Common talks about Dilla writing and rhyming on Thelonious

[TheDarceKnight]

I often feel a way that people correlate Dilla with Donuts so much. I get the mystique behind why but really this version of Dilla was the best. Dope beats, dope rhymes, musical and hood at the same time. A lot of my favorite joints of his is with him rapping. If he had not of passed, I definitely would have loved to see where he would have took it as an artist.

That's a risky take but I agree with it.

I understand why it's revered and I can't front like I was the biggest Dilla fan on earth before Donuts. In many ways it's what turned me from a casual fan to a super fan. But it's always been weird that so many people think of Donuts as being his sound when it's an experimental album that was made under wild circumstances. I think his mom said every beat on Donuts besides 2 was made with him dying in the hospital.

Khrysis put me onto Dilla with Fantastic 2, JayLib, and then Ruff Draft. I thought they were dope, especially Ruff Draft. To this day that's my favorite Dilla project. Once I heard Donuts I was able to realize his versatility and appreciate his older work much more.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I always had trouble distinguishing the voices of the original SV lineup.

I could tell T3's voice, and then Dilla and Baatin had similar voices, but I could tell Dilla because of his flow. His flow is what made him stand out the most to me.

 

[darealvelle]

That's a risky take but I agree with it.

I understand why it's revered and I can't front like I was the biggest Dilla fan on earth before Donuts. In many ways it's what turned me from a casual fan to a super fan. But it's always been weird that so many people think of Donuts as being his sound when it's an experimental album that was made under wild circumstances. I think his mom said every beat on Donuts besides 2 was made with him dying in the hospital.

Khrysis put me onto Dilla with Fantastic 2, JayLib, and then Ruff Draft. I thought they were dope, especially Ruff Draft. To this day that's my favorite Dilla project. Once I heard Donuts I was able to realize his versatility and appreciate his older work much more.

I might be the only person that thought Donuts was over rated especially listening to his prior productions. I understand the tragic story about it and he made it on his death bed. But musically imo people need to stop saying that was his best selection of work.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I might be the only person that thought Donuts was over rated especially listening to his prior productions. I understand the tragic story about it and he made it on his death bed. But musically imo people need to stop saying that was his best selection of work.

A lot of those "2003 beat tapes" sounded similar to me also

I think there's been some revisionist history (I've been guilty of it to a degree) of turning Donuts into an "experimental album" when maybe it was just meant to be nothing more than a beat tape with an official release.

 

[Double Burger With Cheese]

I got my copy of Like Water For Chocolate by Common at George’s Music like a week before the release date. He had a meet and greet. I had got it from Coops in 87th cause they always had the new releases a week early. Just had to ask and they would pull it out. Com was cool as hell, and was talking shyt cause nikkas had his shyt early lol.

I was a big fan of that album and remember reading the soulquarians produced that shyt. That whole album was funky. Dilla rally produced most that shut himself though. Him and Common had great chemistry. Very cohesive album sound wise and a classic overall.

This is why I have an issue and everlasting beef with these hipster nikkas. When Dilla died, he became this cult like figure. Man I was marveling over his beats in real fukking time. I was listening to Jaylib and Slum Village in real time. It’s sound selfish, but it’s not that. I don’t mind people celebrating Dilla, but I feel like a lot of that shyt fake as hell. He was highly praised when he was alive, but it wasn’t on this level. Kind of like Nipsey. Like where was all this love and respect outside of a small demographic at when he was alive?

Now they about to do the same thing to MF Doom. And these dudes deserve all the praise but I just gotta call a spade a spade. Got white girls doing dilla appreciation videos and shyt smh. All this hoe ass soulesss lofi instrumental shyt, attributing Dilla as the influence, when he would slap them nikkas for that soulless shyt.

 

[darealvelle]

A lot of those "2003 beat tapes" sounded similar to me also

I think there's been some revisionist history (I've been guilty of it to a degree) of turning Donuts into an "experimental album" when maybe it was just meant to be nothing more than a beat tape with an official release.

There is nothing experimental about that project. Just good ole chops and loops.

 

[darealvelle]

I got my copy of Like Water For Chocolate by Common at George’s Music like a week before the release date. He had a meet and greet. I had got it from Coops in 87th cause they always had the new releases a week early. Just had to ask and they would pull it out. Com was cool as hell, and was talking shyt cause nikkas had his shyt early lol.

I was a big fan of that album and remember reading the soulquarians produced that shyt. That whole album was funky. Dilla rally produced most that shut himself though. Him and Common had great chemistry. Very cohesive album sound wise and a classic overall.

This is why I have an issue and everlasting beef with these hipster nikkas. When Dilla died, he became this cult like figure. Man I was marveling over his beats in real fukking time. I was listening to Jaylib and Slum Village in real time. It’s sound selfish, but it’s not that. I don’t mind people celebrating Dilla, but I feel like a lot of that shyt fake as hell. He was highly praised when he was alive, but it wasn’t on this level. Kind of like Nipsey. Like where was all this love and respect outside of a small demographic at when he was alive?

Now they about to do the same thing to MF Doom. And these dudes deserve all the praise but I just gotta call a spade a spade. Got white girls doing dilla appreciation videos and shyt smh. All this hoe ass soulesss lofi instrumental shyt, attributing Dilla as the influence, when he would slap them nikkas for that soulless shyt.

Please dont get me started on that LoFI wave. Some of that LoFI shyt is dope and some are not. Yes and you are right MF DOOM is about to be crowned the best emcee/producer ever.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

I got my copy of Like Water For Chocolate by Common at George’s Music like a week before the release date. He had a meet and greet. I had got it from Coops in 87th cause they always had the new releases a week early. Just had to ask and they would pull it out. Com was cool as hell, and was talking shyt cause nikkas had his shyt early lol.

I was a big fan of that album and remember reading the soulquarians produced that shyt. That whole album was funky. Dilla rally produced most that shut himself though. Him and Common had great chemistry. Very cohesive album sound wise and a classic overall.

This is why I have an issue and everlasting beef with these hipster nikkas. When Dilla died, he became this cult like figure. Man I was marveling over his beats in real fukking time. I was listening to Jaylib and Slum Village in real time. It’s sound selfish, but it’s not that. I don’t mind people celebrating Dilla, but I feel like a lot of that shyt fake as hell. He was highly praised when he was alive, but it wasn’t on this level. Kind of like Nipsey. Like where was all this love and respect outside of a small demographic at when he was alive?

Now they about to do the same thing to MF Doom. And these dudes deserve all the praise but I just gotta call a spade a spade. Got white girls doing dilla appreciation videos and shyt smh. All this hoe ass soulesss lofi instrumental shyt, attributing Dilla as the influence, when he would slap them nikkas for that soulless shyt.

I don’t want to derail the thread but this is as good as a place as any. I can’t fake the funk on DOOM.

I’ve felt almost guilty that I haven’t been nearly as broken up about his passing as I was Sean Price or Prodigy.

I love Madvillainy and I really like a lot Doomsday and MM Food. And I know Doom was your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. I saw the Mos Def mark out fan video. I’ve seen the video essays. I know Doom inspired so many of my favorite rappers.

And again I love those 3 albums I named and I loved a lot of his production. But for whatever reason (I don’t know if it was the mask/never seeing his face or the fake live shows) I just haven’t been very upset since he passed and I feel like I need my hiphop pass revoked or some shyt; as if it’s not cool to say I didn’t love him.

I always liked Piñata a little more than Madvillainy and felt guilty, despite knowing how much Madvillainy changed the game.

I respect DOOM so much and I’m sad he’s gone, but I never had the personal connection with his music, and I don’t want to fake like I did.

 

[Double Burger With Cheese]

Please dont get me started on that LoFI wave. Some of that LoFI shyt is dope and some are not. Yes and you are right MF DOOM is about to be crowned the best emcee/producer ever.

Yeah I sound like a straight hater when speaking on LoFi lol but yeah, some of that shyt is dope. Hate to lump them all together. But in general I hate that shyt lol.

 

[Double Burger With Cheese]

I don’t want to derail the thread but this is as good as a place as any. I can’t fake the funk on DOOM.

I’ve felt almost guilty that I haven’t been nearly as broken up about his passing as I was Sean Price or Prodigy.

I love Madvillainy and I really like a lot Doomsday and MM Food. And I know Doom was your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper. I saw the Mos Def mark out fan video. I’ve seen the video essays. I know Doom inspired so many of my favorite rappers.

And again I love those 3 albums I named and I loved a lot of his production. But for whatever reason, I don’t know if it was the mask or the fake live shows...I just haven’t been very upset since he passed and I feel like I need my hiphop pass revoked or some shyt.

I always liked Piñata a little more than Madvillainy and felt guilty, despite knowing how much Madvillainy changed the game.

I respect DOOM so much and I’m sad he’s gone, but I never had the jets in so connection with his music, and I don’t want to fake like I did.

Naw I feel you. I feel kind of guilty too cause I was a big fan, but I can’t fake like I was some super fan. I’m a super fan of what he represents, which is like you said, your favorite rappers favorite rapper, a mastery level emcee. But I can’t be fake and act like I was the MF Doom fan club president. I feel like I should have been a bigger fan. Cause if you into this “real hip hop” shyt you can’t not be a general fan. Ain’t no points for that, that’s expected lol.

 

[darealvelle]

Yeah I sound like a straight hater when speaking on LoFi lol but yeah, some of that shyt is dope. Hate to lump them all together. But in general I hate that shyt lol.

That shyt is so easy to make as well. Peep this shyt I made a long time ago



Just find some 70s bluegrass shyt and just time stretch it over some sloppy drums.

 

[Double Burger With Cheese]

That shyt is so easy to make as well. Peep this shyt I made a long time ago



Just find some 70s bluegrass shyt and just time stretch it over some sloppy drums.

Dope flip breh. Yeah man that right there kind of illustrates my gripes with the lofi.

First off, you chopped your shyt up. Which you don’t necessarily have to chop every sample up, but you chopped that one up. I noticed a lot of these dudes take a random as part of some piano parlor music or some shyt and loop it. Which is cool, but some of these dudes NEVER chop the sample.

Then, they will put those soft ass drums on there. This 8 bit percussion sounding shyt. Which is cool if you using that sometimes, but some people think lofi beats mean soft ass snares and kicks, which is not true. The drums can hit like they did in your beat.

Then you can just run the shyt through a lofi filter like a lot of these dudes do. These beats can be very formulamatic, which is funny cause they supposed to be in direct contest to commercial hip hop beats which are known to be the same.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Naw I feel you. I feel kind of guilty too cause I was a big fan, but I can’t fake like I was some super fan. I’m a super fan of what he represents, which is like you said, your favorite rappers favorite rapper, a mastery level emcee. But I can’t be fake and act like I was the MF Doom fan club president. I feel like I should have been a bigger fan. Cause if you into this “real hip hop” shyt you can’t not be a general fan. Ain’t no points for that, that’s expected lol.

Good post. Well said.

 

[TheDarceKnight]

Please dont get me started on that LoFI wave. Some of that LoFI shyt is dope and some are not. Yes and you are right MF DOOM is about to be crowned the best emcee/producer ever.

I do think Dilla had some influence on the LoFi thing. I agree he wouldn’t love it. But if you ask a lot of these LoFi producers who their favorite producers are, the big names that come up are Knxledge, FlyLo, and Dilla.

I think Knx might’ve had the most influence in the sound without being a full time LoFi producer himself.

I think a lot of LoFi fans work backwards until they land on Dilla, Madlib, Pete Rock, Alchemist, and other more contemporary beat makers that are loved and revered.

 

[darealvelle]

Dope flip breh. Yeah man that right there kind of illustrates my gripes with the lofi.

First off, you chopped your shyt up. Which you don’t necessarily have to chop every sample up, but you chopped that one up. I noticed a lot of these dudes take a random as part of some piano parlor music or some shyt and loop it. Which is cool, but some of these dudes NEVER chop the sample.

Then, they will put those soft ass drums on there. This 8 bit percussion sounding shyt. Which is cool if you using that sometimes, but some people think lofi beats mean soft ass snares and kicks, which is not true. The drums can hit like they did in your beat.

Then you can just run the shyt through a lofi filter like a lot of these dudes do. These beats can be very formulamatic, which is funny cause they supposed to be in direct contest to commercial hip hop beats which are known to be the same.

Thx breh, your gripes are the same just as mine about LoFi. All them producers use that RC- 20 Plugin for the Lofi Effect or just run their beats through a SP-303.