J Dilla began recording this EP during a time when he was estranged in both the personal and professional aspects of his life. Personal family issues, and the prolonged, tedious battles he had with major label MCA, all seemed to push Dilla to a pivotal point in his life. It is also important to note that this release came after he had considerable experience as a producer, songwriter and musician, helping to create some seminal masterpieces, like his much-lauded Welcome 2 Detroit release, among others. Ultimately, he chose to ride with his independent spirit and pour himself into producing music with more of the dirty, street-oriented edge that he wanted to explore.

From the opening seconds, Dilla dedicates the EP for “my real niggas only, DJs that play that real live shit…” He even references original mixtapes—yes, the actual cassettes -- as the inspiration for the music on the EP. He doesn’t disappoint either. The cut, “Reckless Driving” seems like it was specifically designed to boom from the speakers of a jeep or other ride of choice. “Make ‘em NV,” sounds glorious pumping through subwoofers, as its ethereal vibes float over rough and tough beats that threaten to make the ride bounce that much harder. And for all the hip-hop songs about getting papers, “The $” is that much hungrier lyrically as well as sonically as Dilla declares “...and get that dough, let’s eat, my nigga / let’s not be broke next week, my nigga.”

Dilla wasn’t only about gritty beats. He had an affinity for exploring sounds and production styles that transcended musical genres.

For one, he had an uncanny ability to capture all the good things about late 70’s “psychedelic shack” soul, and the sharp cut of late 80’s funk and R&B and mix them to create his own undeniably fluid, and soulful soundscapes. With the cuts, “Nothing Like This,” and “Intro (Alt.)” Dilla proves again that melody and chord-progressions were as important to him as the beats were. Both use samples that are surprisingly reminiscent of something more attributed to the music of seminal 90’s UK dream-pop band, My Bloody Valentine or some other band from the so-called shoegazer era.

And just as he did with his explorations into Afrobeat (in Common’s Like Water for Chocolate) and Brazilian Tropicalia (in his own Welcome 2 Detroit), he explores African rhythms, if only for a brief moment in the “Shouts” interlude. And while the rhythm that he uses in the cut, “Wild” is hard to categorize, he makes it even more appealing when he couples it with several verses from Slade’s 70’s rock anthem, “Cum On Feel Tha Noize”.

With all the adventurous choices that he makes throughout this release, it is perhaps, a little frustrating that some of the songs weren’t given more room to grow and develop. While the tracks manage to have their own undeniable character, they may still seem incomplete. And perhaps that is this release’s only drawback, even if it is a slight one.....