goes by Hudson Mo or simply Hud Mo, has had an impressive resume so far and at the rate he’s going, he may just live up to this moniker.
Hud Mo started his hip-hop career working as a producer, focusing specifically on instrumentals and beats. At age 15, he became the youngest UK DMC Finalist ever and is currently the Scottish ITF Champion. In order to pique the public’s interest in the Hip-Hop of Glasgow, Scotland, Hud Mo literally scoured the local clubs and the Glasgow School of Art to find like-minded individuals on the same quest to promote unique music and artwork. A collective of movers and shakers called LuckyMe (LuckyMe) was formed, and soon the crew started releasing music under a label of the same name.
Women Making History: Texas Malika Toussaint-Baptiste
Today’s Woman Making History is Texas Malika Toussaint-Baptiste, a freelance artist and photographer living in New York City. Texas first picked up a camera in 2005 and got her start and nickname “That Kid Texas” shooting punk rock shows at CBGBs and other pockets of New York City nightlife. Her unique style of portraiture amidst the backdrop of New York’s most notable tastemakers and parties gained her and her self-titled blog quick attention. But as a lover of humble people, simple life and vegan food her interests soon grew larger than her roots as a nightlife documentarian.
In 2007, Texas became a partner in the media company The New Pop, sited as a crew of artists to watch in 2009 by URB magazine. She also joined acclaimed New York – San Francisco art and design collective 21st Century Maroon Colony which represents the Afro-Triangle and 2/3s world.
photography by Texas Malika Toussaint-Baptiste
More flicks by Texas, including a survey and Q&A, after the jump!
