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Tuesday, February 7, 2012

#1 Fan The Exact Moment Dilla Changed My Life

Posted by on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 11:20 AM

It was early 2001, and I was only just starting to emerge from the cloud I'd been in for some two years following my mother's death. I was sitting in my bedroom, brain-beat from work, smoking, checking out Jay Dee's Welcome 2 Detroit, which I'd bought that day. There was an intro, a short track, then this:


A cover of Donald Byrd's "Think Twice." I'd only in those last couple moons come to appreciate those Blue Note/Mizell albums. Jay Dee (he wasn't Dilla quite yet) was probably my favorite hiphop producer by then, thanks to the previous summer's surprise hit: Slum Village's Fantastic Vol.2, which for me had gone from uncomfortable earworm to object of total devotion. In that moment, when I figured out what was going on (barely missing falling forward, face-fucking-first, off of my bed), I thought that this guy James Yancey shared the appreciation I had for that song, that album, and the fruits of that particular team of musicians; I can honestly say that weird, one-sided, and long-distance feeling of connection got my wheels turning that maybe, just maybe, I too could find a life somehow dedicated to music's transformative and healing power. And that, without question, changed my life, and for the better. So I'd like to thank you for that, Mr. Yancey, and every year I do. Happy Birthday.

 

Comments (3) RSS

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1
Thanks for posting this.
Posted by J-Justice on February 7, 2012 at 3:13 PM
taffy dale 2
yes, thank you. it was nice to read this. real talk.
Posted by taffy dale http://taffydale.com on February 7, 2012 at 5:05 PM
3
Chuuch. Music saves lives.

RIP all those that have passed.
Posted by Mike Ramos on February 7, 2012 at 5:22 PM

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