After paying his dues for a few years, producer RJD2 finally got the attention he deserved in 2002 with the release of his Definitive Jux debut,
Deadringer. In the four years since, he has remained remarkably busy, releasing a follow-up to
Deadringer, the criminally underrated
Since We Last Spoke, in 2004 and working on a number of side projects. These have included producing single songs for his peers (“Saliva” from MF Doom’s
Viktor Vaughn album, for instance), recording as one half of the hip-hop duo Soul Position and 2006’s
Magnificent City, a disc he made with underground veteran Aceyalone. While almost all of his guest appearances are smashing successes and Soul Position is largely considered one of underground hip-hop’s most promising acts,
Magnificent City … well … it sort of sucked.
The problem? Aceyalone, usually as consistent an emcee as you can find, completely dropped the ball. His rhymes were unexpectedly simple, he sounded bored and the hooks to most of the songs featured him just saying the name of the song over and over. When one man is making the beats and another is writing the rhymes, there isn’t much room for either party to mess things up, but Aceyalone didn’t bring his best game and the entire album suffered. The beats, though, weren’t too bad at all, and hip-hop fans have been blessed with
Magnificent City Instrumentals, which is (obviously!) nothing but RJD2’s beats.
And how do they sound on their own? Surprise, surprise, folks,
Magnificent City Instrumentals is loads of fun. Now, is it
Deadringer good? No, and it isn’t
Since We Last Spoke good, either. But give the man a break; these tracks were written with an emcee in mind, Aceyalone just didn’t deliver. Overall,
Magnificent City Instrumentals is relaxed, fun and full of energy. RJD2’s style has often been called “cut-and-paste hip-hop” because he throws so many different sounds together and the album, particularly the latter half, is a perfect example of this. “Junior,” for instance, features sleigh bells, heavy distortion, a high-pitched woman’s voice and wind instruments. The next track, “Heaven,” blends electric guitar with a fun piano part, and the
next track, “Here & Now,” revolves around a sample of someone playing a harp.
Another highlight is "Disconnected," which features a great horn section that was once ruined by Aceyalone shouting the word "disconnected" over and over. Now, you can focus on the track's laid back sound and the quick vocal samples RJ mixed into the background. Other strong tracks include the funky “All for U,” which was also a highlight on the original
Magnificent City album, and “A Sunday Mystery,” which is 90 seconds of piano, guitar and suspense.
Of course, since these are instrumental versions of an album that once featured rhymes, some of the songs seem a bit boring. During the parts where Aceyalone was originally spitting a verse, the songs will occasionally bore and frustrate you. “The beat is good, RJ,” you’ll think, “but you keep playing that horn part over and over!” This is a minor problem, though, and it’s one that fans of the genre will likely forgive rather quickly. After all, if the horn part he keeps repeating is great, who cares, right?
Fans of producers such as DJ Shadow and Diplo, be warned: These aren't slow, epic pieces that build and build until they reach a dramatic climax. These are average-length tracks that will make you want to get up and dance or at least nod your head. It would be ideal music to play at a party as background music right after, say, the Avalanches'
Since I Left You. If you want to lay back, get stoned and watch your ceiling fan while the music makes you debate the meaning of life, stick with
Endtroducing. RJD2 doesn't want to change your life, he just wants to improve it.
