J Dilla – Music’s Prodigal Son

Donuts became something of an eerie legend in the music world. Here’s an album that was manically intricate and uncompromisingly technical that was completed while Dilla was, essentially, on his death-bed. With a simple beat machine and a mini-turntable, he crafted what would become his most lauded piece of artwork – an album that in its raw form was only 20 minutes long. But these snippets of sound were enough to raise the hairs on the industry’s arm for years after its release, raising consciousness along with them.

J Dilla was an artist that set the stage for the likes of Flying Lotus[1]. But his influence goes far beyond the hip-hop world, touching such varied artists as British punk rock band The Horrors as well as new age R&B crooner, Mayer Hawthorne [1].

Without a doubt, one of the most incredible aspects of J Dilla’s legacy is his desire to expand and innovate. He was a mad scientist that toyed with sound like no other, a prodigal son of hip-hop who spread his message far and wide until it reached the depths of even the most jaded listener.

Jay Dee’s music stirs a rhythm in me that can only be the syncopated canto of a broken heart. Yet, it gives me a glimpse of the future that lay beyond the purple crack of the sunrise. He will forever be missed in this world. As the sixth anniversary of his death approaches, I want to forever remember how for a shining moment in time, there was something beyond anything we could touch or feel in this world. We were truly blessed to have him in our presence for so long.

Cy

As unexpected as my path was to loving all things weird, more unexpected is my ability to get attention for writing about the stuff.

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