Thought up by two hip-hop fans, The Hip Hop Speakeasy was started for a sole purpose: to spread the word of good, underground hip-hop music. This album seemed like it was a part of a well-thought out plan, a plan with a solid theme.Įverything flowed nicely and J Dilla certainly put his all into it because it shows through through every kick, snare and rhyme. Now this was a great album above all the others, there was a true consistency here. W2D also had a really raw, dirty sound that makes it a lot better quality-wise than the preceding albums. It falls short of his later instrumental efforts solely because it comes off as a beat tape, and nothing more. Any producer can put out a beat tape and yeah, it can be hella dope, but when it comes down to it, this project was just some tracks Jay Dee threw together and put out. After Dilla went solo from Slum Village, he gave us a dose of his rapping skills and solo instrumental skills. We broke down each product and put them in their own unique light and perspective. The end result is Fantastic 2020, a hybrid blend of smooth, funky brass rhythms with boom-bap sensibilities that is just the kind of tribute that an often unsung, but highly influential group like Slum Village deserves, and is a more than welcome addition to any Dilla completist's library.Unfortunately, he left too soon, however, as Jay Dee passed away in February of due to a rare blood disease. Across two volumes of vinyl and a 2-CD set of studio recordings, the big band applies their own jazzy spin to Dilla's classic productions, with occasional assistance from the surviving members of Slum Village themselves. On this, the 20th anniversary of Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2's release, the Abstract Orchestra are proud to pay tribute to this highly innovative hip-hop classic. They previously released orchestral versions of Madvillian and a tribute to Dilla to critical acclaim as well. The group has toured alongside the likes of John Legend, Amy Winehouse, and Adele among others, and have provided live backup for Mos Def, and many more. Helmed by composer and saxophonist Rob Mitchell, this 18-piece ensemble has become renowned for their distinct sound, which reinterprets some of the most famous hip-hop productions of all time (right on down to the sample material) into a unique blend of big band jazz and live hip-hop. Artists like D'Angelo and Erykah Badu have name-checked Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2 as a key influences, while The Roots' drummer Questlove declared that they hands down ".birthed the neo-soul movement."Įnter the Abstract Orchestra. The group had already made critically acclaimed waves with Volume 1, but few could have predicted at the time of its release that Dilla's production, which combined portions of alternative, gangsta, and soul hip-hop, meshed with T3 and Baatin's deft lyrical flows, would become such a far-reaching influence. Against the backdrop of Dilla's rich production, T3 and Baatin's free-flowing style of rhyming would also earn wide critical praise, leading to comparisons as the successors to A Tribe Called Quest.Īll these elements would come together in a truly prodigious fashion in the early 00s, when Dilla and Slum Village would release their second studio album Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2. A founding member of the trio, (alongside rappers T3 and Baatin) Dilla provided the group's distinctly esoteric, free-wheeling sound, built around winding basslines, quirky drumbeats, subtle low-end frequencies, and classic jazz & soul samples. The contributions of the late Detroit producer James DeWitt Yancey -better known to the world as J Dilla- to the world of hip-hop can't be overstated, and nowhere is his legacy more apparent than his work as a member of Slum Village.
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