Part 2sdays Sequel Series: Slum Village’s Beej N Dem and Jay Dee/J Dilla’s Beej-N-Dem Pt. 2
Few people in hip hop have been able to build the type of revered status like James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla.
Though it’s unfortunate that his death in 2006 helped create this pedestal for him, people who hadn’t heard the Detroit-bred producer’s work prior were now introducing themselves or in some cases introducing others to the vast array of soundscapes he had built over his career from his days in The Ummah and Slum Village as Jay Dee to his time releasing music on Stones Throw Records.
For the first edition of my Part 2sdays Sequel Series, I take a look at two of my favorite productions by the late great beatsmith that help represent two distinct periods of his production style; The hauntingly/earthy groove of a head bop that is Beej N Dem from Slum Village’s 1997 project Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1 and the intergalactic-sounding banger Beej- N- Dem Pt. 2 from Dilla’s 2001 project Welcome 2 Detroit.
The First: Beej N Dem from Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 by Slum Village (1997)
https://open.spotify.com/track/05x0ngHx3zfOWE59eLB2r8?si=X5SfRh3aQ4KNcpQPPw8V3Q
What’s dope about this instrumental is the eerie vibe of the groove that permeates this track.
Dilla’s use of what I can describe to be a pattern of Fender Rhodes notes is not only amazing for the fact that it is really only about a 3–4 second portion of what is a 12-minute song he samples, but for how he stretches the few notes to make an incredibly dope swing in the beat.
The keys create this percussive bounce that build this infectious nod factor which matches in perfect unison with this wail that Jay Dee either samples or created himself which provides the track a haunting sense of atmosphere, perfect for anyone who wants to put themselves in a lifted state of mind but still want to have a bop in their shoulders.
Of course what helps continue this head bobbing exercise are the drums, which aren’t bombastically loud nor are they pulsating pounding, rather the percussion is more of a sparse sound built around what would become Dilla’s signature drunken style of rhythm which helps put an extra kink in your neck when trying to follow along with his lazy kick drum.
Adding to this groove are the flows of the emcees as Jay Dee, T3 and Baatin each use their equally percussive flows to ride the bounce of the rhythm while bragging about how dope they are on the mic and giving shout outs to their friends, one of them named Beej who the song is named after yet, funny enough doesn’t make an appearance despite what the Discogs website would lead one to believe.
Overall the track is this vibe-heavy mood with a swing that doesn’t make it seem like just another song to sit back and relax to; A chill vibe that makes you want to put a little movement in your body.
The Sequel: Beej-N-Dem Pt. 2 from Welcome 2 Detroit by J Dilla (2001)
https://open.spotify.com/track/1VNGn98ubD5hkkQhQ42ZuD?si=dKzRHwIwQtGqvYEMGAdDOg
Four years removed from the first part, Dilla’s follow up sees him taking the original idea from its earthy roots and blasting it off into outer space with a bounce that takes the head nod from the last track and tries to pop it right off the shoulders of the listener.
With what sounds like plucks of an electric guitar or some type of string instrument beginning the track working in tandem with electronic synth notes, it leads into this pounding snare that is preceded through the track by a bass heavy 808 that acts as the heart beat to the instrumental and helps give the drums some extra effect.
The way the beat is constructed, it feels like there is a constant build in the percussion which then gets amplified when the string and synth notes come in towards the eighth bar and just keeps taking you on a ride upward until you hit the chorus where this onslaught of even more intergalactic sounds take place.
This is made better by the inclusion of the guest emcee whose name is in the title of the song. Yes, the Beej that these songs are named after finally makes an appearance and he doesn’t disappoint.
The energy he brings in his flow is phenomenal as it never feels like it’s overpowering or being overpowered by the production, fitting the instrumental like a glove as he hits the end of every bar with the same intensity as the the snares, making you feel the infectious enthusiasm he exudes in his braggadocio.
Of the two tracks, Beej has the standout verse and is built to a satisfying crescendo when Jay Dee sings the hook with an echo effect on his voice that makes you feel like this ride into space just went into hyperspeed and elevates you even higher.
However that doesn’t mean Dilla himself doesn’t bring the heat up with his own verse as well, approaching the track fittingly with more intensity in his delivery than the in the last song, doing a good job of trying to match the excitement of his counterpart on track.
This is a phenomenal follow up as not only does Jay Dee amp up the energy and showcase a new style for his production with the denser percussion and electronic elements to give the song an outer space-type of feel, but also for the appearance of Beej as he comes in swinging with a star quality performance.
Overall
The most fascinating thing about this particular sequel is what it represents for J Dilla.
Establishing himself with his jazzy vibe/groove-heavy sound not only got him a name as a producer but was also very successful for him as it brought along opportunities to work with acts such as A Tribe Called Quest and Janet Jackson early on and people like Common, Erykah Badu and The Roots during their Soulquarians period which brought each artist a respective boost in their status and their sales.
However, whether it was confidence to challenge himself musically or the natural course of an artistic drive Jay Dee decided to take his production in a different direction with more of a focus on the denser bop in his funk and a more prominent feature of electronic samples to make his instrumentals sound like something for the jeeps rather than just to smoke out to.
In doing so, it helped establish a new period for his sound and carved out another area for people to appreciate the talent that was and is James Dewit Yancey, better known as J Dilla.
