There is no greater irony in pop culture than an unheralded artist
finally achieving popularity upon death. A recent striking example of
this phenomenon is the late J Dilla. After lupus claimed the
influential hip-hop producer’s life in February 2006, he went from
behind-the-scenes legend builder for artists like Common, A Tribe
Called Quest, and Busta Rhymes, to legendary in his own right seemingly
overnight. What collaborators and fans admired about Dilla was his
masterful ability to flip samples from diverse sources and the level of
devotion he had to bettering his craft. As a result, Dilla left behind
a wealth of jangly, neck-cracking, borderline-psychedelic beats for
fans to explore for years to come.
Jay Stay Paid, the newest collection of beats from Dilla’s
seemingly boundless archive, reaffirms his legacy as the most sonically
adventurous producer in hip-hop history. The album is tied together
loosely around the concept of KJAY FM, a station that plays all Dilla,
all day. Seamlessly sequenced and arranged by Pete Rock, the producer
Dilla most admired, roughly half the tracks feature vocals from Dilla
or emcees who fit his leftfield aesthetic. “Smoke” is the highlight
here. LA underground king Blu raps for mood, not content, over an
evocative coupling of melancholy Moog melody and Dilla’s trademark
off-kilter drums. The best instrumental track on the record depends on
which version of Dilla you’re in the mood for. “Coming Back” is a
soulful and reflective beat, in the spirit of 2006’s The
Shining, while the cathartic “King” juxtaposes thunderous kick
drums with an angelic vocal sample.
Posthumous hip-hop albums are usually a mixed bag to a fault. Jay
Stay Paid avoids the pitfalls of most “new” albums by deceased
artists, thanks to the care Pete Rock and Ma Dukes, J Dilla’s mother,
put into making this random collection of beats a unified whole.
