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- February 12, 2021
A weekly series giving you the low-down on Hip-Hop news of the previous week. Some notable releases, performances, and overall pieces to read, listen and watch!
J. Dilla & Nujabes
People from all corners of the hip-hop community had their tributes to the “Godfathers of Instrumental Hip-Hop”. Including DJ Jazzy Jeff ( of Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, and DJ partner to Will Smith) devoted a two-hour live set to J Dilla.
This week 2/7 marked the celebration of the life and contributions of both revolutionary beatmakers J Dilla, and Nujabes. Instrumental hip-hop producers from the west and east respectively, as many rappers have rapped over a “Dilla” beat, as there are producers who’ve studied his style of production and that goes the same for Nujabes who’s injection of jazz brought a new way of thinking.
Deeper still, to understand the harmony between these two producers on opposite sides of the world, people look to this 25 minute mix of Nujabes and J Dilla tracks.
Even further, an entire website was created in honor of the 15 year tribute to J Dilla’s contributions to Hip-Hop, going thru his donuts- the beats he made- and the songs that followed that sampled from him. It’s a deep rabbit hole you can have a lot of fun exploring, at https://dillasdonuts.shop/
It’s still Whack World, in case you forgot
Whack World is still spinning as Tierra Whack dropped a freestyle this week that reminds people, she’s not a lyricist to sleep on.
The firsthand recreation of why Wutang Clan ain’t nothing to f* wit
A 4-part, limited-run docuseries of Staten Island’s very own Wutang Clan has been released with the help of Showtime, with interviews from the members, showcasing their struggles and their rise. Though produced by Showtime the entire 4 part series can be watched here!
Dwarfing “The Black Panther” Soundtrack, new movie “Judas and the Black Messiah” has a stacked lineup.
A historical drama centers around William O’neal, who, after being offered a plea deal by the FBI has to infiltrate the Illinois chapter of the Black Panthers to gather information on its leader Chairman Fred Hampton. With mixed reviews on the direction and message, the soundtrack for this movie is unbelievable. With promising talent from Hit-Boy, Smino and Saba, JID and more, this movie was able to get both Jay-Z and Nas on the same album. That’s unheard of! Listen to it here:
That’s it for this week, check in next week for some of the big news in Hip-Hop.
