Respect is due

This is a sad day. Today, the hip hop world lost one of its most prolific producers. A man who set the bar higher than many others, a man who honed his craft in an industry prone to spitting out nuisance stars who have flash in the pan careers. Today, J Dilla/ one half of Jaylib/ Jay Dee passed away due to liver failure.

If you have visited my blog in the recent past, you might recall an entry I made about the five most influential hip hop albums in my life. One of those albums was, and always will be J Dilla's "Welcome 2 Detroit". This relatively unknown work (atleast in mainstream hiphop) is not his only acheivement however. Dilla made his name early while being a quiet part of A Tribe Called Quest's production team, the Ummah. Later, he served up hit after hit with production credits for Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Pharcyde, Common, and Q-Tip. J-Dilla went on to team up with producer Madlib and form an alliance that came to be know as Jaylib, a formidable combo of beats and words that went far beyond their blockbuster release, Champion Sound. Most recently, he featured as producer of four tracks on Common's latest album, Be- his songs on that album were undeniably the best the album had to offer. J Dilla's latest work was released last week, a mammoth effort titled Donuts, I have yet to check it out, but am sure that it lives upto the mastery that has punctuated this remarkable artist's career.

J Dilla opened new doors for me, personally. Before I listened to his solo cd, I did not truly understand the art of hip hop. His work showed me the versatile nature of a true hip hop artist. That it was not just about standing on a street corner, drinking a Colt 45 and spitting lines; there is more to it, its an art, its knowledge, its a craft and it has to be honed, perfected and only then, will it sound sweet- even if you play it on repeat for hours and hours on end.

Thank you Jay Dee for the music and for the head nodding memories. Rest in peace.