Deliver us from Nelly…

August 28, 2006 in Music

I’ve been listening to J Dilla’s “The Shining” for the past few weeks and all I can think is how I wish this album had dropped back in the spring so I wouldn’t have had to spend the last three months listening to Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” and Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy”. Don’t get me wrong, I love pop fluff as much as the next guy, but having this as an option would have saved me a few ear cavities.

The other unfortunate thing is that it’s a posthumous release. Dilla died back in February after a battle with Lupous. He put this album together as a legacy and brought in guys like Common, Madlib and Black Thought (of the Roots) to collaborate.

The name might not seem familiar, but that’s because he spent a lot of time in the booth producing hits for Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Roots and Talib Kweli.

The Shining combines real old school beats with intricate melody samples and rhymes from some of today’s hottest hip hop and R n’ B talents. Although it’s sad to think he won’t be giving us hits anymore, at least Dilla left us with one last treat.

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