Is it the mystic of the midwest? Detroit and Chicago always reminded me of the connection between New Jersey and New York, or Philly and Brooklyn. The connection of the cities are evident when looking at the cultural output of the hiphop from those areas. The lifestyles are similar or better yet complimentary. Kanye seems to come from the same school of production and style as J Dilla. He brings the same school spirit, like repping the same almamada. J Dilla was the popular senior who saw and showed love to the freshman coming in ready to dew it to do it. When I think of boom bap with universal musical appeal, I think of J Dilla, I then think of Kanye West. Parties in LA can blast either 2 and have jus as a good time as partying to The Baby, Pop Smoke or vintage BadBoy hits.

There is a disconnect in my opinion with the influence of a Kanye West, and what he can bring to the boom bap. This disconnect is holding up Joey Badass having a hit featuring Ab- soul and Jazmine Sullivan.. which can bring a different needed air in the culture today. I think this disconnect is preventing TDE label from being inspired to formulate the energy for the next Kendrick or AB- Soul album…Where is No ID? I need to hear the session that Kanye, Consequence, Kweli, Jay Z, Premo, Common, Swizz Beats, Glasper, Kamasi, and Thunder Cat etc are in and out of, with strings lol. Pull up Madlib and Konduct.

  • Big Facts

I feel the same about J Dilla. The Roots, Badu, Common, Dangelo, Q tip, Busta, Mos and Kweli, Bilal, and the rest of the gang haven’t dropped that next influential piece of work that pushes the sound foward. I believe it to be the absence of a J Dilla. I haven’t heard The Roots with a Dillaish groove, featuring a Tiarra Whack and Mumu Fresh, Peedi Crack and Roc Marci, or a K.Dot…I haven’t heard the next Stay Woke, with Badu, Georgia Ann, this one with Dangelo..or a Black Star Ep wit Styles P, Bilal, and Little Dragon features. Or even a Common and Royce collab based on the sound waves of Dilla. Why doesn’t Black Thought have one song on a Kanye beat? or does he, and we jus wont eva hear?

It begins to feel like no one can take the place of these 2. And if there absent then so will the possibility to further progress what these 2 bring to the music. FUCK! Remember the early 90’s myth vibe surrounding Jay Dee? remember his work with A Tribe Called Quest and Busta Rhymes? Remember Slum Village? OMG the Fantastic. Remember Welcome to Detroit album? Classic arranged as a body of work, where Dilla might have rhymed like 6 times on it? Whole crew on it, choreographed in a dope format, still cipher styled.Word. Remember Kanye throwing that diamond up? and the months before the release of College Dropout? Remember him and ODB, him and Little Brother, him and Freeway and Mos Def, him and Cam, him and Jay Z etc? Remember his MTV unplugged?

Big Sean is an artist I feel can see it like I see it too. Him being from Detroit but being signed to Chicago’s leading light, and understanding enough of the influence Dilla and Kanye have on music outside the industry. He is a rapper I feel can wave the flag to combine these worlds and still include the new sound of the now in the mix. This will create the influence and balance todays artist need. Lets make Pharrell proud. Lets get Tyler the Creator and Pete Rock together. Lets get Beyonce and Solange to sing background vocals for Pimp a Butterfly 2, on some Aliyah/Tweet shit. Make sure Karriem Riggins and Chris Dave are around for these sessions too.

the tale of 2 cities have to come as 1

Blending these worlds are essential to the the unification of the bigger picture. There is power in numbers. I need that crack music nigga, that real black music nigga. Take it back to move forward like Sankofa, and it allow it to circulate like air.

I love J Dilla like combining all the food with the last scoop on your thanksgiving plate. I love Kanye like when your older cousin gives you the Iceberg sweater you where on the first day back to school. I always think hmmm Kanye lost his mother Donda, and ms. Yancey lost J Dilla. These 2 passed away a year apart. Dilla in 06 and Ms West in 07. Ase’s.

Why didn’t Kanye connect with Ms Yancey? It felt obvious that he would. It feels like Ms Yancey would have ben open to help him balance how to keep some of the energy of Dilla in his output. What a spiritual miracle. I feel like this connection not happening left us all waterless. We’ve ben drinking bubbles since 07. I wanna hear the negro spiritual Take me to the Water sampled by Kanye. He has to make the beat at Ms Yancey’s suite. For the culture.