Stussy - J Dilla Documentary Prt3 (of 3) from Stussy on Vimeo.
The final part of Stussy’s three-part series on the life of J Dilla might be the best yet, providing a generous glimpse into Dilla’s recording habits, the genesis of Donuts, and his posthumous legacy. If you missed parts 1 and 2, they’re still up and required watching. Everyone involved with this project deserves a round of applause, or at least several boxes of glazed pastries.
More posts coming shortly, but in the interim, Stussy continues to validate the massive contributions I made to its bottom line in the early 90s. Part two breaks down Dilla’s move to Cali, his creative symbiosis with Madlib, and whether he preferred Frank to Dank.
Download:
MP3: J Dilla ft. Frank-N-Dank-”Pause”
Chalk it up to an American aversion to ancient history and LA’s love for J Dilla, but I surmise that these next few days will see more celebrations for James Yancey than George Washington. Of course, Jay Dee did not wear nut-hugging tights, a sartorial decision that clearly aided G-Dub’s jerkin’ ability but hindered his musical aptitude. Between the Low End Theory, Stones Throw, and the constant vigil kept by the Beat Junkies, the legacy of J Dilla is very much alive in this town, a fact rendered obvious by the spate of events this weekend from Songs in the Key of D to Stussy’s Dilla Day on Saturday (flier below the jump).
Granted, the idolatry may be occasionally overzealous, but the cult of Dilla is a worthy one and the 2Pac monomania had gone on long enough. Of course, the love is not limited to LA and the D — in particular, British-based Benji B recently dropped this excellent retrospective on the BBC1 Xtra with some old favorites and esoteric selections from the cream of Conant Gardens, complete with ruminations and remembrances from Mos Def, Karreim Riggins, and J Rocc. Tracklist below the jump, RIP’s implied.
Download:
MP3: Soulful Beats With Benji B - J Dilla Tribute (2/07/10)
I’m habitually awful at self-promotion, so I’ll keep this brief. The latest edition of the Da Capo Best Music Writing anthology comes out today. As always, it is filled with summarily excellent music writing. I have yet to finish the book, but early standouts include Josh Clover’s “Terrorflu,” Jesse Serwer’s “Bass is Loaded,” David Ramsey’s “I Will Remain Forever Faithful: How Lil Wayne Helped Me Survive My First Year of Teaching in New Orleans,” and Jonathan Lethem’s “Fly in the Ointment.”
My LA Weekly article, Who’s Biting J Dilla’s Beats? and the subsequent follow-up interview with Dilla’s mother, Maureen Yancey were both selected. Considering that the legendary Greil Marcus guest-edited this year’s 10th Anniversary Edition, it is a particularly humbling honor to be included. Thanks are in order to editor Randall Roberts for pointing me towards the story in the first place, Ma Dukes for her candor and insight, and of course, to Dilla.
From Dillanthology 3
Download:
MP3: J Dilla-”Nothin’ Like This”
MP3: Jay Dee-”It’s Like That”
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