J Dilla – Ruff Draft

    Sadly, it’s always the dead musicians who develop the
    biggest following. Underappreciated when alive, J Dilla – arguably one of the best Hip Hop minds ever – and his
    records have amassed scores of new listeners since his death. But many of these
    new fans maybe haven’t heard of Slum
    Village
    , and because of that, weren’t exposed to his full range of talents.
    Ruff Draft will help change that.

    Originally
    released in February 2003 as a vinyl-only album distributed by German label Groove Attack, Ruff Draft is some of Dilla‘s
    last solo work before his lupus diagnosis in 2005. Now it is indie powerhouse Stones Throw (who also released Dilla’s Champion Sound collab and Donuts),
    to re-issue the obscure LP.

    Ruff Draft begins with a short intro:
    the artist himself. “It’s Ruff Draft. For my real niggaz only. DJs that play
    that real live shit…like it’s straight from the motherfucking cassette.

    The album then dives into one lush soundscape after another. “Let’s Take It
    Back,” the first full track, is highlighted by the strumming of tonal
    synth-samples, and it relaxes your ears as he rides the beat with some adroit
    emceeing. “Reckless Driving,” ups the ante as the synth-heavy light beats have
    an epic, energizing feel because of the well-placed bass. As always, Dilla pulls this off without a hitch.
    But he still teases you, as he knows what’s to come.

    “Nothing
    Like This” and “The $” are the album’s two biggest heavy-hitters. The first, a
    love poem comprised of several simple quatrains, solidifies Dilla‘s status as one of Hip Hop’s most
    unique talents. It’s a love song, but it’s far from “Thug Love.” Simple strings
    and percussion are distorted to create an emotive accompaniment for his
    expressive lyrics: “Incomplete when
    you’re away/You turn my nights into day/You show me the light, uh-huh/Gotta
    have you right away
    .” On “The $,” he uses ascending horn synth samples to
    give the song an old-school, b-boy feel.

    Xylophone
    and M.O.P. samples form the
    background for “Make ’em NV,” a song about changes in Hip Hop culture; “These backpackers want to confuse it/Niggaz
    is icy ain’t got nothing to do with the music/So, hater, mind ya biz and getcha
    own/You know what time it is, we get that glow.
    ” The only lackluster
    track on this album, “Crushin’ (Yeeeeaah!),” uses a grindable beat to describe
    his seemingly endless desire for ass. It’s terribly average and notches below
    what we’re accustomed from Dilla‘s
    dazzling soundscapes.

    The
    original album ends with a track of shout-outs, but is reborn with several
    unreleased tracks. After an alternate introduction, “Wild” takes the stage. A
    sample from British glam-rock band Slade‘s
    “Cum on, Feel the Noize” is processed to make the song sound child-like. “Take
    Notice,” featuring fellow Detroit rapper Guilty
    Simpson
    and an alternate outro end the album on a high note.

    Overall,
    the album’s wonderful. He doesn’t overload you with complicated beats and
    rhymes. Because of this, and because of the album’s length – it runs less than
    half an hour from start to finish – you’ll be left wanting more. Dilla‘s legacy is still growing. His
    popularity hasn’t yet crested nor has his name been cheapened – a la Tupac – by scores of lechers looking to
    make a quick buck off of yet another subpar remix album. Along with the
    all-time great emcees, Dilla is an
    artist people will listen to many years from now.

    Let’s
    just hope hip-hop’s not dead by then.

    Read
    HipHopDX‘s review of Dilla‘s The Shining

    Also, check out our Remembering Dilla piece

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