Diggin In The Digi: ?uestlove "RBMA Takeover: Roots Play Dilla DJ Set" (2011)

Where to begin?

In certain hiphop circles the name J Dilla rings out above all others. Upon his passing in 2006 there was an endless stream of knock offs looking to generate some hype off the man's steez and deliver lazy interpolations of his timeless sound. Of course these projects were so numerous in the end little of it stuck around - although a few are still doing their thing today and some have taken that initial inspiration to realms unimaginable at the time.

Jay Dee was a savant with the MPC. His ability to capture loops, flip drums and bang out rhythms on a machine with the feel of a real drummer only begins to scratch the surface of what it was he cooked up. The beats were soulful, smooth, rugged, classic hiphop that could be touched by emcee’s and vocalists alike. His list of collaborators is lauded. His impact on music as a whole is unquestioned. Alas this isn’t about the man, as more words have been shed on him than ever needed to be. The music speaks for itself. Go listen.

One particular point of enlightenment in his evolution was the late 90’s “neo soul” uprising and the communion of several once in a generation talents converging at Electric Ladyland studios in NYC to craft a series of albums that to this day sound fresh and new. Mama’s Gun, Like Water for Chocolate, Things Fall Apart & Voodoo all emerged from these sessions. And created a bond between all of the individuals involved that could never be shaken. ?uestlove, the venerable Roots crew drummer has spoken about it with a child like glee. It was here that he truly learned about the magic Dilla was channeling.

Upon James Yancey’s passing the Roots delivered auditory eulogies on their seventh studio album, Game Theory, via the opening and closing tracks and ?uest was known to drop tribute sets when he DJ’d. But when they signed on to be the house band for a late night NBC talk show part of the deal was that they received their own practice space at the Studio’s 30 Rockefeller Plaza headquarters. And put that space to use they did.

After years of countless tour dates, to be centered and locked in to a daily evening commitment changed everything for the group. That practice space allowed them to stay sharp, flesh out ideas, refine their interactions as a band and of course create. In April of 2010 they let leak a batch of sessions cooked up with the one and only Jay Dee in mind. I remember being overjoyed when I saw the post up on 2dopeboyz: “The Roots - Dilla Joints” - a dream come true. To this day it is one of only two projects I remember from the era of clones aiming to deliver their best impressions of the god (I got a prize for whoever can guess what the other one is in the comments).

That brings us to this set ?uestlove rocked at Boiler Room in the winter of 2011 for the Red Bull Music Academy. I stumbled upon this 45 minute set a couple of weeks ago as I set out to rediscover all that an old hard drive contained. I sat mesmerized by the grooves and instantly knew that this was the one to kick off this here Digi Diggin series.

Writing about a DJ set is an interesting proposition. This set is so dope. It’s that simple. While there is much to be said about the Roots skills leading up to their new era as a backing band for a talk show host, there is no denying that getting off the road and interacting with each other daily presented them with the opportunity to step up their chops and really sink into the musicality they brought to hiphop. And these covers are a pristine example of all of that and more.

The drums bang, the grooves are deep, the funk is rugged and raw. Dilla has to be smiling down seeing his friends pay this kind of tribute to his beloved tracks. The only thing that would improve these is if Black Thought had just tore up the mic with a forty five minute freestyle - there is always something more to dream up for us hiphop nerds.

The set is smooth, ?uest is a skilled DJ and this had to be a joyous occasion for him that I suspect felt like a breeze and victory lap for the man who might be the biggest fanatic of sounds our generation knows. He let’s the tracks play just long enough for us to settle into a nice head nod before flipping the script to the next one. The topper of it all? The indomitable Gaslamp Killer plays hype man here.

As these cuts play, and ?uest sinks deeper into the vaults, GLK is the perfect exemplar of how to talk over a mixtape. Never too much, right on time and clearly excited to take part in this slice of hiphop history. His presence is such an interesting alignment of all that has transpired since Dilla’s passing. GLK is known for his own genre defying DJ sets and his music is a menagerie of sonic booms and experiments, that while paying little tribute to the sound of Dilla in an aping kind of way, definitely wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for Mr. Yancy’s ground breaking.

This DJ set is a perfect example of how to engage a crowd and get your audience to ride the emotions with you. ?uest allows the energy to ebb and flow, alternating hard hitting classic high energy beats with spaced out ethereal gems. He rarely blends anything together, opting to bounce into track after track with quick transitions or some simple scratch techniques. He also leaves space for these tracks to really show off the interplay of the band which in turn brings to life the depth of Dilla’s skills.

Let this set soak in, revisit it, play it in the car. Share it with your friends, even the ones who don’t dig hiphop. It’s filled with so many styles and opportunities for auditory expansion. It’s a blessing that this hasn't been lost to the depths of the internet, it is certainly a mix I will revisit with fond memories always.