By Malice Intended
Throughout the course of his relatively short career, Jay Dilla managed to touch many lives both directly and indirectly. He worked with some of the most celebrated hip-hop artists of his day on some of their most acclaimed albums. Though he never became a “super producer” whose walls were adorned with platinum plaques, his work deeply resonated with fans and colleagues alike. The new Documentary J Dilla: Still Shining provides a visual companion for his legacy, attempting to create a narrative for his life and career. The project comes by way of Gifted Films and Brian ‘B.Kyle’ Atkins and will be available on February 7th at TheJDillaProject.com.
The two and a half minute trailer manages to provide all the necessary information as to why James Dewitt Yancey is worthy of such an honor. It opens with a montage of album cover art for the various LP’s that J Dilla has contributed to over the years. Quite a few of them will be familiar to serious Hip-Hop and Neo-Soul fans. It then transitions into a series of adjectives that best describes Jay Dilla, accompanied by images of him in his element, as well as photos of various locations and landmarks in his native Detroit. The viewer is then treated to a preview of exclusive concert footage, videos and personal photographs. Testimonials from none other than Pete Rock and Erykah Badu add a bit of validity to the claims made by the aforementioned barrage of adjectives.
Even though I like to think of myself as a person who prizes quality filmmaking and technical proficiency above all else, even I can recognize there are times when such concerns should be put by the wayside. Those who are looking forward to J Dilla: Still Shining aren’t looking for something that can qualify as a nominee at the 2012 Academy Awards. They will be hoping to get an intimate look at a man whose work they admire. These moments need not be stitched together by the hand of careful and skilled artist, but by someone who truly felt and understood J Dilla’s work. The image of him sitting behind the boards while surrounded by rows and rows of vinyl encompasses the very essence of what J Dilla was all about. At the very least, J Dilla: Still Shinin seems to get that.
[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wY6azgs6cog[/pro-player]
[pro-player width=’425′ height=’344′ type=’video’]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwLZodj1vec[/pro-player]
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