Waajeed is a jack of all trades as a graphic artist, labelhead and producer. The latter is his most prolific persona and his dazzling array of futuristic boombap soundscapes will be on display on april 19th as part of the Artbeat/MIMS/BootyBakery showcase (link)
A true son of the D and proud disciple of the late great Dilla (even using the master’s original MPC) Waajeed’s production has always stoodout to me as a signature sound, my favorite tracks off of Slum Village/Elzhi or Dwele projects always seem to be Jeedo’s and peculiarly the intro to his group efforts (PlatinumPiedPipers and JazzKatz) were always my go to jams. So I’ve prepared a post to the songs that introduced me to his music and said intro tracks to give you a preview of Waajeed’s sound and a proper introduction to the man’s work as to entice you to join us on April the 19th.
Let’s talk is simply an undeniable banger with a soft side, the bass bumps but the harp samples just take it to another level. It’s one of those mixtape joints that you just play over and over. To me this should have gotten a proper release but I love the rough straight out the sampler sound to it.
Elzhi - Let's Talk (Produced by WAAJEED)The second ‘Elzhi’ instrumental is more polished and on the excellent BPM instrumental 12’’ but the way Jeedo incorporates the psychfolk sample is simply perfect.
WAAJEED - Elzhi InstrumentalWhen I heard the original song I was mesmerized and the fact Waajeed was able to craft a beat yet maintain the ‘innocence’ of the sample source is quite a feat. Speaking of being mesmorized I don’t think I’ve played a small intro song as much in my lifetime as the Marvin one. Waajeed and the Jazz Katz was a project that i was so excited about hearing, when tackling vocals of such quality one must be careful to do it proper and Jeedo came through. The intro that is froma detroit concert just fits perfectly with the smooth ambiance Waajeed’s tweeking provides, Marvin would have approved.
WAAJEED and the Jazz Katz - IntroBut enough with soft beats to zone out to. When I made a hiphop mix Cd for a road trip the first song was the Shotgun intro to the PlatinumPied Pipers project. Waajeed’s unconventional drums/claps enhance the stiff horns and make this track a certified banger. Dilla’s vocals always need a dirty heavy sound and you could not get a more solid combo.
WAAJEED featuring Jay Dee - ShotgunBasically, all these songs where the tracks that got me hyped about the releases Waajeed was involved in and now I hope you will show the man love by copping his music or seeing what the deal is live. If the exclusives we heard on the BenjiB show are any indication, there are many big things to come from the new king of the D.
Oh! and Lexis (the founder of MIMS website) asked me to add “Tron” to the list which has been a staple to his sets for years and years!
WAAJEED - Tron
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