Dilla has built up a loyal fan base within the hip-hop community, with his soul sampling, experimental beats, producing songs for artists such as Busta Rhymes, Ghostface, Common and his former group Slum Village. They are just a few of the artists that bless J Dilla's first posthumous release, The Shining.
In result of his death, The Shining wasn't fully completed, so Karriem Riggins, a close friend of J Dilla, took the task of wrapping up the project. We should be grateful to Karriem for his contribution as there is a sense of cohesion to the album something of which could have been easily overlooked leading to an uncomfortable listen. Thankfully this is not the case, although the bugged out sound (literally) of "Geek Down" from Busta Rhymes (in very animated form) has its moments. Ever the experimentalist, Dilla lets the beat, which sounds like a bunch of wasps scoring a movie, overshadow Busta who only adlibs on the track, which is a shame. Things pick up both musically and lyrically though with "E=MC2" where Dilla rhymes the hook, "Get up / stand up / throw your f---in' hands up if you got the feelin' / jump up touch the ceiling /get get get up get up." The hook explains it all, this is a beat in which you have to do something -- nod your head, throw your hands up, anything. Problem is while your doing that, you might not hear Common rip the track with "I'm a symbol of sex revolution and tec's / on the deck where n----s shoot for extra loot and respect / live and direct effect from the CO / Double gets you paper but stay up put of trouble / n---- get up."
It wouldn't be a Dilla album without some instrumentals, they come in the form of the aforementioned "Geek Down," "Love Jones," "Body Movin'," and "Over The Breaks." You might think that they would disrupt the flow of the album, but as was Dilla's quality, they fit right in alongside the tracks that contain lyrics, offering the listener a release at certain points.
"Love," featuring Pharoahe Monch, shows would be producers how to flip a soul sample to create something that sounds so simple, yet infectious at the same time. Same goes for "Baby," although guest vocals from Madlib, Guilty Simpson and Dilla himself don't really deliver, offering simplistic run of the mill rhymes. It is refreshing to see that the album isn't littered with big name rappers allowing the likes of Guilty Simpson, MED and Madlib to showcase there talents. It is also a testament to Dilla, who chose to work with those close to him, although a verse or two from Talib Kweli would have been a good look.
Common and D'Angelo team up for the angelic sounding "So Far To Go," a track about the joys of sex and love with a special one. This is basically a more sensual version of "GO" from Common's 2005 release Be with D'Angelo making a nice comeback with a chorus sung over some ill keys that seem to come from nowhere. Both "Jungle Love" featuring Guilty Simpson & MED, and "Love Movin'" featuring Black Thought are just raw, something that makes Dilla's production so unique. He can do the soulful sample type joints or the raw, rough around the edges tracks. While the previous two tracks both sound similar, they still -- at times -- feel worlds apart. "Dime Piece" featuring Dwele is a perfect match, as Dwele's voice compliments a beat that seems was hand crafted especially for him.
The album closes with a solo track from Dilla called "Won't Do", and once again showcases his talent as a ever evolving beat maker and emcee. Although he was somewhat limited as a lyricist, he was by no means awful. He could outrhyme most rappers, so rapping over your own is appealing when they sound like "Wont Do."
The Shining proves to be a fitting goodbye for J Dilla, but lets hope there is enough unreleased Dilla material out there to tide us over for a good couple of years at least.
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