Jay Dee's real legacy is hard to define, specifically because he mastered so many styles, worked with so many different artists and remained unsatisfied with status quo until his dying day. Cymbal-crashing percussion, sinister keys, an ever-building momentum and vocal samples cut in by the Beat Junkies' J.Rocc, "Body Movin'" quite simply sounds five steps ahead of all the other so-called beat-makers out there. It couldn't be more different than the raw soul convections of Donuts. It does end on a high note, with Jay's version of modern soul: bubbling, multi-layered textures, rugged drums, vocal snip blips, and fantasy rhymes about girls, girls and more girls.īut for me the highlight has to be "Body Movin'," a white-hot instrumental track Dilla made with the help of Karriem Riggins. The album's too short at twelve tracks, but we all know the reason for that. And I will never understand why a fiery Busta is wasted on a go-nowhere intro.
A few heavy drums are all Detroit's Guilty Simpson and Stones Throw's Med need to get busy on "Jungle Love."ĭespite Kanye boosting his sales numbers, it was Jay Dee who consistently brought out the best emcee in Common, his former roommate, and he proves it again here on "E=MC2." But it's a shame that the lead single will be one of the weaker "donuts," with Common's pink-frosting love talk and a few chocolate-sprinkled D'Angelo vocals on top. There's a soul-on-soul combination with Pharaohe Monch singing over one of Dilla's 45-infused beats, and an effortlessly dope set of verses from Black Thought and a casual hook he borrows from the intro to Jay's wax-only Ruff Draft EP (crucial material for any Dilla completists). The Shining is packed solid with guest spots from friends and collaborators who worked with Jay over his decade-plus-long career. That record, which broke ground on the Beat Generation series, set the creative bar high for those who would come after him, including fellow crate-diggers Pete Rock and DJ Spinna. The Shining is his second on BBE the label released his debut, Welcome 2 Detroit, in 2001. If Donuts was Jay Dee's swan song, The Shining is a glimpse of what his work may have sounded like in the future.
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