“J-Dilla is God”- An Op-Ed on Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 2 by Slum Village

Let my start this off by saying this. I believe that James Dewitt Yancey, AKA “J-Dilla” is musically perfect. I’m totally biased when it comes to him, and it’s perfectly fine. From the minute I heard him, he became my favorite producer. I started paying attention to Dilla on Common’s “Like Water For Chocolate.” He handled the bulk of the production on the album. One of my favorite songs on that album is “Thelonious,” which featured the other 2 members of Slum Village, T3 and Baatin.  I played that song over and over and over.  Shortly after that album was released, Slum Village released their first album under the new name of the group, as they were previously called J-88.  

Walking out of the Blockbuster Music, I looked at the back of the CD at the track listing and saw all of the other artists that appeared on the album. Common, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Kurupt, Jazzy Jeff, D’Angelo, & Pete Rock. I couldn’t get the plastic off quick enough. I popped that CD in, and was completely blown the fuck away.  After the intro, “Conant Gardens” came on, and I probably listened to it 3-4 times before I let the next song play. I raced home for the real test. I had to see how it sounded when I was high. Once I got to “Climax,” I was convinced that this was one of the best albums I’d ever heard, and I was only on the 5th song. 

When I got to the next song, “Hold Tight” feat. Q-Tip, it all made sense. I knew where I recognized this sound from. Dilla did a lot of the production on A Tribe Called Quest’s final album before they disbanded “Beats Rhymes, & Life.” This song made it all come full circle. If you listen, you’ll hear Q-Tip pretty much passing the torch to Slum Village. He even reaches out to Phife by saying “…yes Phife, for you I will give my life.” I was sold. I knew that I’d forever be a fan of J-Dilla. I just didn’t know how deep my fandom would go.

“Tell Me,” Once Upon a Time” feat. Pete Rock, & “Players” are a few of the standout tracks on the album. Pete Rock destroys his verse on the latter. But the best song on the album is “2U 4U.” Misogyny has never sounded so beautiful. I’m convinced that Dilla could make a Satanic, death metal song sound beautiful.  That’s how good he was. This would be the last album featuring the 3 original members of Slum Village. Dilla went solo shortly after, and it never was the same. He passed away, and then Baatin passed away years after.

If you’ve been under a rock the past 20 years, go listen to this album. In my opinion, it’s one of the most beautiful musical offerings ever.