Frasier Crane, George Jefferson, Joey What's-His-Name form Friends
The Common thread? Supporting characters whose popularity catapulted into the spotlight of their own TV shows (with varying degrees of success...you suck, Matt LeBlanc).
J Dilla parlayed a very successful production career (The Pharcyde, Common, Tribe Called Quest among others) into a chance to step up and pull a Kanye. But sadly Dilla's career was cut short due to a rare blood disease.
Donuts, the instrumental record he produced from the confines of his hospital bed, released three days after his death, is one of my favorite albums of all time. It's fresh, smooth, and when it's done all I want to do is listen to it again. There's a palpable feeling of Dilla putting all he's got left into the work.
Now Dilla's solo career is seriously starting to resemble that of one Jeff Buckley. The whole death-after-the-completion-of-your-record-which-happens-to-a-timeless-breakthrough thing.
Let the posthumous parade of inferior records begin!
To call Ruff Draft (as well as the solid The Shining) inferior is a bit unfair since Donuts is so unbelievably serene. Ruff Draft was originally made three years prior to Donuts, while he was seemingly still honing his craft. Ruff Draft definitely has it moments where one will start bobbing their head, light up a joint and (hopefully) yell "That's my Dilla!", the album as a whole is a bit staggered in both pace and quality.
This is my last effort in searching for Donuts: Part 2 in his discography. It was silly for me to think old EPs and and incomplete recording would match up; but I had to give it a try. Pick and choose songs you like, but a full-on purchase of this album may leave you feeling a but disappointed.
"That's My Dilla"
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