RANDOM PREFACE THOUGHTS: This was the first piece of press Vibe did on Jay Dee. I got the call because my editor, Karen R. Good, wanted to open up the “Next” section of the book – which featured brief introductions to new artists – to more than just rappers, and knew I enjoyed interviewing producers. We met up at the NYC record convention, better known as the “Roosevelt Record Show” (only it wasn’t at the Roosevelt Hotel by that point but the Marc Ballroom). Dilla was real cool, but probably the shiest interview subject I’d ever encountered. This might have even been his first interview. After maybe 20 minutes of talking while Jay scoured the record bins, Q-Tip nodded to his then-protege signaling it was time to bounce, Dilla turned and shrugged on some “sorry, dude”-ish, and that was it. Off they disappeared. The resulting piece isn’t much more than a bio with a backdrop – pretty standard stuff. But re-reading it today the odd detail stands out. (Like what the hell would a Dilla/Lil’ Kim collab have sounded like?) And I feel blessed to have met the man, and simply gotten the chance to tell him I was a fan of his work, which of course lives on forever. Happy birthday, James Yancey. RIP.

Jay Dee: Electric Relaxation
By Chairman Mao
Originally published in Vibe, June/July 1996.

Sunday mornings are typically reserved for the faithful. And in a huge, fluorescent-lit basement near Manhattan’s Union Square Park, a congregation of some of hip-hop’s finest producers – Diamond D, Da Beatminerz, Buckwild – spend this particular march Sabbath worshipping at the shrine of the beat gods: the New York City Record Convention.

In the midst of all the vinyl, a slim, decidedly anonymous newcomer decked in army fatigues scours the bins. In fact, the lone tip-off to 22-year-old Jay Dee’s status as hip-hop’s most provocative new music maker is his shopping companion – and partner in beats – Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.

“I met Tip backstage at Lollapalooza in ’94,” says the humble Detroit native. I had a group that [former Detroit Piston] John Salley was managing – so I gave Tip a tape, and the same day he called back. He was like, ‘Yo, who did these beats?’ After that, shit just took off.”

Q-Tip hooked Jay Dee up with the Pharcyde, and Jay ended up producing the hit singles “Runnin’” and “Drop” for Labcabincalifornia. Then he created some of the best moments on Busta Rhymes’s recent The Coming. With a strong ear for vibrant jazz melodies (check the Luis Bonfa samba-guitar sample on “Runnin’”), Jay Dee’s work slips snugly into the low end-y creative slot vacated in the wake of Tribe’s 1993 Midnight Marauders.

Fittingly, Jay Dee, Q-Tip, and Ali-Shaheed Muhammad recently formed a production alliance called the Ummah (Arabic for “brotherhood”), and they share track duties on Tribe’s forthcoming Beats, Rhymes and Life. “We had a brotherhood from when we picked up,” Jay Dee explains in an easy midwestern drawl. He has reached quite an esteemed place – especially for a self-described nerd who once aspired to be an Air Force pilot.

Today, Jay Dee is charting the trajectory of his rising career. Plans include securing a deal for his Motor City crew, Slum Village (for which he produces and rhymes), as well as imminent collaborations with De La Soul, Junior M.A.F.I.A.’s Lil’ Kim, Common, and Pete Rock. But while getting such props can make living up to your rep difficult, Jay Dee doesn’t think so. “I’m steppin’ back and lookin’ at everything,” he says evenly. “I’m tryin’ to stay on some new shit. ’Cause people fall off every day.” He pauses. “And I ain’t the one.”

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