Customer Reviews

The Shining [Explicit]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

J Dilla is the man. I say is because he lives on since his beats are still going to be released thanks to Dilla's mom and his best friend Karriem Riggins, who helped throw this CD together. Riggins and Dilla used to get into beat making contests together, so you know this CD was in the right hands.

The production is classic, but some of the emcees leave a little to be desired. The exceptions are Guilty Simpson, MED, Pharoahe Monch, Dwele and Black Thought. Common, D'Angelo and Busta Rhymes don't do what they're capable of doing and I wish Madlib did some Lord Quas on "Baby," even though the track is fire enough as it is. This CD should get more play time than Donuts due to emcees being on it, but Donuts is a better album. They even recycled the beat from the track "Bye" on "So Far to Go," which feels weird because this is a short album as it is and surely there was an unreleased beat that could have been used for this track instead.

All that said, this is a classic CD, the best of the summer. "Love Jones," "Baby," "Body Movin," "Love," "Jungle Love," "Over the Breaks," "Dime Piece" and "Love Movin" are some of the hottest tracks you'll hear, and you gotta dig Dilla's emcee work on "Won't Do." I wasn't impressed with Dilla's work on the mic on the Jaylib joint Champion Sound, but after hearing this and "F*** the Police," you realize Dilla had potential to be a great emcee. If he had the same dedication to emceeing that he did to beat making he could have been one of the great lyricists. But obviously that wasn't going to happen, Dilla loved the MPC 3000 a lot more than the mic.

All that said, no words are needed to explain this. It's Dilla. He's the best. This album doesn't confirm this, it just re-affirms what Welcome to Detroit and Donuts and his other work already established. Get this, and then be on the lookout for Jay Love Japan and other works in the future. Dilla shines on.

most expect greatness from anything Dilla touched and this CD is no exception. it's like a big hot bowl of gumbo--so many different tastes and textures leave you warm and satisfied on so many levels. soulful at moments. frenetic at others. but always on something different! this album is a gift--plain and simple. a peek at the evolution of his sound, his talent, his experimentalism and his brilliant mind while he was still among us.

...it hits hard.

'The Shining' is a little fractured - and who could expect a cohesive effort when your health is so badly affected - but when it comes, it comes correct.

'E=MC2' could get any club up and moving with it's deeeeep bassline and headsmashing beat, and 'Love Jones' exemplifies what I like about Dilla: the willingness to throw two things that shouldn't go together, together.

'Love,' featuring another of my fave MCs, Pharoahe Monch, is a great, great song. It's got that back-in-the-day feeling, with Monch's half-singing, half-rapping, but the beat the roughness with which the chorus comes in ("We must be in looooove") is solidly Dilla.

The centerpiece of the album, in my opinion, is 'Jungle Love,' which for my money features the best beat and the best verse, a smasher from relative newcomer Guilty Simpson ("I don't really care who y'all rollin' with/'Cause a real ***** don't need sponsorship," "I maul y'all like a shoppin' center") and a beat that would peel the paint off your walls. As if the beat itself wasn't rough enough, when the chorus drops in, Dilla adds some sort of speaker-feedback buzz that makes it hit all the harder. Add another killer second verse from MED and you have a song that almost makes me forget how short 'The Shining' is.

There are a few songs that drag a little, but overall this is a very satisfying paragraph in the final chapter of Dilla's posthumous releases.

I loved Jay Dee before any of his work could be considered 'post-humous,' so don't assume i'm another band-wagon jumper with this review. In fact, I'd like to state that I honestly fear for J Dilla's legacy at this moment, afraid that he may become as oversaturated in the market as a 2Pac, or a B.I.G. While Dilla was an immensely talented musician, and very influential producer, I don't think Dilla's work could be considered legendary, no matter how dope it was. I know this maybe a controversial statement, but no matter how dope Like Water For Chocolate or Fantastic, Vol. 2 were, neither are neccessarily classics(just virtually flawless albums). While Dilla left behind a large amount of phenomenal music, I worry that his posthumous work may cast a shadow over the exceptional material he graced us with when his shell was still with us.

While i don't acknowledge Dilla as a legend, he was most definitely one of my favorite producers, especially in this modern era of hip-hop and R&B. Alongside other beatsmiths like Madlib and Danger Mouse, Dilla dug crates extensively, picking out the most obscure samples from records of all sorts, and then turning those awkward-sounding samples into beautiful orchestrations. Unfortunately, The Shining doesn't give an accurate portrayal of Dilla's musical genius; while the album is undeniably tight, you can't help but feel it is missing something intangible; something, I believe, couldn't be helped on a posthumous release. No one is at fault for the one flaw this album has, and that is just the lack of Dilla's presence. Don't misinterprate that comment, because Dilla produces every track on this album, and even drops a few bars; it's just that, unlike the work Dilla released while he's alive, you just can't feel this man's soul as much as you would have had he been here to release it himself.

This isn't the best display of Dilla's talent, as many other reviewers have stated in their respective recaps of this album; if you want, arguably, J's most brilliant piece of work, and enjoy instrumental hip-hop albums, Donuts is absolutely essential. If you'd like to hear some of Jay Dee's best instrumental work, with tight emcees flowing over it, check out the aforementioned Like Water for Chocolate from Common, or Fantastic, Vol. 2 from Slum Village. While Common does kick fly verbals on So Far To Go, and, especially, E=Mc2, they just don't feel as powerful as this final reunion between two best friends should. They're definitely outstanding tracks, they just don't live up to the high standards one may have for a Common/Dilla collaboration. Busta Rhymes' guest appearance in this album is very dissapointing, as he does nothing but shout on Geek Down, which has a very fresh beat; it almost feels wasted on Busta's incoherrent rambling. There's not much more you could ask for out of tracks like Love with Pharoahe Monch, Jungle Love with M.E.D. and Guilty Simpson, or Love Movin' with Black Thought; all these tracks are simply breathtaking, and reflect how the rest of this album should've felt, and most likely would have, had Jay Dee not left us.

While not legendary yet, J Dilla was undisputedly a creative genius in the area of music, and will always be remembered by the fans who stuck by him before the illness, and after its repercussions. The Shining isn't his best release, but it's still better than most hip-hop albums you probaby heard this year. I do fear for Dilla's legacy though, because these posthumous releases continue to come out at an alarming rate, and I have bad suspicions that the quality will drop significantly over time. Only the future can tell how J Dilla's legacy will hold up, or even expand, but for now, we can be happy that while J Dilla's no longer with us in the phsyical form, he's still vibing with us when we've got the headphones on.

This album is fantastic. The first track is awful, as many have mentioned, but most of the rest is top notch and seamlessly blended. "The Shining" satisfies the desire to hear unique, lovingly produced Dilla beats on an album that is more approachable than his other solo work. Unlike "Donuts", which is great in it's own right but too weird for most occasions, you can put on "The Shining" at a party - starting on track #2 - and let it play.

The Shining is a perfect introduction to J Dilla for people with various musical tastes. Plus there are wonderful guest appearances by Common, D'Angelo and Pharoahe Monch. See for yourself by sampling tracks 4 and 6.

J Dilla was truly gifted!!! This CD is incredible! It's sad that the world outside of the real Hip-Hop community (which seems to be getting smaller) didn't appreciate his work until he left us.

Jay Dilla continues to bring in the heat!!! Classic hip hop at its finest! Great guess and some exclusive instrumentals. A must cop!!!

J.Dilla, one of the greatest pre AND post his transition form earth, is a magnificent producer. The Shining is like a compilation of some of the greatest beats laced by the greatest emcees and soul samples. It is only about 40 mins long but as long as you have a repeat feature that shouldnt be a problem. Where else are you gonna hear D'Angelo and Common? Then another track featuring Common? The heater by Pharoahe Monch? The continuation of one of the hottest Dwele interludes? AND Hold on to a posthumous heavy hittin release of the genius himself? U got it! Buy it!

I've heard to many complaints about the length of this album. Simply put this is one of the greatest albums I've heard this year. I STRONGLY recommend to all. When you buy music it shouldn't be about the length, it should be about the music and this album really comes through. If you are a DJ like me I recommend going to your local record store and buying it on wax because it really brings out the essence of music. Rest in Peace James Yancey a.k.a. Jay Dee a.k.a. J Dilla, you changed my life.

Fans of Pete Rock & DJ Premier & Inspectah Deck & likewise - you will love it. Not like anything on the Radio....It's too beautiful for the radio!