As a huge J Dilla fan tomorrow is the date (April 15) that I hope will close the J Dilla posthumous saga once and for all, and doing so at a high note. This was the last album Dilla worked his ass off to really get the way he wanted to during his lifetime, and though MCA shelved it he and his then current Stones Throw family and especially Egon had discussions about releasing "Ruff Draft", "The Diary" (more often known as "Pay Jay" or just the MCA album) and of course "The Shining". The reason it has taken this long time to gather an album that a lot of people already have heard most material from (due to an unathorized, unmastered and real shitty sounding leak) and the 12 EP:s that was neccesary to finance the project the way it needed to be financed to put it out there as it should have been. It's fourteen tracks of Dilla rhyming over his own beats as well as tracks by some of his personal favorites and musical comrades - Madlib, Pete Rock, Nottz, Hi-Tek, Karriem Riggins, Pete Rock, BinK! and Wajeed. I can't wait to hear this fully mixed and mastered, definite buy for me and i will also be the last Dilla project I ever purchase.
The album, "The Diary", is a joint venture between Egon's Rappcats label and Nas' Mass Appeal imprint so naturally Nas wanted to get the chance to rhyme on an unfinished joint. But don't worry it doens't hurt the original concept in the least as "The Sickness", as this Madlib produced banger is called, is simply a bonus treat for the heads. It was premiered live a while back but here's the real studio version. Enjoy the realness and pre-order the full length album @ iTunes for digital or head over to RappCats for your physical fix -"The Diary" @ Rappcats . Also check out the final piece of the puzzle that made things possible to release as Dilla intended it - the Hi-Tek produced "Gangsta Boogie" featuring Snoop Dogg and throw your cash up tomorrow. I know I will!
With the tragic passing of one of hip-hop's legendary punchline kings
and rhyming sports enthusiasts music fans all over the world has been grieving since the news of Malik Taylor's passing hit the internet last week. Taylor was a man of many names, but to most people he was known as Phife Dawg from the group that perhaps was THE epitome of '90s Hip Hop, A Tribe Called Quest. I can't think of
any other MC that elevated himself from a rather mediocre spitter (in my honest
opinon) on "People's Instinctive Travels..." to a quick, witted, well
flowing, and unique wordsmith in just a little over a year. But that is exactly what Phife did in time for
"The Low End Theory" (1991) where he played a significant role and would be the beginning of Tribe including stand-out tracks featuring Phife as the sole emcee (these include one of my all time favorite songs in "8 Million Stories"). For a jazz fanatic such myself I'd have to say that A Tribe Called Quest
probably came closer than any other hip-hop group or artist (including other worthy players such as GURU, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Digable Planets and Buckshot LeFonque) in actually chanelling
the esthetics and spirits of jazz and seemingly effortlessly transcribing it into a Hip Hop language. Phife and Q-Tip often used their distinct voices in
the same way an alto sax player like Cannonball and a tenor player like 'Trane
either built tension in "dueling" each other or built on each other solos/verses. Not to mention the
call-and-response nature of so many of their classic hooks, a main staple of american black music dating all the way back to the plantation field and becoming an important part of both jazz and blues ... And that's
just in speaking about the vocal part of the group's legacy. Tribe truly introduced the power of the low end to Hip Hop,
with their heavy use of the acoustic bass (or stand up bass if you will) to fantastic effect...
not to mention their heavy reliance on the Fender Rhodes electric piano which instantly recognizable sound had helped define jazz since the late '60s and been especially important in soul jazz and early jazz fusion - two subgenres that would become extremely important as sample sources in Hip Hop over the coming years. But it was Tribe (and a few others like Showbiz and DJ Premier) who really started that trend. Hell they even got Ron Carter to play on "The Low End Theory"!
While
some people unflinchingly give too much, sometimes all, credit to Q-Tip alone for Tribe's
success story I would go as far as call that straight up blasphemous. I don't buy that for a second. Q-Tip was of course the defacto
leader but his claim that he produced all of those records solely by himself I feel are
strongly revisionist history - check out a track like "La Schmoove" by Fu
Schnickens or the amazing remixes for BDP's "We In There" and that Ice
Cube joint that Ali Shaheed produced all by himself. Or why not go back to the HHC interview with the whole group that ran around the time of "Midnight Mauraders" where both Ali and Tip was asked and answered the question what they used when producing their music. And it's a safe bet that up and until "Beats, Rhymes & Life", Phife
had suggestions for additions to the music as well - that's just how it works within a group. The whole thing about Tribe could never have come from any single man of the crew, but was the result of thee great, yet different minds came together. In their 10 years as
a functioning, working unit this powerhouse trio released five
albums - four of them being extremely good, while their last album showed a group struggling to keep it together which is not to say that it doesn't have it's selection of bangers.
Although it probably never would have happened either way it is now
certain that that final Tribe reunion album will definitely never happen now, and that is a sad confirmation.
But
I do hope that Phife recorded enough material and was close enough to
finalizing his sophomore solo album which he constantly mentioned in interviews over the last years. The first single, the DJ Rasta Root produced "Dear Dilla"
was both a heartfelt dedication to a fallen comrade and an incredibly dope track that spoke to any true hip hop
conniseours. As most fans are likely to have whipped out their Tribe
albums during the past week, I have a feeling people are still sleeping
on Phife's original 1999 debut "Ventilation: Da LP". Released in the
same year as Q-Tip's "Amplified", it's easy to see why Tribe didnt have a
chance of continuinig post "The Love Movement" at the same time as the differences between the albums sheds light on why the latter album lacked a coherrent sound. While Q-Tip was obviously interested in going a
more commercial route, with a stripped down sound without the lush Fender Rhodes
sounds and sample heavy jazz esthetic mentioned above, Phife kept it as
real as his love for The Knicks for his project. Interestingly enough Jay Dee played a major role in the production of both LP:s (creating four songs for
"Ventilation" and its singles) but Phife would complement his work with slamming cuts by Pete Rock (including the
criminally overlooked "Melody Adonis", a boom bap manifesto which also featured a Beatminer on
the turntables), Hi-Tek, Supa Dave West, Fred Wreck and least succesfully
Rick Rock. While it's not a perfect album by far, it is still well worth several listens and was ample proof that Phife could do it on his own although it in a way did show that he sounded best in a grou setting. The same can be
said about Q-Tip and "Amplified", and Shaheed's subsequent Lucy Pearl LP
the following year. What all three projects truly proved was that each member of A
Tribe Called Quest were dope on their own but when they came together as a unit that they truly made miracles happen. Don't
forget that!
Though Phife Dawg was quiet the last few years,
barely even making guest appearnces (save for some excellent
contributions to Slum Village's last two albums and a banger for producer Oh No), he had already left
his mark on hip-hop as a culture, on hip-hop as a music form, and on hip-hop
as an art form. I hope more people will start to realize how integreal
he truly was to A Tribe Called Quest, a group that is often held in the highest of high esteem and often top countdowns of the genre's greatest groups of all time. So while we continue to bump Phife Dawg's music over
the coming weeks, let us bump "Ventilation: Da LP" and its B-sides,
let us bump Tribe's "People's Instinctive Travels...", "Low End Theory",
"Midnight Mauraders", "Beats, Rhymes & Life" and let us bump "The Love
Movement". But why should we stop there?!
For your listneing pleasure and
in honor of Malik Taylor, also known as The Funky Diabetic and The 5 Foot Assassin, I have put
together a compilation of some of his work not appearing on either of
the albums mentioned above. It also excludes remixes unless it feature a
unique verse by Tha Dawg, such as on the "Stressed Out" single version.
Included are tracks ranging from his breakout year, 1991, and up until
his final single - the previously mentioned "Dear Dilla", which takes on
another dimension of sadness now thaat he himself faced a somewhat
similiar fate at a way too early age. Included are production work and
additional vocals by musicians such as Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip,
Consequence, Chi-Ali, Black Sheep, De La Soul, Diamond D, Pete Rock,
Chip Fu, Whitey Don, Oh No, J Dilla and Slum Village but there's no
question that this is Phife's show all the way. Included are also most
of the rare underground 12" EP:s he released throughout the years.
YOU'RE ON POINT PHIFE!! REST IN POWER!!
01. "Ya Heard Me"? [prod. by Dilla] [1998]
02. "If Men Are Dogs" (1997)
03. "Brooklyn / Queens AllStars" (1997)
04. "Pains & Strife" (w. Diamond D & Pete Rock) [1997]
05. "Scheming" (w. Slum Village & Posdnous) [prod. Dilla] (2010)
06. "Push It Along" (w. Slum Village) [prod. by Dilla] (2013)
07. "Miscallenous" [DJ Hi-Tek's Luv Boat Mix] (1999)
08. "La Schmoove" (w. Phife & Ali Shaheed) [1992]
09. "Let The Horns Blow" (w. Chi-Ali, Black Sheep & Dove)
10. "Artical" [Original Posse Mix] (w. Whitey Don & Chip-Fu) [1992]
11. "Game Day" (Ft. Rodney Hampton) [prod. by Dilla] (1996]
12. "Diggy Diaect" (w. Hawkeye) [prod. by DJ Rasta Root] [2003]
13. "U Know U Want It" (w. Charlie & Rose) [prod. DJ Rasta Root] (2003]
14. "Who Got The Funk" (w. Scientists Of Sound) [prod. by Q-Tip] (1995)
15. "Dues N Don'ts" (w. Jesse James) [prod. by Oh No] [2008]
16. "Thought U Wuz Nice" [prod. by J Dilla] [1996]
17. "Dear Dilla" (The Closing Statement) [prod. Rasta Root] [2012]
BONUS TRACK
18. "Stressed Out" [Baby Phife's Version] [prod. by The Ummah] [1996]
Talib Kweli and 9th Wonder's "Indie 500" is another one of those releases that I've been really eagerly anticipating since it was first announced a while back. What's strange though is the fact that the majority of the project is not at all produced by 9th Wonder however, instead 9th's four beats are combined with heat supplied by Nottz Raw, Khrysis!, Hi-Tek, Eric G to make the LP a memorable one. No matter how you slice it this should be a banging project as Talib knows how to make a banging record when he got the correct beats to work with. You can stream the full album via Soundcloud, while the CD and LP ships from UGHH now.
Since the late '90-s Rawkus days, Hi-Tek has delivered banger after banger and more recently he has diversified his sound and clientele by working with acts like D12, Snoop Dogg, Young Buck, 50 Cent, and Kurupt to name a few, while continuing to work with those he came up with and look up to like Kweli, J Dilla, Common, Little Brother, Styles P and Smitty and many more. A Lost Tapes compilation on 'Tek's work is coming very soon I can tell you that, most likely in a 2 volume set with one focusing on 1995-2001 and the other 2002-2012 or something like that. We'll see.... Until then check out this incredibly tight single that Hi-Tek just unleashed us ("Ohio Players") featuring the legendary Parliament-Funkadelic bassist Bootsy Collins, my favorite BTNH member Krayzie Bone and Bow Wow (what?). Still a tuff joint, be sure to check it out!
Hi-Tek definitely qualifies as a super producer, and one of the most versatile at that. From his incredible underground work in the latter half of the '90s, to his groundbreaking "Train Of Thought" album with Kweli, Hi-Tek embodies the Rawkus sound at its height like no other. His music was strictly based on on mesmerizing rhythms, and perfectly weaved jazz and soul samples that he put together in such way that he created his own sound based on being equally a DJ as he is a music producer. Though he had a huge fanbase, 'Tek was a restless soul who never dwell on the past for very long. His change in sound started coming with his first two solo albums, "Hi-Teknology Pt.s 1 & 2", but they still was both unmistakable the work of the Cincinatti producer. But it was after Dre got his eyes on the producer and signed him as an in-house producer to Aftermatrh Entertainment that he really started to change in sound (which was not neccesarily bad, but it was a far cry from the "Reflection Eternal" stuff. This change in the direction was clearly evident on the third installment in the "Hi-Teknology" series; by far the weakest enntry in the series thus far. More recently, it seems that 'Tek have found a good balance between the two, as was evident on the underrated "RPM" album with Reflection Eternal.
Now, Hi-Tek has announced a fourth installation of his solo series; entitled "Hi-Teknology: Ohio Player" which might, or might not, indicate that this one will focus on Ohio emcee (if this is the case, I certainly hope Big Del makes at least one apperance). The album has no set date yet, as 'Tek revealed that abour 50% of the album is completed but fans can expect the first single to drop in early 2013; so watch out .... And of course, I got a lil' bonus treat for you below; "Ohio Players" is a Hi-Tek produced joint from 2005 for Main Flow's "Notebook Assassin" - "Ohio Players" also features King Solomon, Crunch Ex, and Phiakan.
West Coast vet Scoe, formerly Roscoe, brings in Hi-Tek for this smooth banger fittingly titled "End Of Summer". Scoe's upcoming "The Influence" should definitely be on your radar, as it not only features a sick lyricist but also packs production and features from Just Blaze, Hi-Tek, Bink!, DJ Khalil, Nottz, Jake One, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Xzibit, Kurupt, Devin the Dude and more.
A while ago I put
together this compilation with the fantastic MC/producer duo that is DJ
Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli and together becomes Reflection Eternal. The two
met in Hi-Tek's hometown of Cincinnati, Ohio where they worked for the
first time on a Talib Kweli feature for Mood's debut albuum, "Industry Lies".
They instantly found that they shared a musical chemistry which led to
Hi-Tek producing nearly half of Kweli's classic collaboration LP with
Mos Def as Black Star. Following this the producer and MC
signed a deal with Rawkus Records and started working on their own debut
album, which would become the celebrated "Train Of Thought";
one of the most prominent hip-hop releases of 2000. Around the time of
that release Kweli and Hi-Tek made sure to get their names out to the
public; working on soundtracks and compilations while releasing
exclusive singles and collaborating with other artists of the day. The
vast majority of the songs found on "Revolutionary Thoughts Vol. 1" is
made up of those tracks, from the afro-mentioned Mood debut to the
joints from "Soundbombing II" and the Talib Kweli features
on Hi-Tek's solo debut in 2001. In other words the 16 selections
presented above represent the original "Train of Thought" era sound as these songs were all recorded between 1997 and early 2001.
It
would take the two almost ten years to come full circle and release a
second album as Reflection Eternal, which happened back in May of last
year. Their sophmore album, "Revolutions Per Minute"
catched very mixed reviews, making it seem to be one of those albums
that you either love or hate. Personally I really enjoyed "R.P.M.",
although it sounds very different in tone from their debut which I
guess is what threw alot of peeps off at first. The next installment of
this claaa7 series will feature the songs
the duo recorded during the years leading up to the second LP. It's a
cool thing to see their evolution. If you like this material I suggest
you order or pick up both of their retail albums as they are definitely
worthy entries in any serious hip-hop collection.
01. "Theme Song"
02. "Train Of Thought"
03. "Manifesto"
04. "Industry Lies" (Ft. Mood)
05. "Fortified Live" (Ft. Mos Def & Mr. Mann)
06. "Let Me See (Remix)" (Ft. Morcheeba)
07. "Transmorgify" (Ft. Mood)
08. "Empty Pages" (Ft. Mood)
09. "On Mission"
10. "Chaos" (Ft. Bahamadia)
11. "Beautiful (Hi-Tek Remix)" (Ft. Mary J. Blife & Mos Def)
12. "Get Back Part II" (Ft. DCQ)
13. "The Human Element"
