Death of a Muse – a tribute to J Dilla

Sunday, October 12th, 2008 | News

J Dilla may have already passed from this world, it appears however, that it will take some time before his impact on the musical community leaves us. Inspired by ‘LA Weekly’s’ interview with J Dilla’s mum (a.k.a. Ma Dukes) following his passing, Solillaquists of Sound, on ANTI-/Epitaph Records, have decided to return to his mother, a token of the impact J had on so many during his short life.

For those of you who don’t recognise him by name, it is not uncommon, but perhaps you may know him from Slum Village, or perhaps some of the tracks that he has made with repeat collaborators Common, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, The Roots, Hi-Tek, Kanye West, Madlib, Pete Rock, Talib Kweli, ?uestlove, D’angelo, The Pharcyde, QTip, De La Soul, Janet Jackson and A Tribe Called Quest just to name a few. Honestly, while familiar with some of his work, until researching for this article, I had no idea what an impact J Dilla has had on my life throughout his career.

The song “Death of a Muse” which features J-Live, Chali-2na and Ma Dukes herself, has been posted online for a minimum donation of $2 for anyone wanting to support Ma Dukes current situation, brought about by the illness and surrounding hardships of her late son. As well as losing her son, Ma Dukes was left with serious hospital bills, and even lost her house during the time that she took care of J, in his final stages. This honourable gesture will see 100% of proceeds go to Ma Dukes, and hopefully alleviate some of the emotional as well as financial stresses that have since seen her health decline also.

www.insound.com/madukesdonation

Having heard of this plight at www.okayplayer.com , I was compelled to show my support by downloading this track. Having heard the song, I was compelled to run and get my credit card, and post this message to anyone who was a fan of J Dilla, or even just a fan of community and humanity. Let’s not forget also in amongst the circumstances that brought the track into existence, that ‘Death of a Muse’, is also just a really great track.

J Dilla – Won’t Do

DiViNCi, of Solillaquists of Sound told Sean Kantrowitz at www.okayplayer.com “We’re honored to be helping Ms. Yancey. She’s the type of person that makes you proud to be a human being. Despite all that she’s been through, she’s a rock of unwavering strength, faith, and humility. That gives us all the more reason to do our part to see that she receives everything she deserves.”

If you would like to hear or download this track and support the cause, go to:

www.insound.com/madukesdonation

Or to check out more from J Dilla, Check out:

www.myspace.com/jdilla

www.stonesthrow.com/jdilla

and finally, if you have a true appreciation of lyrically conscious Hip Hop, be prepared to be amazed by his discography at:

www.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_Dilla

…bs

Tags: hip hop, Jazz