Celebrating 25 Years of J Dilla's 'Welcome 2 Detroit'

Welcome 2 Detroit serves as an announcement. But it’s much more than just the debut of the legendary J Dilla as a solo artist. It’s also an introduction to a unique approach and new vision for the city itself. It’s the re-emergence of a producer-rapper who’d already become one of the most acclaimed of his generation. It’s the first release that bore the name “J Dilla,” after the man born James Yancey had previously been known as “Jay Dee” throughout his tenure with Slum Village. And on the heels of SV’s uber-classic Fantastic, Vol. 2, it showed the world his vision; before he became the venerated, mythologized legend we know now. But make no mistake, he would reinvent his sound several more times before his untimely death five years later. In 2001, Dilla was telling the world exactly who he had become.

He makes the transformation clear on the intro: “It’s all live down here!” he shouts over a dusty organ sample before diving head first into “Y’all Ain’t Ready.” Dilla has always been an under-appreciated emcee, witty and a s**t-talker with the best of them; and he lets you know he’s not one to f**k with, while repping for his city. The Donald Byrd cover “Think Twice” is an undeniable highlight of the album, featuring Dilla’s smoky vocals and contributions on keys from Dwele that turn the song into a neo-soul groover. 

Elzhi shows up on “Come Get It,” a track that sounds the most like what Slum Village had done on Fantastic, Vol. 2. Dilla had already navigated a mid-90s rap scene that had been smothered by shiny suits and floss. Now he was one of the industry’s most in-demand producers and was working within the creative nexus of the Soulquarians. That famed collective was in the midst of an all-time run when Dilla dropped Welcome 2 Detroit. The Roots' Things Fall Apart, Erykah Badu’s Mama’s Gun, Common’s One Day It’ll All Make Sense, and D’Angelo’s Voodoo were all critically acclaimed projects that dropped between 1997 and 2000. Combined with the expectations following SV’s Fantastic Vol. 2, Dilla was looking at what most would describe as high pressure expectations. 

During an interview with Gilles Peterson on Worldwide, BBC Radio 1, Dilla explained his approach working on the album. 

“It's to welcome you to Detroit, the realness. It's about that,” he explained in 2001. “I mean, the compilation basically came about from a breakbeat album idea that Peter [Peter Adarkwah] from BBE had, which turned into giving Jay Dee 100% creative control. Basically, he let me do whatever I wanted to do, so I wanted to put people on there who, you know, who's gonna spit, you know? I mean, lyrically. And represent Detroit because I wouldn't have been able to pull this album off if it came out under a major, you know, because they're not gonna let you just do a song and you can't just do an instrumental and 'you gotta have this feature' and you got to have... You know, ‘you're Jay Dee, why don't you got Erykah Badu?','why ain't you got so-and-so on your album?'. You know, I would have to go through all of that instead of just putting out, you know, beats on this joint.”

Rappers like Hodge Podge and Lack show up and leave the mic smoking on “It’s Like That.” “Feat. Phat K” serves as the perfect showcase for the Detroit emcee and frequent Dilla collaborator. Over a flip of Steve Howe, the rhymer gets some killer bars off:

 “I could give less than a **** or whoever you claim to be

But Phat Kat on a mission to save the D

You suckers kill me, watching too much TV

That's why most you hoes looking funny to me”

Alongside working with Detroit emcees, Welcome 2 Detroit is a love letter to the city’s rich musical tapestry; from nods to Motown to echoes of garage rock. The track “BBE” finds Dilla celebrating Detroit electronica and techno; 

But even beyond his hometown ties, Dilla expertly showcases his love of music and it feeds his inspired approach throughout the album. He covers Earth, Wind & Fire’s “Brazilian Rhyme (Beijo)” with “Brazilian Groove (EWF).” He flips Joe Tex and the Ohio Players on “Give It Up.” He taps directly into Brazilian music with “Rico Suave Bossa Nova,” which samples Milton Banana. He covers Oneness of JuJu on “African Rhythms,” and makes the connections plain:

“These are African rhythms

Passed down to us through ancient spirits

Feel the spirit

A unifying force…”

That is the underlying spirit of Welcome 2 Detroit. J Dilla taps into the diaspora to showcase the spirit and heartbeat of his hometown. In lesser producers’ hands, such excursions would sound obvious or like attempts to highlight “world music,” but J Dilla could hear the connections. As a result, he paints a decidedly urban picture of his Midwest home base while using a palette of colors that was wider and bolder than anyone around him. When he closes the album shouting out friends, peers, collaborators, and influences, you can feel his enthusiasm. He’s a fan. He’s a nerd. He’s an artist. And the crazy thing was–he was just getting started.