Whether you knew him as Jay Dee, Jay Dilla, or simply James Dewitt Yancey, when the Detroit native, super-producer/MC died from from the rare blood disorder TTP,  he had already managed to make an incredible impact during his mere 32 years (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006).  Among his family and friends, Dilla left behind an allegiance of fans, admiring colleagues, and an irreplaceable gap in the music industry.  He also left behind endless new fans, imitators who were forced to discover their own sound, and a posthumously ominous swan song entitled DONUTS, which he perfected on his death bed.

On Feb. 13, STUSSY paid tribute to Dilla through collaborations with Yancey’s estate and Stones Throw records.  Stage one involved the clothing company’s release of a limited edition T-shirt, featuring a classic image of the producer take from Raph Rashid’s photography book “Behind the Beat: Hip Hop Home Studios“.  From there, Stones Throw embarked on multi-city in-store release parties for this shirt.  The main project that was birthed through this collaboration, however, was a 3-part documentary, offering insight into Jay Dee’s character and time on this planet.  Each piece has been being released one at a time and, now that the final installment has finally arrived, we’re pleased to provide the documentary to you now with it’s pieces back to back and in it’s entirety.

Enjoy
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In the late 1990s, RAWKUS Records grabbed the title as one of the biggest, if not THE biggest, forces in the “underground” hip-hop movement.  Co-founders/label heads, Brian Brater and Jarret Myer rounded up and signed local New York artists to form a solid roster of irrefutable talent.  The label was formed in 1996, but the first couple of real releases began in 1997 with the Company Flow classic Funcrusher Plus and Soundbombing, the first  of several compilations by the label.  Soundbombing, itself, featured even more EL-P related material with the inclusion of one Company Flow track and 2 others which were also produced by the Rapper/Producer.  This, like future Soundbombing and Lyricist Lounge compilations, helped to bring attention for other label talent and assisted in creating hype and anticipation for their individual solo efforts.  Jaime “EL-P” Meline played a key role and was an undeniable factor in the success and development of RAWKUS, in general; something that he never felt that he was adequately compensated for.  Although Funcrusher Plus is considered a classic by connoisseurs, neither the EL-Producto or Company Flow would ever become household names at the level of RAWKUS artists like Mos Def and Talib Kweli.

In 1999, RAWKUS entered into a distribution deal with Priority records.  Arguably the most vocal opponent of his former label,  EL-P told the label to go fuck themselves and struck out to form his own label, later that year.  Eventually, many would follow suit, as RAWKUS would slowly, and then much more quickly, fold under itself.  Whether you subscribe to the claims of shady dealings and that RAWKUS intentionally swindled their artists out of deserved compensation, believe that they tried to sign too many too fast with poor promotion, or that they were just misguided businessmen, the label, which sold their entire catalog to Interscope/Geffen in 2004, has become little more than a memory.

From his departure until now, EL-P has successfully run the NYC-based Definitive Jux, the label that would help to define “undergound” Hip-Hop for the following decade.  While RAWKUS definitely released some great albums and did some great things for the genre in it’s heyday, it’s important to remember that its success relied heavily on the artists, which remained successful beyond the ruins of their former contractors.  As much as I respect a good deal of the output and as much as people refer to RAWKUS as an “underground” / “indie” label, they were actually financed by Rupert Murdoch’s son, James and News Corp. (the world’s second-largest media conglomerate, behind The Walt Disney Company), which officially purchased the label in 1998.  Being an artist himself, Meline took a very different approach with DEF JUX and the development of its artists’ careers.  The first release for the new label was the critically acclaimed, Cold Vein by Cannibal OX.  The album made an immediate impact on the hip hop world, solidifying EL-P as a master producer and DEF JUX as a label to be taken seriously.  For the follow-up, EL-Producto used his new found freedom to make the solo album that he wanted the way that he wanted.  Even after his previous work with Co-Flo and various guest appearances, many still refused to give the innovator the credit that he deserved.  Cold Vein eliminated any questions about his productions skills, but it wasn’t until Fantastic Damage was released that everybody else was forced to stop questioning Meline’s abilities as a lyricist.  From then on, DEF JUX continued to flourish by releasing groundbreaking albums like Dead Ringer (RJD2) and nourishing the careers of artists like Aesop Rock.  In recent years, the label has even tempted established artists like Del Tha Funky Homosapien and Dizzee Razcal to release full-lengths with the label.  Now, after a highly successful decade as an artist/producer/label-owner, EL-P has announced his intention to put Definitive Jux on hiatus…. more or less. (more…)

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Back in the Winter of 2005, I officially moved to Seattle.  As I was being hired for my first job here, a night auditor in a piece of shit crack hotel, I made only one request; I needed December 29th off to catch DJ Greyboy at a Macy’s department store downtown.  I scurried around the building and, when I finally found Greyboy’s setup, the DJ was in the young mens section, spinning Steely Dan’s “Black Cow” and he had a table full of free Dominos Pizza and cans of Pepsi.  He was down to talk and didn’t seem concerned that I was one of only 2 people who were there to see him at that point.  I asked him what a producer/DJ like himself was was doing in the tween wing of a department store like that and he explained that, since he was sponsored by Ocean Pacific, he sometimes had to make those type of appearances.  He asked me to add him on myspace, but explained that there was a fake music account for him and that his was the one without the music player,  “I don’t even fuck with the music“.  He further explained to me about a project that he was working on, which I believe he had planned to put out within the following year or so.  After that, Mr. Andreas Stevens seemed to, temporarily, disappear off of the map.  He made a slight resurfacing to work with the Greyboy Allstars on their 2007 reformation project, but his creation of acid jazz-centric solo albums like Freestylin’, had all but ceased.  He released a greatest hits style compilation in 2008 but, when he finally returned to his trademark sound on last years Era Correct, I completely missed it.  The music industry has changed dramatically in a short period of time and, whether it was due to his disinterest in forced adaptability/conformity (ie. myspace) or a misguided assumption of his own staying power, the innovator slipped off the radar in a genre that he was the major player in pioneering.

This post isn’t really about Greyboy, however, but it is about the phenomenon of our favorite artists evaporating off of the face of the Earth. It is also a heads up about the next triumphant return by one of the greatest beat-makers of the last 10 years, because it has the potential to get buried in the current musical climate.  The pseudo-resurrection, of which I’m referring, is of a one Ramble John Krohn, better known as “RJD2“. (more…)

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A new album dropped today that you probably didn’t hear about.  It probably wasn’t something that you’ve been waiting for by one of your “favorite artists” and it probably won’t be making too big of a splash before the year is out.  Although I can easily see it gaining steam throughout the next year or so, that may not even be the case either.  In fact, this may become one of those albums that many people don’t discover until years from now, after the artist is already 3 or 4 albums deep and until a new critical appreciation for their work prompts “new fans” to dig through the back catalog to hear what the artists debut sounded like in 2009.  No matter how it happens, I’ve become convinced over the last week that there’s a new cat on the electronic scene who deserves your attention, knows it, and isn’t going anywhere until he gets it.

EDISON is based out of San Francisco and, even with the over saturation of quality electronic artists in the Bay, he’s still managing to set himself apart as a force in that circuit.  Part of what keeps me interested in the electronic musicians and producers that I love the most is their constant hunger for innovation and an unquenchable thirst to push their crafts, style, and sounds into new directions and possibilities.  It’s that need to always seek new levels of what else is possible.  From the little that I’ve witnessed from Edison so far, I have swiftly and wholehearted become interested in seeing where his desires and focus continue to take him in the future.  Unfortunately, my whacked-out,schizophrenic multi-focus is making it difficult for me to express all of the information that I’d like to at once and in a coherent fashion that would be more easily digestible.  Most likely, the place for us to begin is by acquainting you to the artist through the same means that I was introduced.  That method is by viewing this video. (more…)

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I just don’t get it.  Why the separation between white and black culture in America?  We have so, so many things that we celebrate in common; it’s just that we haven’t searched youtube deep enough to find them.  I found this today and I offer it as proof that black people have as much utter disdain, disgust and hatred for the dead as we honkies do.

Sure, the thunder clap cannot raise the dead, but it can definitely raise awareness.  If we can all just look past the prejudices that divide us and into these beautiful gyrating lumps of liberty, I am more than confident that the reflection will be red, white and blue.  Not black and white.

This video was originally posted on Worldstarhiphop.com, a site that can boast an “Official Honeys” page, which features a collection of amateur, pornstar, and model ass shaking videos.  Below is the original caption that they posted on WSHH, along with the cemetery footage above (the caption is unedited for grammar…. clearly):

One of our viewers sent us this footage. They reports “Some kids shakin they ass on people graves. SMH what has this world come to?”

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The Beastie Boys made their first Bonnaroo appearance, are scheduled to perform at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Festival, and have been hyping a new release titled, Hot Sauce Committee Part 1… all this year.  The 3 MC’s have been going strong for over 25 years and have always been some of the most consistent innovators in their craft.  Nothing has ever been able to slow them down… until now. (more…)

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