The Fantastic, Vol. 1

Slum Village

album cover

The Playbook for a Ton of '90s Hip-hop

For the most part, the lure of this touchstone of '90s hip-hop isn't the wordplay. In fact, the crude sexual boasts and outsized proclamations of rhyme-assassin prowess from the members of this Detroit crew often feel like first drafts, as though the rappers are just messing around, intending to put "final" vocals on later.

What's going on behind the words is another story. Fantastic is the world's first peek into the overstuffed bag of tricks developed by the producer known as Jay Dee or J Dilla (born Jimmy Yancey, he died in 2006 after a long illness). A genius of collage and collision, Jay Dee was the rare hip-hop beatmaker whose every groove is instantly identifiable, blessed with a signature rhythmic "feel." Fantastic, Vol. 1 was made in four days in Jay Dee's basement, with the rappers doing their thing to a simple drum track. The producer told the rappers to "imagine" a more elaborate production behind them, which he added after the fact (most hip-hop is made the other way around, with the music first). Sure enough, Jay Dee augmented the raps with burbling James Brownish bass lines, rubbery electric pianos, and all sorts of sampled sorcery.

First as singles and then as an album, these tracks became an underground phenomenon in Detroit clubs—their up-tempo agitations influenced Eminem and the D12 crew— and soon the Slum Village sound spread throughout the East Coast, particularly among those looking for something besides confrontational gangsta sounds. Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, the drummer of the Roots, recalls that the earthy musical textures of Fantastic spread like wildfire through the hip-hop ranks, influencing what he and others were doing: "Hands down this album birthed the neo-soul movement," he argues, adding that everyone from the Roots to D'Angelo to Erykah Badu copped bits of Jay Dee's hypersyncopated approach. "It was a new way to present raw funk in a contemporary sense."

Genre: Hip-Hop
Released: 1996, Donut Boy
Key Tracks: "Keep It On (This Beat)," "Players," "Look of Love" (Remix)
Catalog Choice: Fantastic, Vol. 2.
Next Stop: The Roots: Things Fall Apart
After That: Erykah Badu: Mama's Gun
Book Pages: 712–713

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Comments:

#1 from Travis, Seattle - 10/15/2008 4:43

R.I.P. J Dilla. He made some of the illest beats for Slum Village, ATCQ… the list would go on forever… Great album!

#2 from Orion, Nebreezy - 04/02/2009 4:03

A major mistake in this bio. J Dilla was born James Dewitt Yancey and not Jimmy Yancey. Jimmy Yancey was a famous pianist that had nothing to do with Slum Village. J Dilla is my idol and of the countless bios I have read on him, not once was he ever referred to as Jimmy. I would also have to say that Fantastic Vol. 2 is much better than vol. 1 which was more of a demo (and very hard to find). Vol. 2 is one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time. C’mon Tom, have someone check this stuff before you print it! I love the book though.

#3 from Tom Moon - 04/12/2009 11:41

Thanks Orion!

I know who Jimmy Yancey was, and I also know that J Dilla had so many names (noms de rap and otherwise)—I can’t quite see this as an “error.” in interviews with me, various people called him Jimmy and J and James.

as for the merits of V. 1 vs V. 2—in some instances in the book, I went with lesser-known works that were influential on other artists. That’s the case here. I agree that Vol. 2 is more produced and quite extraordinary, and at the same time, as the entry notes, Vol. 1 was a catalyst for lots of artists, a key moment of inspiration. while it is demo-like, it’s also tremendously inventive. and please note that Vol. 2, which as you say is easier to find, is listed in the entry.

thanks for corresponding!
tm

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