Raise It Up - Slum Village

I watched the Ustream of 'Ma Dukes is the Foundation' (Feb. 9) and seeing legends come together to honor another legend was amazing via the internet so I imagine it was outstanding being there. I couldn't figure out what I wanted to say or how to word it. I didn't want to be cliché or another one of those annoying posts some bloggers do when they don't really care. I posted this on my Tumblr earlier and it seemed pretty perfect.

So I’m working on a post for my blog about J. Dilla.

Have I ever met him?

No.

Was I as huge of a fan of his back then?

Not Really.

Dilla is that musician I have learned to appreciate and love everything he’s done for music. It’s funny that someone you have never met can change your life in 3 minutes of being in your ear.

I place J. Dilla in the same ranks an aspiring pianist would place Chopin or Bach, the movements they started are phoenomenal.

Yes, I’m a writer, but Dilla changed my life.

It's been four years since J. Dilla passed away and what's amazing is his legacy is still going strong. He single-handedly changed hip-hop and it makes me wonder if even he knew the kind of affect he would have.

I heard 'Donuts' the day it released and thought it was the most amazing thing I ever heard. The only thing I remember thinking was "how?" It's one of those albums I listened to in complete silence and felt something new every time I listened to it. Three days after I first heard that album J. Dilla passed away. When the story ran in the Detroit Free Press I was so captivated by it; it was the perfect example of a hip-hop story that went beyond 16 bars and an 808. It resulted in me getting an apprenticeship at the Free Press the following year while being mentored by Kelley L. Carter (who wrote the story).

One week, one album, one man put me on the path I'm on now. There are tons of untold stories in this industry and four years ago I made it my mission to spread the word.

Dilla changed my life, raise it up.