The Real And Raw

To me, the best blogs create a narrative so that the content follows a progression that feels both natural and constantly engaging. I figure I can try establish this sort of thing with my music posts here at times, weaving a thread through related musical themes or artists to establish a narrative that can explore the different facets of a particular sound, movement, or influence. And so, with that, I will continue one of the themes explored in my last post, the work and musical influence of James Dewitt Yancey III, also known as J Dilla. This time we travel back to the source...

"The name is Dilla Dawg and I can only rep the real and raw."

Since Jay's death of a rare blood disease in 2006, his music and influence have spread like wildfire, promoted by the plethora of artists and listeners he inspired over the years. If anyone deserves the title "Your favorite producer's favorite producer," it's definitely Dilla. His new album, Jay Stay Paid, was put together by the legendary Pete Rock and Dilla's mom (who has come to be known in the music world as Ma Dukes), and is intended to be a collection of unreleased productions that explore the full spectrum of Dilla's career. Here's a couple gems off the album:

J Dilla - Big City



J Dilla - Mythsysizer