J Dilla • The Shining

95

All work and no play makes Dilla a dull boy. So thus we have Dilla's second album of the year and it's only July with one more slated for release before the year's end.

Billed as a hip-hop album, The Shining comes off more as jazz, with live instruments permeating the air usually filled with samples and programmed drums. The Shining boasts some big name guests the likes of Busta Rhymes, Madlib, Common and Black Thought as well as underground guests MED and Guilty Simpson, but the true star of the show is J Dilla who creates music that vastly overshadows most of the guest contributions.

In the film of the same name, a frustrated writer slowly descends into madness. If modern hip-hop is considered sane, Dilla went off the deep end a long time ago. J Dilla truly defines the art of 'shining'. He holds conversations entirely without ever even opening his mouth. He lets the music do the talking.

J Dilla RIP
February 7, 1974 - February 10, 2006