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  • » Name: William E. Ketchum III
  • » Location: East Lansing, MI
  • » Member Since: 04/12/07
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Viewing Posts Tagged "Dilla"   View All

Dilla Day '08: Ketchums' Edition


February 10, 2008 | Tags: Dilla, Radio, Jay Dee, IMPACT

As I've mentioned in a previous blog, 2008 has seen me and my homie JYoung The General get a hip-hop show on IMPACT 89 FM in East Lansing, MI. As you'd expect, we've been killin' it week after week with incredible playlists, hilarious banter, hip-hop conversation and great feedback from the listeners. This shit has been the most consistent smile-inducer I've had in a while.

But yesterday was Dilla day. As you should know from this week's DX coverage (peep Aliya's Dilla pieces, they're fucking incredible), this past Thursday would have marked the Detroit superproducer's 34th birthday, and today (Sunday) is the two-year anniversary of his death. My co-host brought the heat with his playlist as usual, but I decided to participate in the "Dilla Day" and dedicated my entire playlist to selections from homie's catalog.

I'm not normally the sentimental type, but putting together this playlist and actually implementing it touched me in a way that music hasn't touched me, frankly, since I first got into this hip-hop back in the late 90s. It goes beyond the fact that James Yancey's music was enjoyable to listen to, and it's more than the crazy collaborators or the undeniable cosigns. The fact that this brotha gave so much of himself to his craft - dude was performing shows in a wheelchair and making beats from his hospital bed, for God's sake - and that I was in the position to help chronicle that legacy as a DJ was fulfilling beyond explanation. And you can call me nutty if you want...but with the ambiance in the studio - whether it was my lady friend coming through at the beginning of the show; letting my mentee give over-the-air PSAs, take pics and soak up game; or my rapper homie Philthy coming through and clownin, it's almost like Dilla's spirit was eminating throughout the room. The Cultural Vibe is always fun, but during last night's show, I felt like I was part of something.

Anyway, here are some pics.


Tee courtesy of Bling47. Irks me how my chain is turned around in EVERY picture, but whatever.


On the mic, guiding listeners through the playlist.


JYoung mans the phones.


Lauryn "La-La" Scott, hip-hop journalism's Unsigned Hype, takes her own glamour shot before locking down camera and PSA duties.


The crew: ROY candidate E. Huffman, Philthy, me, and the corner of JYoung's head fraternize between songs.

Here's the playlist. I'm not J Rocc, HouseShoes or DJ Dez, and I got clean versions of Like Water For Chocolate and Champion Sound too late to properly mix them in, but you can only do so much in an 80-minute set. And after running my playlist by all of my resident Dilla heads, I'm confident I (Jay) DEE-livered. If you need the songs, drop down and get your Google on, or hit me up if you can't find them.


(photo from StonesThrow.com)

1. "Reminisce" // Bilal feat. Mos Def & Common // 1st Born Second
2. "Man's World" // Guilty Simpson // Stones Throw Podcast
3. "Beauty Jackson" // Ghostface Killah // Fishscale
4. "Let's Ride" // Q-Tip // Amplified
5. "Stakes is High" // De La Soul // Stakes is High

"Players" (Instrumental) // Slum Village // Fantastic Vol. II

6. "Keep On" // Dwele feat. Slum Village // Some Kinda...
7. "Show Me What You Got" // Busta Rhymes // Anarchy
8. "Stand To The Side" // Talib Kweli feat. Novel & Vinia Mojica // Quality
9. "Sun In My Face" // J Dilla feat. Blu & Jontel // Jay Love Japan
10. "Fat Cat Song (Remix)" // Slum Village // Fantastic, Vol. 1

"Featuring Phat Kat" (Instrumental) // J Dilla // Welcome 2 Detroit

11. "Nasty Ain't It?" // Phat Kat // Carte Blanche
12. "Aquarius" // Common feat. Bilal // Electric Circus [1]
13. "Runnin" // Pharcyde // Labcabincalifornia
14. "Won't Do" // J. Dilla // The Shining
15. "Cleva" // Erykah Badu // Mama's Gun
16. "Ill Vibe (The Ummah Remix)" // Busta Rhymes feat. Q-Tip // It's A Party 12" [2]

"Waves" + "Donuts (Intro)" + "Donuts (Outro)" // J Dilla // Donuts

17. " Get A Hold" // A Tribe Called Quest // Beats, Rhymes And Life
18. "The Jam" // Mad Skillz // It's Goin Down EP
19. "Climax (Girl Shit)" // Slum Village // Fantastic Vol. II

"Last Donut of the Night" // J Dilla // Donuts

--
*Props to K-Fresh and Stones Throw for the extensive discog.
*Also, props to the peeps on OKP for the Dilla wheelchair pic, the clean versions of the tracks, etc. Can't hyperlink, but it's appreciated.
[1] If you didn't like the album last time you heard it, revisit it and see if you change your mind; I know I did.
[2] Shout-out to 88-Keys for putting me on. Good looks, sir.


The views and opinions expressed in this blog are those of the writer and not necessarily those of HipHopDX.com or Cheri Media Group.

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