I should’ve done this a long time ago… now. I’m not going to say I’m the most educated or familiar with the work of James Yancey as there are many people who know more than me about all things concerning Dilla. I’m not into the whole “you dying makes you a genius” thing… as I don’t feel Pac or Biggie are the greatest lyricist of all time when we live in a realistic world of eras. I’m sure that deep in my heart, and I will voice this opinion in respect; J Dilla is not the greatest producer of all time… I actually feel like Quincy Jones is; period. I think people will get into, “well Dilla is for Hip Hop” but if they keep it real with themselves and have any knowledge… they know Dilla was into more than just Hip Hop. So again I would argue Quincy Jones… but definitely Dilla of his era.
Now, there is a point to this rambling contest people have found themselves in. It seems like, in an “unspoken, but felt” kind of way… the name Dilla has replaced the dictionary term for “good” or “dope” – now when people do something they feel is of worth, they throw Dilla’s name in there somewhere… many of them people who haven’t heard Fantastic Vol 1… hell, not even the J-88 joint. even more people have begun trying to gain notoriety by recycling rhymes over J Dilla beats… because it adds something to their appeal. Definitely not denying that. But c’mon… with so much carbon copying going on these days… don’t you (want to) make something that’s completely and totally “you?” I know people are going to compare everything they hear to something else they’ve heard and we’ve accepted that as the way most people decide on if something is dope to them or not… more of a reference point.
