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BUSTA RHYMES & J DILLA
Mick Boogie Presents Dillagence
Mick Boogie/Flipmode, 2007
7.0/10, Solid [scale]

Dillagence

Contributed by Hubert Sawyers III on 12/12/07

I want to apologize for the tardiness of this review, but as a Dilla fanboy, I had to marinate on this project in order to give it a balanced review. I know everyone is not sold on the greatness of James “Jay Dee aka J Dilla” Yancey’s beats / music, so we owe it to you to view this with the same objective mind we do everything else.

With that said, it should go without saying that J Dilla had an impact on hip hop and contemporary R&B, even if it was recognized posthumously. When Mick Boogie released the download link for this project, I understand it dropped out several times due to overloading its source server(s). I bet this doesn’t happen to everyone, unless your name is Tay Zonday.

There is no debate – Busta Rhymes was the largest artist that Dilla had the opportunity to bless with his tunes (other than, perhaps, an uncredited Janet Jackson hit single). It seems only right that Busta showcase some of the work that “could’ve been,” as most of these tunes have that kind of feel. If the tracks on Dillagence are unreleased loosies recorded some time ago, it is easy to understand why some of them did not make his albums. That is not to say there aren’t some glorious gems on it.

Before I highlight any specific tunes, I have to credit Busta Rhymes for his skill to be able to rap on any type of beat. Busta is the king of pocketing the rhythm, which he happens to give Dilla credit for in terms of how he adapted to any particular artist he worked with. When you hear Busta rhyme over some of the tracks that have been circulating over the internet in the form of beat tapes, you are getting an example of how to properly flow over some of Dilla’s most peculiar rhythms. Like the unorthodox pattern on the “Lightworks” beat, which many will know from its inclusion on Donuts, Talib and Q Tip sound like regular rappers, but Busta comes on it and bodies the double-snare at the end of each bar like a worldly pro.

Like any regular hip hop project in the 21st century, Dillagence starts out really strong and ends strong. Most of the tracks in the middle of the tracklist are solid, outside of a few dud-lies like “Best That Ever Did It,” which you would know the beat as “Last Donut of the Night” from Donuts. There is nothing particularly wrong with this song other than it is just drab in comparison to the other featured tracks. In fact, the two tracks that could have been kept off this project unfortunately had fellow Flipmode Squad queen, Rah Digga, on them. The best two cuts though are “Takin’ What’s Mine” and the neck-snapping “Step Up.” They are reminiscent of the quality Busta-Dilla collaborations that peppered all of Busta’s projects. Another highlight is “Baggage Handlers,” a grimy Scarface (the movie)-inspired Raekwon song with Busta on the hook, slated to be on Cuban Linx 2 (which Busta is executive producing).

Lyrically, Busta’s strength has always been in his style / swagger on songs, so don’t expect to be wowed by his bars. Some of them don’t really make much sense at times, but they can still amuse though. I know I can’t help but chuckle when I hear “Not Right Now,” with the humorous hook of the same name that is even incorporated into each verse.

Now in terms of the mixtape format, it’s typical east coast fare – no song mixing, random signature drops to remind you who did the mixtape and the requisite rewind-it-back on a song or two. Still, props to Mick Boogie for bringing this project to the masses and free, no less.

Dillagence is not the opus that many Dilla fans are seeking, but it is definitely an enjoyable addition to his already-lengthy discography. Busta Rhymes shows us the true effect of Dilla’s music by sharing seemingly old scrap tracks that are stronger than many hip hop tracks today. If you are a fan of J Dilla, this collector’s edition CD is worth your duckets, plus some proceeds go to the J Dilla Foundation.