Dilla - Jay $tay Paid Album Review

What are the size of your expectations when you learn that an artist's posthumous release will be helmed by their mother and their biggest idol? Exponentially greater than if that release was handled by the suits at a record label I’m sure! If you’re reading this then I’m sure you know what I’m referring to, but if not: Jay $tay Paid, which was overseen by his mom, Ma Dukes and the legendary Pete Rock. Once again a mother lode of Dilla beats have been mined and polished and presented to you for your listening appreciation.

The album gets started with one of many instrumentals, King. The title is fitting because it shows why he is the most highly regarded beatmaker, his lack of fear when creating! King and the other beats that follow show where Dilla was HEADED with the beats; spaced out gems that are full of hip hop flavor and bang Jeeps. Even though cats are still attempting to imitate Dilla, I’m sure no one anticipated this sound! Several of these instrumentals continue before we are introduced to emcees rocking over these tasty beat treats.

Many of these artists are the usual suspects on a Dilla tune: Frank Nitti, Phat Kat, and Cue D to name a few. Jay $tay Paid also delivers some dream pairings with emcees you never thought you would hear over a Dilla beat. The first emcee to appear on the album, producer and emcee, Blu, a definite descendant of Dilla, rocks over Smoke. Smoke is one of the few tunes on the album that gives you the classic Dilla (Jaylib era) sound. I expect Madlib/Quasimoto to jump in at anytime while listening to this beat! Another dream pairing is (unfortunately only) Lil Fame of the WORLD FAMOUS M.O.P. No longer relegated to just vocal snippets in Dilla instrumentals, Fame goes hard on Blood Sport which starts out as a synth heavy head nodder and segues into a slow contemplative beat, both of which Fame more than adequately blesses. New emcees are also introduced here, most notably Danny Brown on the wildly fantastic Dilla Bot vs. The Hybrid. Brown goes in with witty wordplay, personality and a massive amount of quotables that will make you wish this duo had collaborated much much earlier.

With tracks averaging in at 2:27 Jay $tay Paid is perfect for this era of the low attention span listener. Although the lengths of the tracks are comparatively short, the abundance of songs can get overwhelming. In addition, some of the songs just don’t go with the overall flow of the album and makes my FF button finger begin to itch. Overall, J$P is a dope project that I think would benefit from the old adage, “Less is more.” With 28 tracks, though, there’s something for EVERYONE so pick this one up June 2 and make sure Jay Stay Paid!

DJ Rahdu gives Jay $tay Paid 5.75 out of 7 Headnods
Head Nod Scale
1=Don't waste your time like I did mine.
2=Waste your time like I did mine but I dare you to disagree.
3=Well, there was the single.
4=If it were a hand in spades there's "two and a possible".
5=It's a "good" album. Meaning at least 3 or 4 solid songs.
6=Really Good Project. Has the "Rewind Factor" more than once.
7=The number of completion. Great Album. Instant Classic.