I first listened to J Dilla as a child with my father. I watched as his head moved in unison with the perfectly timed snare on “Fall in Love.” Twenty years ago, Dilla wasn’t nationally known and went by Jay Dee. After working with the Ummah, a production trio alongside Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, he produced for Erykah Badu, De La Soul, and Busta Rhymes. His work with Slum Village made him beloved in underground circles. The release of his first album would begin his ascension to hip-hop royalty.
Welcome 2 Detroit, serves as J Dilla’s solo debut and the first time he used the name. The project features hard-hitting beats and creative samples his fans had come to expect. All the while, Welcome 2 Detroit is an experimental album that pushes the boundaries of hip-hop.
Critics who describe Dilla’s production as minimalist or lo-fi unknowingly limit his artistry. Lo-fi hip-hop blends the melodies of jazz with the percussion of nineties hip-hop. Dilla’s sound extends beyond labels because he created without restraints. In “The Clapper’’, he ambitiously layers hi-hats in a manner that at first seems like a joke. Stylistically, he avoided using quantization — which covers a producer’s errors by matching sounds to a song’s tempo. Instead, Dilla embraced these flaws and created arrangements that Questlove described as “being played by a drunk three-year-old.” Welcome 2 Detroit showcases Dilla not using time as the foundation for his beats but feel.
Musically, the album takes us around the world. “Rico Suave Bossa Nova’’ and “African Rhythms” are groovy re-creations that pull from Brazilian and African bands. Before Welcome 2 Detroit, A Tribe Called Quest and Black Moon found success sampling from jazz. Producers like Dilla and Madlib looked for new sounds exploring artists from South American and Eastern Africa. “Think Twice”, a cover from jazz legend Donald Byrd, is unquestionably the album’s best track. He slowly builds the instrumental up and finds ways to make dull moments therapeutic. Dilla thrived in these moments acutely aware of when to add more or do nothing.
While Welcome 2 Detroit is experimental, it also brings us closer to Dilla’s hometown. He collaborates with other Detroit artists like Dwele, Elzhi, and Phat Kat. Their lyrical content reflects the Motor City culture, rugged but refreshingly upbeat. Dilla contributes by rapping on a handful of tracks. His rapping gets lost in the stellar production but does enough to entertain. He avoids using over-determined rhyme and finds room to drop witty lines. “Clip be on the hip for these folks tryna take what’s mine, and end up the opposite of where the sunshine,” he says on “Give It Up.”
Dilla goes a step further by also presenting Detroit’s rich musical history. Samples pay homage to nationally known genres like Motown and even the city’s unique techno scene on tracks like “B.B.E. (Big Booty Express).”
Welcome 2 Detroit is a debut album that does a bit of everything. He collides his instinct-based hip-hop with jazz, techno, and sounds from across the world. The album ultimately feels personal and brings us closer to Dilla and his beloved hometown. Today, rap is formulaic and obsessed with adding as much filler as possible. As Dilla’s debut album turns twenty, it remains a gem due to its ability to feel both complete and unrushed.
