How J Dilla Reinvented Rhythm

  • 📰 RollingStone
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 121 sec. here
  • 4 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 52%
  • Publisher: 51%

United States Headlines News

United States Latest News,United States Headlines

In the 1990s, producer J Dilla and collaborators like D’Angelo, Questlove, Common and Erykah Badu reshaped the sonic landscape of hip-hop and R&B. This exclusive excerpt from Dan Charnas’ excellent new book ‘Dilla Time’ tells how they did it

PARTNERSwith his first album in 1995. After three turns around the sun, his long-awaited follow-up had yet to break the horizon. He lingered in a place beyond time, searching for something that had been lost:D’Angelo’s partner Q-Tip had embarked on this quest with Tribe back in 1990, when they created “Bonita Applebum,” sampling pieces of a Fender Rhodes keyboard lifted from the RAMP song “Daylight.” The warm, tubular tones of the Rhodes electric piano embodied the seventies soul sound.

That evening at the House of Blues birthed another musical relationship. Next to D’Angelo sat a young performer from Dallas: Erica Wright, just signed by D’Angelo’s manager Kedar Massenburg’s new label. Quick-witted, with a deep gaze and an iron will, Wright was the kind of person who could be successful at anything she put her mind to doing; she’d already been a dancer, a rapper, and a comedian. What she chose, eventually, was a singing career under the name Erykah Badu.

. He loved the way the second side of the cassette was virtually a remix of the first side. All that madeessential daily listening for D’Angelo while he recorded.

As he assisted in session after endless session, the engineer Steve Mandel not only heard this alternative time-feel, he began toit in the varied head-nods of the musicians. Questlove and Pino had their own distinct way of moving their heads while they played. D’Angelo’s nod was so far behind the beat as to seem completely disconnected from it, a movement that Mandel ruefully compared to his own, suburban-Jewish-boy-right-on-the-beat stiff.at Electric Lady continued its gravitational pull.

Common had first met James Yancey in 1995 at Q-Tip’s duplex, where he noticed him sitting shoeless and cross-legged on the floor, away from the chatter, going through records. Common was already a well-known figure in hip-hop and James was no one. But the Chicago rapper struck up a conversation and found a fellow traveler—another cat from the Midwest looking for his fortune in the East.

James Poyser flew out for a while from Philadelphia at Common and Questlove’s request. Poyser became a convert to Jay Dee’s music when he first heard the “Sometimes” remix, rewinding it in his Walkman on a long bus ride between London and Glasgow while visiting family in the U.K.The harmonies that Jay Dee constructed out of his samples were Poyser’s biggest revelation.

D’Angelo had grown particularly close to James over the past year. Writing music, even for a successful professional, can be difficult and demoralizing; doing it under deadline even more so. James often called Pete Rock when he had a “beat block” and needed inspiration. D’Angelo would call James. Once, distracted by some interpersonal politics in the studio, D dialed Detroit. “Ehh.” James shrugged. “But, maaaaan, you oughta check outD’Angelo and James both cracked up.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.

Dope

JesseDrucker I never thought of meeting a legit bitcoin trader after been scammed many times but the heavens sent AndrewBogle02 who guided me and help me make a living through crypto with my cashapp , I recommend you to him now and also be a successful benefactor

This UK guy rlly catching them barzzzzzzz 🔥 🔥 SO SURPRISING!! AND he plays crazyyyyyy bass!!

retweet my shit bro

Detroit is the epicenter of music greatness.

⬇️🖤

Legendary. Cannot wait to read this.

We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 483. in US

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

For L.A. 'battlefield hospital,' latest COVID surge comes with a familiar rhythmOfficials say the Omicron variant has flooded the emergency room at Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, ground zero for hospitals besieged by a winter surge, with people who are not as sick. 🦠😳 Hi! Can you post the article LA Times did on non-cloth masks for children in the schools Total failure to control the disease. Can't blame Trump anymore!
Source: latimes - 🏆 11. / 82 Read more »

Don Wilson, the Ventures' Co-Founder and Rhythm Guitarist, Dead at 88Don Wilson, co-founder and rhythm guitarist for the influential 'Walk, Don't Run' instrumental rock band the Ventures, has died at the age of 88 Nothing but a Fender guitar would do for these guys. As soon as I had the money I bought one and played the hell out of it. Like they keys on a piano RIP ❤️❤️❤️
Source: RollingStone - 🏆 483. / 51 Read more »