Happy Dilla Day: 10 Key J Dilla Beats
The pioneering Detroit beatmaker died six years ago today.
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10 Key J Dilla Beats - James Yancey, aka J Dilla, was undoubtedly the most slept-on hip hop beatmaker ever when he was alive. But since his death — an eight-year anniversary, Monday (February 10) — he's achieved hip hop sainthood, a mythical cult figure to those lucky enough to have heard his pioneering productions. His influence on hip hop's sonic landscape is hard to underestimate; his work was the blueprint for late '90s and early 2000s neo-soul icons, including Jill Scott and D'Angelo; anchored the sound of Common, Busta Rhymes and Q-Tip; and was a huge inspiration to the Neptunes, the Roots and others. Here, on what would have been Dilla's birthday, we took on the difficult task of distilling his lengthy track record to these 10 key moments — whether turning points or benchmarks in his career or groundbreaking master works that are still blowing minds today. Th...
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The Pharcyde, "Runnin'" - This 1995 classic was Dilla's breakout production, introducing him to audiences beyond the Detroit underground for the first time. Backed by two loops from Stan Getz' "Saudade Vem Correndo" and Dilla's swinging drums and filtered bass — a signature throughout his career — "Runnin'" is still every bit as breathtakingly gorgeous as it was 17 years ago.(Photo: Delicious Vinyl)
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De La Soul, "Stakes Is High" - Dilla did it again the following year with "Stakes Is High," crafting another classic and easing the fears of any De La fans worried about the end of their partnership with long-time producer/guru Prince Paul. D once again shows off his filtering expertise with a dramatic piano loop from Ahmad Jamal's "Swahililand." De La and Dilla would go on to work together for years, yielding later bangers such as "Much More."(Photo: Mick Hutson/Redferns)
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A Tribe Called Quest, "Get a Hold" - In 1995, Detroit music vet Amp Fiddler introduced Dilla to Tribe, who recruited him to produce for their 1996 album Beats, Rhymes & Life, as part of their beat-making crew, the Ummah. Though Dilla and Tribe's partnership may have peaked two years later with "Find a Way," this 1996 banger was the stunning debut of his late '90s signature sound — hypnotizing, beautifully manipulated samples juxtaposed with woofer-wobbling bass and impossibly hard drums.(Photo: John Shearer/WireImage)
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Janet Jackson feat. Q-Tip, "Got 'Til It's Gone" - Though Dilla's Ummah alliance resulted in some amazing work, at times it also served to obscure his contributions. This 1997 Janet Jackson hit was officially credited to Janet, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, but the Ummah has long claimed they were behind the track. And with the bubbling bass line, dusty Rhodes chords and slick Joni Mitchell sample, it's impossible not to hear Dilla's fingerprints all over this one. (Photo: KMazur / WireImage)
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