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I generally don't decide which mixtapes I'm going to buy based on their covers - with just about everyone these days following the Pen & Pixel school of design, it takes more than just some nice Photoshop effects to stand out in the crowd - but yesterday I picked up a new tape solely because of the name on the cover: D. Jilla. I expected this to be some sort of remix album featuring J Dilla's work, but alas, my expectations were not to be fulfilled by Jilla's West End Dependence Day.
While Chicago's D. Jilla isn't the worst MC I've ever heard (he's not even the worst rapper to put out an album this month), you need to come with something original if you're going to jack the name of a hip hop legend. With thirteen tracks of derivative gangster tough talk, Jilla comes up short of achieving this requirement. From the generic beats to the lyrics, which rarely stray from tales of "paper chasin'" and Illanoize shoutouts, to D. Jilla's name itself, there isn't a hint of originality to be found on West End Dependence Day.
The only thing worth discussing about this mixtape is the name on the label and the question it raises: is D. Jilla unaware of J. Dilla? In his defense, there's nothing on this tape to suggest otherwise. Don't take my word for it though, have a listen to two of the tracks off of the tape:
We Gangstaz
Money in the Bank freestyle
Should you be so inclined to hear more from D. Jilla, hit up his Myspace page.
Moving on...shout out to the people over at Rawkus Records for linking to us.
10/16/2007 08:31:29 PM posted by Fresh