Detroit, MI-based emcee/producer Ilajide (formerly of Clear Soul Forces) has hired Seattle-based producer Def Dee to produce his seventh full-length EP. In addition to his last 6 EPs, he has produced several rhythm tapes and 4 full-length albums. It’s been over 3 years since I covered Code #200, the best solo LP of his entire career, but Tape Delay has me looking forward to it even more.
“Trippin'” is the EP’s sombre hot opener, talking about the coach now hosting scrimmages in Los Angeles, while “Live from Jump” uses more kicks and snares to show that money is class and he’s Take notes. The old-school style of “More Bling” smartly talked about the need for more expensive, flashier clothing/jewelry before Boog Brown’s funky “Scam Jam”, who treated every day like another scam they were getting paid to do.
Closing out the first half of Tape Delay, “Back Up” retains a funk edge for party jams, while “Send ‘Em In” draws inspiration from J Dilla for its beat, allowing Iragid to sing in his There was talk in the office about counting money. “Don’t Touch My Hair” has a bap flare of fresh-from-the-salon jazz boom, leading to the sublime “Did What You Do?” Said he would do it again. After the “Back Up” remix, the final song “Dippin'” closes out the EP, reminding the player that he knows what he’s talking about.
I’ve been a fan of Def Dee for over a decade, when 33⅓ was released in the summer of 2013 after my sophomore year of high school, so it was very exciting for me that he would make a full EP for Ilajide, and happen to be the The best EP in the former Clear Soul Forces member’s discography, plus Code #200 features some of his strongest solo material. Def Dee’s diverse production styles, whether boom bap, jazz rap, funk, old school hip-hop or cloud rap, allow the Detroit emcee to focus on tearing up those beats for about 25 minutes into pieces.
Score: 8/10
