Backpackers can feel somewhat in demand of love, much like the ignorant misogynistic rapper who prides himself on loving and leaving with no cares. While they may wear their hearts on their sleeves for the world to show, intelligence is only a small measure of what they’re capable of.

Numerous scribes have penned works about J Dilla and how he was immortalized and celebrated more in death than in life. That skepticism put on by many journalists and commentators alike make the legacy of James Yancy a murky one, even for the true die hard fans of Detroit who couldn’t help but thumb through copies of Slum Village’s first two albums with glee. His work with many artist of the era from Common to The Pharcyde has earned him his producer stripes and were recognized in a larger landscape once he passed. It’s his solo work, especially that on The Shining that makes everything even more complex.

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