SHOW REVIEW: Slum Village Bring It To The EchoPlex‏

On February 10, 2006, Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla) one of the most talented and prolific hip-hop producers of all time passed away due to the chronic effects of a rare blood disease. He is best known for being a quintessential third of Detroit hip hop group Slum Village as well as producing the albums of popular musical acts such as Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes and The Pharcyde. On Friday, February 12th, the remaining two members of Slum Village performed at the Echoplex to honor the late producer as well as their other recently deceased member, Baatin, who passed away in July of last year.

I attend shows at the Echoplex, located in Echo Park, fairly often and I have never seen the space as crowded as it was for the Slum Village performance on. The show was only $5 before 11 and $10 thereafter so a friend and I decided to arrive early. The Beat Junkies, a world famous hip hop dj crew, spun strictly J Dilla produced songs from 10pm through 12:30am. Slum Village, which includes original member T3 and Elzhi, who joined the group in 2002 when J Dilla went on to pursue solo work, graced the stage about 12:30am to a completely packed venue and a very enthusiastic crowd. They paid tribute to older Slum Village songs, including ‘Raise It Up’, ‘Selfish’, and ‘Climax (Girl Shit)’. The hip hop duo’s performance left those who attended anticipatory of their soon to be released album, The Villa Manifesto, which they promised will include unreleased J Dilla beats and vocals as well as unreleased Baatin vocals.