What can I say about J Dilla that hasn’t already been said by probably every website on the internet? Now I’ll be the first to admit, people have gotten overzealous with the Jay Dee praise since he passed in 2006. I’d bet money most of the people calling him the greatest didn’t listen to half of his discography before his death. Well ladies and gentlemen, I am not one of those people. I’m the dude that was a James Yancey fan before I even knew who he was or what production was. I just knew that A Tribe Called Quest‘s “Find A Way” and Common‘s “The Light” were my shit. After finding out he was the man responsible for some of my favorite songs, I had to find everything he worked on.
Now I could definitely keep rambling about his music’s impact on me, but I’d rather just play some records. These are just some of the Dilla produced gems I’m digging today. The songs could completely change tomorrow. He’s got too many classics son! Happy birthday Jay Dee.
P.S. While I was celebrating the victory of my New York Giants yesterday, I failed to mention the birthday of the late, great Bob Marley. Truthfully, it bothers me to no end when rappers only refer to him when talking about weed. He was waaaaay more important than that. Marley wasn’t simply a singer, he was a damn revolutionary. He’s probably the only musician I would let run my country (sorry Wyclef Jean). With that being said, you can take a listen to my favorite Wailers song below. RIP Bob Marley.
