Posts tagged J Dilla

Mixtape Name: Dillagence

Artists: Mick Boogie, Busta Rhymes, J Dilla

Rating: 8/10

Reviewer: G.D. (lovesoul.TV Reader Review)

The link to the Dillagence story, mixtape and tracklisting is here

Everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing at important moments in history. This reviewer will always remember where he was and what he was doing on 10^th February 2006, when news broke that J Dilla had passed away after suffering with an incurable blood disease; at home re-listening for perhaps the tenth time to Dilla’s ‘Donuts’, trying to understand how exactly Dilla had created the musical landscapes on what is now regarded as one of the greatest instrumental Hip-Hop albums of all time. A slew of tribute tracks and mixtapes have since been released, however none have garnered as much hype as the recently released ‘Dillagence’ a collaboration between mixtape king Mick Boogie and long time Dilla collaborator and Hip-Hop superstar Busta Rhymes.

The mixtape is a melange of old Dilla productions and a previously unreleased Dilla beats, with vocals from Busta Rhymes and a number of guest collaborators. From the outset though it is clear that the star of the show is the unmistakeable Dilla production, from the heavy thudding bass line of ‘Code of the Streets’ to the trademark drums and hand claps of ‘Takin’ what’s Mine’, Dilla’s beats sound as fresh and raw as ever. That rawness is additionally felt in the final mix for which Busta feels obliged to explain, fans however of the late great producer will need no such explanation, knowing that he liked his music to ‘sound like its straight from the mother****in cassette.’ Busta’s belief that this rawness was down to an eagerness on his part to spit on new Dilla beats straight from the beat CD, does however give the listener an insight into why the emcee puts in a performance full of energy and charisma, that harkens back to the Busta Rhymes of ‘The Coming’ and ‘When Disaster Strikes’. Bar a few embarrassing choruses and forgettable contributions from Papoose and Cassidy, Busta Rhymes sounds hungry and rejuvenated over Dilla’s beats, something that has been lacking from his more recent discography.

The general outlook that ‘Donuts’ beats should be left as instrumentals could only have been strengthened with the poor reworking of ‘Lightworks’ that appeared in the recently released ‘Peanut Butter Wolf presents 2K8 B-Ball Zombie War’ featuring lacklustre performances from Talib Kweli and Q-Tip, and which now finds itself on the mixtape. However, perhaps surprisingly Rah Digga’s performances on ‘Best That Ever Did It’ and ‘The Range’ provide evidence to the contrary, as her flow and lyrics fit perfectly into the lush Dilla production. One of the biggest highlights though must be the contribution of Raekwon on ‘Baggage Handlers’ with its chorus of “Yo its Cuban Linx 2 mutha****ers!” that will serve only to increase anticipation for his long awaited follow up.

One can only have respect for Busta Rhymes and Mick Boogie for releasing such a quality project in tribute to a producer that was largely slept on in his own time. Those who have never knowingly heard of Dilla will find this a fitting introduction to one the greatest producers to have graced Hip-Hop, and will hopefully be encouraged to seek out other Dilla works. For this reviewer, ‘Dillagence’ is a welcome addition to the Dilla collection, and has acted as a catalyst for me to go back and re-listen to ‘Donuts’ for the fiftieth time and try to understand how exactly he created those musical landscapes. Methinks that it is a futile exercise, genius has no explanation.