Blog

There’s a halo of reverence around J Dilla, a producer and beatmaker from Detroit who made some of the most fascinating and influential beats in hip hop history. Before his early death in 2006, J Dilla worked with countless artists and producers – from Erykah Badu and Janet Jackson to Busta Rhymes and Madlib – and developed an off-kilter style of rhythm and sampling that transcended the machine he used to create music, the Akai Midi Production Center, otherwise known as the MPC. Spotify Playlist created by Okayplayer: https://open.spotify.com/user/okaypla… Brian “Raydar” Ellis’ music: https://soundcloud.com/raydarellis Further reading: Compiled list of Dilla samples: https://dilladata.wordpress.com/ Redbull Music Academy: http://www.redbullmusicacademy.com/le… Don’t Cry breakdown: https://tinysubversions.com/essays/do… Why J Dilla May Be Jazz’s Latest Great Innovator via NPR: https://www.npr.org/sections/ablogsup… Waajeed breaks down Dilla samples: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpig… History of the MPC: https://reverb.com/news/a-brief-histo… Some songs don’t just stick in your head, they change the music world forever. Join Estelle Caswell on a musical journey to discover the stories behind your favorite songs. Check out the entire Vox Earworm playlist here: http://bit.ly/2QCwhMH