In the early hours of this day, 3 years ago, James Dewitt Yancey died in the loving arms of his mother and left a whole community, all admirers of both him and his music, in great sorrow and grief. The world has yet to see a hip hop artist like him with such outmost vehemence, humbleness and virtuosity.
Jay Dee,
J Dilla,
Dilla Dawg.
Thank you.

You can cry, you can scream, you can smile in remembrance. Easiest for most people is to commemorate his spirit, assimilating the essence of his ardor, artistry and love for the thing he did best, through his music.

Dilla inspired everybody. His friends, family and admirers, all in different ways. We asked some of them which of Dilla’s beats meant the most to them and inspired them the most.

Black Milk

Phat Kat - Don’t Nobody Care About Us
Slum Village -  Untitled
J Dilla -  Won’t Do
Pharcyde - Runnin’
Bilal - Reminisce
Common - The Light
Common - Thelonious
Steve Spacek - Eve (Remix)
J Dilla - Shake It Down
J Dilla - Reckless Driving

88-Keys

De La Soul - Shoomp
Busta Rhymes - Ill Vibe (Ummah Remix)
Slum Village - Get Dis Money
J Dilla - Anti-American Graffiti
Steve Spacek - Eve (Remix)
Guilty Simpson - Clap Your Hands
MED - Push
Jaylib - Nowadayz
Steve Specek - Dollar
J Dilla - Shake It Down

Illa J

Q-Tip- Let’s Ride
Pharcyde- Runnin’
A Tribe Called Quest- Find A Way
Q-Tip- Vivrant Thing
Slum Village- Players
Slum Village- Go Ladies
Steve Spacek- Dollar
J Dilla - Lightworks
J Dilla - E=MC2
Common- The Light

Check out the homie Reyn’s interview with Illa J.

Count Bass D

J Dilla - Earl
Slum Village - Do You
J Dilla - Donuts (Intro)
Slum Village - I Don’t Know
Phat Kat - Don’t Nobody Care About Us
J Dilla - E=MC2
Slum Village - Tell Me
J Dilla - Won’t Do
J Dilla -Let’s Take It Back
Brand New Heavies - Sometimes (Remix)

Guilty Simpson

Guilty Simpson - Clap Your Hands
J Dilla - Thunder
Jaylib - The Red
Slum Village - Players
J Dilla - Welcome 2 Detroit (Intro)
J Dilla - Pause
Slum Village - Get Dis Money
J Dilla - Godstoppers
Busta Rhymes - Still Shining
Phat Kat - Don’t Nobody Care About Us

6th Sense

Slum Village - Fantastic (Intro)
Slum Village - 2U4U
Q-Tip - Vivrant Thang
A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
Common - Thelonious
Slum Village (J88) - Get It Together
Elzhi - Love It Here
Slum Village - The Look of Love
Steve Spacek - Dollar
J Dilla - The Janet Chop

Amanda Diva

Slum Village - The Look of Love
De La Soul - Stakes Is High
Common - Nag Champa
Pharcyde - Runnin’
Slum Village - Climax
Slum Village - Go Ladies
De La Soul - Much More
Common - It’s Your World
Common - Get Dis Money
Common/J Dilla - So Far to Go

D/Will

De La Soul - Verbal Clap
J Dilla - Last Donut of the Night
A Tribe Called Quest - Find a Way
Pharcyde - Runnin’
J Dilla - E=MC2
Slum Village - Players
J Dilla - 2 Can Win
Common - The Light
Jaylib - The Red
All of the joints he did on Busta Rhymes Anarchy LP

Dert

Pharcyde - She Said (Remix)
Steve Spacek - Dollar
Busta Rhymes - Show Me What You Got
Busta Rhymes - Still Shinin’
Bilal - Reminisce
Mood - Secrets of the Sands (Remix)
J Dilla - Fuck the Police
De La Soul - Stakes Is High
Slum Village - Fantastic (Intro)

Potholes In My Blog

Shoutouts to these guys for putting together a combined list of their favorite tunes.

Common - The Light
Pharcyde - Runnin’
De La Soul - Stakes Is High
J Dilla - Won’t Do
Slum Village - Fall In Love
Q-Tip - Let’s Ride
Jaylib - The Red
A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
Steve Spacek - Eve (Remix)
J Dilla - Fuck The Police

SofaKing Diligent

Me and my crew did the same thing, it looked something like this.

J Dilla - Time: The Dontus of the Heart
Slum Village - Get Dis Money
Common - The Light
J Dilla - Won’t Do
Common - Love Is…
Steve Spacek - Dollar
Slum Village - Fall In Love
Erykah Badu - Didn’t Cha Know
J Dilla - Featuring Phat Kat
Pharcyde - Drop

Thank you all for sharing your lists. Special thanks also to Reyn, Michelle & Guy for helping me out with this.
The amazing drawing is by Theodor3, a sincere thanks to him for contributing this incredible piece in honor of James.
This is Theodor3’s favorites:

Common - Nag Champa
Slum Village - Players
Slum Village - Fall In Love
Erykah Badu - Kiss Me On My Neck
J Dilla - Shake It Down
Steve Spacek - Dollar
J Dilla - Won’t Do
Q-Tip - Let’s Ride
J Dilla - Time: The Donuts of The Heart
J Dilla - Wild

Rest in peace James Dewitt Yancey, you will never be forgotten nor will your music cease to inspire.

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A Letter to James.
More lists @ HHH.
Potholes in My Blog’s Dilla Tribute.
Metallungies: “Beat Drop: J Dilla”.
A suite for Ma Dukes.

This is a story about me and how I got to know you.
While you were phisically with us, I did not know who you were. Most probably, I heard your productions several times without even knowing, Erykah Badu, A Tribe Called Quest. It was a time when music wasn’t even a millionth of the importance it is to me today. Now, I can kick myself for not getting into you while you were on this earth, but I decide not to. Much because I was too young for anything, could never go to any of your shows regardless of how much I desired to go. Secondly because it doesn’t matter, you can’t change the past, and the past shapes us, so not being able to change it is a luxury we rarely acknowledge.
I got to know you the summer after you left us. My homie Pål presented me with “The Shining”. I do not recall if I knew at the time if you’d passed or not, but I remember one thing, I bumped that thing all summer. As well as Donuts, which I got not long after listening through The Shining a couple of times. I’d be lying if I said it was the first music I ever loved, but I admired it, greatly.
Long story short, I eventually got all your albums and found out that you were behind many songs and albums that I’d loved over the years. Up to this weekend, your music inspired me, motivated me, gave me chills more times than probably anything and I felt a love for music that I really hadn’t before.
However, this weekend was truly nostalgic and emotional for me. It’s the first time I felt like I got to know you, the person behind the music. I was digging through interviews, footage all that to find that you were an amazing character too.
I never met you, never had the chance to either, didn’t even know your name while you were here. But still, you’ve touched me like no artist has ever, through your music, your character and the people who loved you. I’m pouring my heart out now, being as honest as I can, because it is the way I can best emphasize how extraordinarily beautiful your music is. I’ve had an experience very few humans have had or will ever have, getting to know somebody and love somebody, all after their spiritual transition.
You changed my life, sure, many people have. You’ve done more than that. You have galvanized a whole part of disposition, which is my love for music, but also the spiritual part of me.
You character, and your music, will continue to influence people’s lives for all eternity, just like it did with mine. People will love you, for reasons that transcends their appreciation of your beautiful music.
In the words of your mother;
“It was real, it was not just because “you’re an entertainer and I like your songs”, it was genuine love.”

Rest In Peace,
Magnus Mathisen

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Back after a long interlude and even apologizes for this. “Sorry I took so long,” is what you hear two seconds into the first track. That’s ok P.O.S., we’re just glad you’re back.

Punk influenced Minneapolis rapper P.O.S’ third studio album. Known for his unique flow and even more his energetic, dirty, grunge inspired beats, P.O.S. has been a consistent character in hip hop this decade.
“Never Better” is straight amazing, just the complexity of the melodies, the rhyming and the overall originality should be enough to make anybody that has said anything about hip hop in the last year or two seriously reconsider what they said. Let me elucidate.

His vocal can best be described (by me, now, tired) as Immortal Tech, but fast and more versatile. Brandished in the beginning of the album, especially on the track “Drumroll (We’re All Thirsty)” (track 2) which is already put on silver. The punk/grunge element is very apparent in this track and it carries throughout the LP. Kinda want to talk a little bit about the first track, “Let It Rattle”, before we carry on, it’s epic. And best of all, it’s a intro track that’s really a song, a good song, and not just talking. Moving on (track 3 now, confused? you shouldn’t be), we have a scratch based track. It’s rather boring, melody-wise, but works well as a showcase for his rapping. Next up, it’s all Radiohead up in it and how lovely it is. The song is “Purexed”, the melody is brilliant and his rapping is inhuman. Easily the most solid track on this.
Originality reigns every aspect of this joint, every track is distinguishably themed or set to a mood and the use of contrasting elements are relentless. All qualities that you can impartially recognize as components of good music. This is, good music. Music that inspires, motivates and causes involuntarily head-bumping.

Punk-rock undoubtedly being the main element, you have funk-, neo-soul-, indian- east-coast hip hop- and a whole bunch of other stuff i can’t put my finger on- elements as well. P.O.S produced half of the beats himself, mostly the ones with a vastness of noisy drums and a general dirty feel. The second half is merely by Lazerbeak.
“Goodbye” was leaked to internet awesome-people aka. bloggers in mid-december last year. It’s a solid track, but doesn’t really suggest the whole mood of this album, so some people might have gotten the wrong idea. When listening through this and you get to this track you go “Golly, this is so hip hop all of a sudden”, how it’s so hip hop compared to everything else on this. Same thing with “Out of Category”, don’t get me wrong, they’re both very good songs. And I’m not going there, I’m just saying, these two tracks especially, are what’s reminding you of what this album really is; hip hop. Which is a good thing, it’s pushing the limits of what it is, instead of trying to be something it’s not.

Already summed it up several times above, but I’ll do it again like I do what I do.
Original everything, good everything. Greatness.
This is not a pillow. You know. Something you want to sleep on? Zing!
Out Feb 3.

Favored tunes: “Let It Rattle”, “Purexed”, “Low Light Low Life”.

Pre-order @ Fifth Element Online.
MySpace de la P.O.S.
The album cover > Your faovrite cover.

It’s 6th Sense beats, yaw.

6th Sense, raised and born in the rotten apple (© 88-keys), developed an early passion for hip hop by attending open-mic sessions at a local cafe at an age of just 15. This evolved into him making his own recordings, laying down his own tracks and a strive for success.
Though still considered underground, 6th has a lot to brag about. From laying down keys for Snoop Dogg’s 2006 album “The Blue Carpet Treatment” to eventually getting signed to Rawkus as a part of Rawkus 50 and overall being a diligent, outreaching and consistent hip hop artist the last few years.

“It’s a 6th Sense Beat Yo!” consists of beats 6th has made for different artists over the last year, including Talib Kweli, himself & Wildabeast (Both Nice) and U-N-I. As well as a track he made for the mixtape “Viva La Hova” by Mick Boogie and Terry Urban which got vast recognition all throughout the webspaces last november. All instrumentals, made for you to freestyle over, rap over, cypher, use on mixtapes, whatever. All 6th asks for is that you properly credit him for his hard work.
In my case though, it’s music to chill-out to, don’t do the rapping too much. And it functions well as this too, plenty of variety, executed nicely. 6th shows that he does sampling as well as he does it from scratch, with over 50% sample-free beats, this should be a goldmine for anybody looking for beats to use on whatever without any chance of copyright implications. Some tracks fall in the category of not my cup of tea (even though I don’t really like tea), in particular “Just Got Chopped (Crack)”. Though just seeing that his production is resourceful like this, outweighs it. The majority of the beats are very complex, though kept down to earth, like they’re tailored for the rapper. Because they are, 6th Sense always works very closely with the artists he’s producing for, and that shows in the final product. These are beats made primarily to be rapped over, though this is still a very enjoyable album even though the only rhyming you get on are the ones you don’t reckon (aw snapz).

A must checkout for anyone making music, loving music, chopping music, selling music or have ears. Second best part is, it’s free. You can stream it right now if you go to the Notherground Music blog. Or you can wait until the 3rd and download it.
Amazing artwork done by Fernando Leon of Secret Society.

Favorite ‘erbs: “D’Evils 2008″, “Hey Young World”, “Just Fine”, “AM Set”, “Fallen Shadows”, “Stakes Is High”

Notherground Music.
6th Sense on Space of the My.
SKD’s Unrelated Dialogue w/ 6th Sense.

When a couple months ago I reviewed The Five Corner Quintet’s Hot Corner EP I kinda called it too short but just what I needed to get myself hyped about the LP. Now the album has come out and it’s my duty to tell you if it’s good or not.

I still stand behind my opinion that the best 21st century jazz is made in Finland. I could not see Hot corner being made anywhere else then in the indie jazz-bar culture of Finland. It seems like if all the 30-something underground musicians of this country were raised in jazz loving families and were taken to jazz concerts and festivals at a young age, so now they’re mixing their sound understanding of modern music and technology with the stuff they grew up listening to, taking it to new heights.

Unsurprisingly nothing has changed between the EP and the LP. The swing/hard-bop kinda sound is still the same and the quality and the pure energy that the band’s increased involvement has brought last from start to finish. The length is the ideal 40 minutes plus some. Long enough not to feel like a wank, but short enough so it won’t feel redundant. Put in short Hot corners is the most brilliant jazz album I’ve heard in a while.

The classiest acts: Kerouac days in Montana, Rich in time, Waltz up, Habib’s habit

Buy from iTunes or Amazon.

I can start thanking smokeYYY for introducing it to me. Thank you.

A straight up phenomenal beat-tape. This time around in his series of his artist-themed beat-tapes, it’s the icelandic singer Björk’s music who’s being ripped, cut, split and reincarnated with Dert’s blessings. This is music you want in your life sooner than later.

Uploaded two songs (streamable) from this 17 song beat-tape to minimize the chance of you saying “Meh, looks cool, but I don’t have time to download a full album right now.” Check out both these before saying no.

Stream: It’s Oh So Loud!
Stream: Venus Morning
Download.
Dert’s MySpace.

I know it’s late, but if you still don’t know; here comes the review of, The Tones‘ (ever heard of ‘em? no?) debut album, “Dreamtalk”. The Tones are two guys, Retro and Suhn, from the Bay Area of California, who have managed to make a good and compete album. This is music for people who have missed the soul in hip-hop lately.

Being one of the few coming from the Bay Area who missed out on the “hyphy” movement, The Tones take their music in a whole different level. With soulful beats, charm and honest lyrics, “Dreamtalk” is a breath of fresh air to end the year with (at the time..), or like, the once great rapper, Common said: “The Tones are some real soulful brothers”.

Dreamtalk is a consistent album from start to end; the songs “Get U High, pt.  1″ and “From The Ground Up” starts us up, and really sets the theme for the whole album. Even though the album follows in the footprints of artists such as Kanye West and Common, with a Chicago-like sound, we can also find alternative-sounding songs. The beats to “Searching”, my personal favorite on this album, sounds like something that CYNE or Five Deez could have included in their albums. Honesty is also one The Tones stronger sides and songs like “Fly Angel” and “Road Ahead” proves this.

The Tones have a lot on their heart, but sometimes they do not manage to get it out in a best way possible. Their lyrics mean something, and the beats on “Dreamtalk” are great, but their rhymes sounds a bit half-assed now and then. The beats are better than the lyrics (sometimes), so to speak.

All in all, this album is well worth a buy. Support some young, up and coming rappers and help them make hip-hop better. Even though these guys could step up their rhyming skills a bit, this is one of the best albums to come out in 2008.

Favorite songs: Searching, Road Ahead, The Movemeant, Dreamtalk, Withouth You

Buy on iTunes.
Or what about Amazon?
Atleast check out their MySpace.

No matter how good or bad you consider this year’s Hip Hop, we’ve seen some splendid album-cover arts…

10. A Son of the Sun

What is there to say? Just look at it, pure art. Couldn’t find anything about who made it or if it’s made just for this album.

9. Dreamtalk

Fresh. The Tones, two guys from the Bay area. Their recently released debut album, exceptionally soulful, vastly overlooked. Review coming.

8. Chinoiseries

Simplicity = dopeness. In this case, at least.

7. Rising Down

The cartoon, entitled ’Negro Rule’, drawn by Norman E. Jennette in the 1890s to shock and repulse people about what would happen if black people got their freedom. Another one in The Root’s chain of provoking and controversial album covers. Greatness.

6. Los Angeles

Just like Mezzanine was a part of SKDs top ten album-covers of ‘98, Los Angeles is a part of the list a decade later.

5. The Renaissance

A hip hop “The Son of Man“. Instant classic.

4. Beat Konducta Vol. 6: Dil Withers Suite/Vol. 5: Dil Cosby Suite

From STs article:

The covers for the vinyl editions of Beat Konducta Vol. 1, 2, 5 and 6, designed by Jeff Jank, are all from the same piece of cardboard. This was originally a library sound-effects record belonging to Peanut Butter Wolf which was being stored in a closet. After a leak and subsequent water damage in 2004, this record cover was thrown onto a back porch where it sat for at least a year before being used on Beat Konducta Vol. 1, and then Vol. 2. Two years later, aided by some spray paint and a lot more mold, it became Beat Konducta Vol. 5 and 6.

Why more artists haven’t had an idea like this is nothing short of a mystery.

3. The Death of Adam

Beautiful. That is all.

2. Ode to the Ghetto

Timeless, real, original. Recipe for ill.

1. Sniperlite

“But, that was just an EP”
Possibly, but where did YOU think SKD got it’s color from? Use your head.
Of course you gotta view this site in Safari for the colors to match…

Should also mention: The Odd Couple, Murs for President, WLIB AM.

New Yorks hardest working indie rapper Donny Goines just finished his debut album ‘Minute After Midnight’. Promoted with the help of internet bloggers and magazines, constantly on stages performing and already put out three videos (1, 2, 3) the hard working label is as far from being an exaggeration as Plies is from being the future of hip hop.

With such a late ‘08 release, I’m disappointed in all bloggers who’s already put out their best of ‘08 lists, because this deserves a place in it (that’s cool though, just remember to put in up in your ’09s). Lyrically fire and melodies mainstream hip hop have recklessly abandoned too early, let me elaborate…

Hottest intro I’ve heard in a good while, hard and with a purpose. High pitched strings carry on to the next track as well, ‘The Triumph’, nothing wrong with that though. Donny and the producers really have room to play here, which makes everything on it original, especially compared to hip hop today and that’s the real beauty of indie music. Donny brandishes his excellent energetic flow, especially in the songs early in the album. Then tones it down for the middle part of the album proving that he flows well on both levels. You might say some tracks go a little hard on the synths, but with lyrics like this it’s perfectly fine. Tell me if this makes sense, a lot of the instrumentals on this album are sudo-unoriginal. You can say they’re unoriginal, but then again, who’s done anything like this before? Sure, the beats become r’n'bish from time to time, but that’s only bad if it’s a headless 24′ rim flossing song which this album is so far from. Really cannot express how deftly Donny rhymes, everything’s just so meaningful, no filling, just him spilling his mind. I can pretty much sum up all the songs like this; flawless lyrics, flawless flow over beautiful melodies. Ends in the bittersweet song ‘Heaven is with you’, Donny sings straight from the heart about his prematurely-born son, Jesus. He dedicates it to anyone who has ever lost a child, a beautiful ending to a passionate emotion-filled album.

Best rap album of ‘08. This is hip-hop and that’s it. If there’s two albums this year I can put on repeat for two hours without getting bored, it’s this and ‘Los Angeles’. I really cannot say more than I’ve already said, listen to Donny, he has a lot on his mind.

Available through Amalgam Digital, officially out tomorrow, December 16th. Buy. Not just to support an indie artist, but because you are very likely to enjoy it as much as I did.

Favorite songs: Ghetto USA, I Am Moving, Can’t Fit In My Shoes, As the World Turns, Heaven Is With You.

Read also: SKD’s Unrelated Dialogue with Donny Goines.

This time around it was Detroit’s hardest working artist’s turn to get hit by questions that has nothing to do with his accomplishments in the music scene this year, or any previous year for that matter. Working his way to the top for 7 years as a producer/rapper and has now reached an epitome in his career with his latest LP, ‘Tronic’. I spoke with Black Milk in the anatomy of what is SKD’s notorious style of interviewing, an Unrelated Dialogue.

What was Black Milk’s first job?

A caddie, at this golf course… can’t think of the name of the golf course right now. Yea I was a Caddie, back in like eighth grade or some shit like that.

What did Black Milk want to be as he grew up?

When I was younger, you know, I was trying to get in the NBA. You know what I’m saying, I was a big athlete or whatnot. Always playing basketball, always on the team for where ever I was going to high school. Was in the AAU in the begining of high school and towards the end I started getting into music.

How many pairs of headphones have you owned?

I’ve probably went through about 15-20 pairs.

Do you remember your first pair?

First pair… I had some, think it was some AKGs or something like that.

Which album was better this year? Death of Adam or The Renaissance?

I have to say… probably… The Renaissance.

A couple of cats jumped up on stage during a play. I was performing in Amsterdam at some Splash festival or whatever. Jumped on stage, ran up to me and hugged me and the stage dived back into the crowd, crazy as hell. It’s actually on YouTube too.

Who’s the funniest person on earth according to Black Milk?

At this present time I’d say Will Ferrell.

Favorite jazz record?

John Abercrombie - Timeless (1974)

Best year so far in your life and why?

This year, ‘08, you know what i’m sayin’. Best music I’ve produced since I’ve been making it. And my favorite project out of all the projects I’ve dropped so, and I think I got the biggest response out of all the albums I’ve released. Yea, ‘08, my favorite year right now.

Be sure to cop ‘Tronic’ and be on the lookout for ‘Random Axe’ early ‘09.