A new compilation of songs produced by one of the greatest hip hop producers, J Dilla, is available in stores now. Released on March 31st, Dillanthology 1 is part 1 of what will be a tribute series celebrating the contemporary musical brilliance of the late producer. This first album in the series showcases “some of his classic productions” for artists like Pharcyde, Common, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, De La Soul, The Roots, and others. Check out a couple of my favorites* below. *De La Soul’s “Stakes Is High” is one of my favorite tracks on Dillanthology 1, but I didn’t find it on Imeem so I linked the MP3 at the bottom…
I was really happy to hear about this compilation coming out. Maybe some of the issues with his musical legacy have been resolved, not sure though. After J Dilla died in 2006 due to complications from lupus, there were some problems regarding the rights to Dilla’s music between lawyers, labels, and J Dilla’s family. There’s a great article about it all called “The Battle for his Legacy” by Kelley Louise Carter in Vibe magazine (read it here).
The compilation is great because the content is classic hip hop track after the next. The album does have some of the most popular Dilla tracks, but I’m hoping the next release in the series will showcase some of the amazing unreleased material that’s leaked onto the web over the years. There are some truly beautiful tracks that showcase Dilla’s genius that I would love to see included in the series. Beats like “Circus” and “Trashy” are two of my favorites, both from the Ruff Draft EP. What are some of your favorite Dilla productions? If listening to the music hasn’t completely taken over and you’ve read this far, comment below and let me know your favorites…
