J-A-DEE Stay Paid
Recently on tumblr (where I blog for those who don’t know) a girl decided to pose the question, who is better, DJ Premier or Jay Dee aka J Dilla.Being that you can only answer the questions in 140 characters, I just threw some SHT up there, just cause it’s the GDMN internet in a sentence. I said something along the lines of “Dilla, because he produced The Pharcyde, Tribe, Slum Village, De La, Busta, and countless others…”
And do you know what this chick right here did? She laughed. She thought DJ Premier makes way harder beats than Mr. Yancey. Yes folks, she thought it was hilarious because Premo produced M.O.P., Group Home, and Gangstarr, and we all know that Guru can’t compete with the lyrcisim of De La Soul. Gangstarr’s impact on hip-hop culture surely surpasses whatever A Tribe Called Quest ever did, come on. They only had their song “Electric Relaxtion” as a theme song for New York Undercover, one of the most popular TV shows of the 90’s. That’s not hard. </end sarcasm>
When asked about why they started a group, Premier showed off his turntables, Guru on the other hand just gave a timid shrug.
Funny, when I went back to actually quote her post word for word, she had deleted it. Very interesting ::rubs chin:: It doesn’t matter, being the illest Villain that I am, I’m going to roast the SHT out of her anyways make a very good argument for why Jay Dee was (is?) the best producer in hip-hop period.
I have nothing against DJ Premier, or Gangstarr (except for the fact that Guru is more bitter than a fermented grapefruit soaked in vinegar). I love Premo. He helped define a unique sound for 90’s New York hip-hop. His sampling patterns and usage of sound effects really represented New York in all its glory during the golden age. He perfected the art of making his turntables speak; he would scratch in lyrics from different songs in a quick succession that would form hooks.
Premo’s impact on hip-hop is HUGE. He produced some of the most well-known hip-hop songs that defined the golden age. Some of the artists he produced songs for in the 90’s are:
Lord Finesse and DJ Mike Smooth
Ice-T
Heavy D & the Boyz
Too $hort
Mobb Deep
Das EFX
KRS One
Big Daddy Kane
Jeru the Damaja
Blahzay Blahzay
D’angelo
Jay-Z
Nas
Notorious B.I.G.
Janet Jackson
Brand Nubian
Rakim
Big L
Fat Joe
Mos Def
….and that’s not even the entire list. Check his entire discography here.
It’s obvious that through his track record, his skills, talents, and ear for music has caught the attention of the record industry as a whole. In fact, I’d have to say that Premier was the best hip-hop producer of all time UNTILDilla gained popularity in the 00’s. Why is that you ask?
DJ Premier has gained a lot of respect, however, his repetitive usage of samples, drums, and his predictable musical patterns, has lost some favor with the public. It has left us in a bind. When we hear his music, his predictability and monotony is what makes it uniquely Premo; however we want something new. After almost 20 years in the game, all of his music sounds fairly the same.
Dilla, on the other hand, started out producing and working on jazz and soul, then went ahead to craft what is now Detroit’s industrial sound. His jazz influences and knowledge of actual instruments allowed him to use records in the same way one would use a trumpet. He would take one simple two second sound clip, make an entire song based on it, and most people wouldn’t even know it was a sample. His usage of sampling was obviously influenced by Premier, but he took it and made it better. He took it and infused it with his knowledge of jazz and soul to make it his own. One sound for Dilla seemed was an infinite amount of possibilities. He had an obvious vision, and he would transform it into something you’ve never heard before.
Most importantly, his drums. They were beyond loud, beyond your sense of hearing. Dilla’s drums are felt. When you hear one of his tracks, you feel the heaviness of the rhythm pocket he’s in. It drags you into the music and bangs in your head. It is a gritty, steady African pulse that is sometimes balanced out by smooth chord progressions and light instrumentation. Other times, staccato samples/instruments are used which created the staple grimey, industrial Detroit sound.
Coupled with his deep soulful basslines, it makes for a deadly combination; instrumentals that seem to have life. Their movement has so much more expression than your typical “beats” that people rap over. The music it said it all, by itself with no words. The instruments, samples, and drums moved people. (And for those who still don’t understand, Kanye got his drums from Dilla, and uses them all the time.)
Of course I was going to do this. It was way too easy.
The amount of detail put into his music is amazing. Dilla played around with tempos and time signatures. He added white noise and tape hisses to get a more retro sound. He would slightly offset quantized drums to give them more of a live feel. He would make his own sounds from sampled ones. Through his creative growth Dilla showed he was an extraordinary musician. His contributions to hip-hop and neo-soul are undeniable across the board.
I love DJ Premier, but everytime I hear one of his hip-hop tracks I know its him and it sounds the same; everytime I hear one of Dilla’s hip-hop tracks I know its him and it sounds different. Most of his music is literally living, and not just 8 measures of a looped sample. Because of this, his “beats” have changed lives around the world by themselves.
I know it’s changed mine. RIP Jay Dee, Stay Paid in Full!
