#DillaLegacy: Jansport J - "Save My Soul" Album

Though it is a few years old now, Jansport J and his instrumental album from 2011 called "Save My Soul" still gets plenty of rotation here at The Double Truth. A nice nod to Dilla "Donuts" era chopped samples and no MC's approach to album making, "Save My Soul" digs into the soul sample catalog and manages to breath new life into some popular samples and some lesser known. I half expect to hear the Dilla siren going off in some of these, but it stands up as a solid part of the lineage of Dilla's beat tapes and specifically "Donuts" era so keep an eye on Jansport J and his crew for more true school sounds in the future.

DOWNLOAD LINK
http://jansportj.bandcamp.com/album/save-my-soul-instrumental-lp

#DillaLegacy: Nhu-Ra - "Heartbeats" Album

Hailing from Norway and showing a dedication to the sounds of J Dilla, producer Nhu-Ra recently dropped a beat tape entitled "Heartbeats". Though the beats are mellow throughout and the airy claps sound very much like Dilla's, I like that the global influence of Dilla's legacy is still emerging today. Nhu-Ra continues to put out chilled out, somewhat spacey beats and it shouldn't be long before people start rocking over his work to wax poetic over more downtempo backgrounds.

CHECK OUT THE ALBUM HERE
http://nhu-rha.bandcamp.com/album/heartbeats

#DillaLegacy: J.Rocc - "Droppin Science" DJ Mix

Some folks only know J.Rocc as one part of the World Famous Beat Junkies or maybe not at all. However, he has proven to be an integral part of the J Dilla legacy from his incredible knowledge of breaks and samples, but also from his relationship with Dilla that included many digging adventures and collaborative mixes like his efforts for the Jaylib project. His most recent project entitled "Droppin Science" is a short reel of DJ mixes that involve some of his most recent vinyl excursions and dedications to his work with Jaylib's "Champion Sound" album. Check it out and get it while you can.

DOWNLOAD HERE
http://jsanddjsoul.bandcamp.com/album/droppin-science

Fine Art Friday: #DillaLegacy - Dale Edwin Murray

Dale Edwin Murray may not have known Dilla personally, but his series of illustrations of "Hip Hop Heads" counts Dilla as one of the standouts and the image above always stood out to me as an original approach to some of the Hip Hop Icons in history. Glad to see that he can recognize the greats and pick up on the subtle (and not so subtle) elements that made them stand out. Check more of his great work out at the link HERE. Support original art and quality music!

#DillaLegacy: !llmind - "Happy B-Day Dilla" EP

"J Dilla, what more can I say about the man that hasn’t been said already. He’s one of the greatest. When I started messing with beat making in the late 90’s, he was the one producer I studied. I still study him, to this day. During a time period of about 5 years, I was in “beat-making-boot-camp”, or “5 beats a day for 3 summers” as Kanye would say. I trained my ear and was inspired by Dilla the whole time. This is a collection of 4 beats (out of thousands) that I made during that time period. I hope you enjoy! Rest in power J Dilla. Forever." ----!llmind

DOWNLOAD LINK

#DillaLegacy: Nottz x Pete Rock - "Turn It Up"

As part of my 3 day Dilla Legacy posts (birthday to deathday), I will post things relevant to the life and times of James DeWitt Yancey and his undeniable influence on Hip Hop music. Whether it is people he worked with, stories about his production, or people whose work he impacted, it will be all Dilla related content from Feb 7 - 10.

For my first post, I wanted to give props to Nottz and Pete Rock for the new video and track for "Turn It Up". Always one to check for anything these cats put out, I appreciate how they express their fondness for Dilla in the song (even using his famous quote as the title) and honor the less-appreciated art of the MC-Producer that Dilla, and other like him, helped popularize.

Stay tuned for more "Turn it up" indeed.

Video: Leftmind - "Digress"

Leftmind and the Beatlamper crew recently dropped a short debut album called "When It Rains" with a mix of lo-fi, throwback jazzy beats and honest lyrics. The lead single for the video above is entitled “Digress” and which is available as a free download on his Bandcamp page. I couldn't dig up to much info on the crew, but I appreciate their mellowed approach to hip hop and more creative vision for the video. Here's hoping for more noise for this crew.

 Check out more underground artists at Undergroundmusic.fm.

Video: HAWDWERK - "MasterMind"

CA and Blue Collar Werk representer HAWDWERK, recently dropped the video for his track "MasterMind"to help shine some light on his crew and the folks at Cov Original clothing. Building towards the release of his upcoming album "The Graveyard Shift", HAWDWERK shows off his more mellow style and honest lyrics about life struggles and keeping your mind right amongst the madness of everyday life and trying to make the music you love. Keep an eye out for more coming soon!

Download the single HERE 

Video: JRxPH7 ft. St. Joe Louis - "Never Enough"

Soulspazm beatmasters JR and PH7 continue to drop gems from their most recent album and the video for the "Never Enough" featuring St. Joe Louis helps promote their brand of chilled out, laid back and honest Hip Hop from all over the globe. They help shine a light on some of the more slept on crews in the underground and the standouts on the Soulspazm roster. Check "The Good Life" album out for a peak into their consistent range as tastemakers.

Video: Astro - "He Fell Off"

Even with a massive spotlight on him as part of the reality TV talent show crowd, the now 16 year old rapper Astro (Astronomical Kid) shined against full grown adults with his stage presence and star power. Though he didn't win the show, he made his mark early on and has recently been prepping his upcoming mixtape "Deadbeats and Lazy Lyrics" to help build his true school cred even more. I have to give him major props for not going the "techno dance" route with his new found fame and paying homage to the lyricists and beats from the Golden Era. Here's hoping he can keep carrying the torch for the true school in the years to come.

Listen: Steven Jus' Dreamin' - "Nursery Rhymes"

As part of my continued push to shine a light on super slept on talents of the world, I wanted to share some recent racks by fellow Brooklynite Steven Jus Dreamin. Though he seems to still be in the beginning stages of his career, he shows a good ear for beats (soulful) and keeps the lyrics honest and personal. You might not hear it rocking in the club, but this is music that can help you zone out and think about life. Hoping for more in the future and possible collaborations with LuvJonez Music in the future.