J Dilla – Still Shining Documentary (and Donuts)
J Dilla was one of those souls born before his time, anyone can see that. A friend of mine sent me the link to Still Shining, a documentary produced by Atkins’ Gifted Films and Brian “B” Kyle, and I was immediately floored.
I watched the documentary (forty minutes in total) last night and throughout my day today, I had one phrase that wouldn’t get out of my head: “he was always in the basement.” Every single person on that documentary talked about Jay’s dedication to his craft – working his magic in the basement, coming up with beat after beat after beat. His walls were lined with records and the image of his work space alone is inspiring. I will be watching this film again and again to better understand people’s perception of this musical genius…it’s always the same story – “if only we hadn’t lost him…”
I’m also going to hit the record store tomorrow and buy Donuts, the album that was released three days before his death. Generation Records better have it. If they don’t, I’ll spend the day searching. I’m excited about delving deeper into artists that I haven’t heard much of as a result of being exposed to J Dilla’s music…Bilal, Jay Electronica, Pete Rock, Mos Def…the list goes on. This should be interesting.
“J.Dilla: Still Shining” from B.Kyle on Vimeo.
