Common ft. Slum Village - “Thelonious” As... - tuneage : everyone deserves good music

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As Tuneage’s newest contributor, I’m here to infuse the already eclectic mix of sounds with some hip-hop soul and boom-bap beats. You can follow my own Tumblr-powered blog @ GregB.me. So let’s start the show!

Common’s 2000 album Like Water For Chocolate is a hip-hop classic not only because the Chicago MC elevated his conscious lyricism to a new level, but also because of the production group that assembled to create the sonic background. The Soulquarians, comprised of J Dilla, ?uestlove of The Roots, D’angelo and others created a jazzy, wobbly-bassline and vinyl-crackled sound evolved from the “nu-soul” sound of 1990’s R&B.

Detroit’s Slum Village features on this track, with all 3 members (J Dilla, T3, and Baatin) getting mic-time along with Common. The syncopated jazz-groove, driving piano riff, and offbeat bassline - pay attention to the space between the drum sounds and the bass licks - was already known as the signature sound of the late, great J Dilla. “Thelonious” is also featured on Slum Village’s 2000 album, Fantastic Vol. 2.

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