RJD2 - The Return Of Hip Hop’s Virtuoso

RJD2

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RJD2 has released his 4th album 'The Colossus' under his newly founded record label. He returns to his Hip Hop roots with a collaborative album featuring some of the best musicians and producers around.

Ramble John “RJ” Krohn known better as RJD2 has released his 4th album, this time on his very own record label. The label name isn’t the only change for “RJ” though, the new album showing a new direction and vibe from his previous work. But then what else do we expect from RJD2, each of his last 3 albums has differed dramatically and his 4th promises to do the same. It has been 8 years since the release of “RJ’s” debut and he arguably never equalled its brilliance with subsequent albums. But lets not forget that ‘Dead Ringer’ was a masterful Hip Hop record, rightly winning him critical acclaim as a DJ and producer. Don’t get me wrong, his last album ‘The Third Hand’ was an interesting and fairly well executed solo attempt that showcased what a great overall musician RJD2 is. However, I couldn’t help but feel that it fell short of the mark just as ‘Since We Last Spoke’ had done.  They both lacked the edge and sheer brutal attitude of his debut.

And so comes the release of  ‘The Colossus’ the name alone suggesting the potential second coming of RJD2’s genius. This album as “RJ” himself explains, is an attempt to be as collaborative as possible offering the listener a range of instrumentals, live performances, guest musicians and vocalists. And the album does offer a lot, a brew of musically fused genres and styles glued together by some of the most talented artists around (including the likes of Phonte Coleman and Aaron Livingston). The question though was if the album could live up to its promise or more importantly to the legacy of ‘Dead Ringer’.

From the first track ‘Let There Be Horns’ there is a very noticeable return to his original style, with Jazz infused Hip Hop being the central theme.  ‘Games You Can Win’ shows the mastery of production that RJD2 is capable of, with beats laced in all sorts’ of weird yet wonderful melody lines. The vocal given by Grammy nominated Kenna isn’t really to my liking, but cant be faulted too badly. The top-notch production quality is probably best shown on the grimy and truly menacing ‘A Son’s Cycle’. RJD2 has an ability of creating intensely dramatic beats and chord progressions that can make your heart and mind quiver, which very few music producers can replicate. Unfortunately parts of the album do disappoint despite this, particularly the instrumentals. Both ‘Giant Squid’ and ‘Small Plans’ fail to catch the attention of the listener. ‘The Stranger’ is more effective but the only real instrumental success.

This aside, I feel there are two tracks that stand out on ‘The Colossus’. The first is ‘Crumbs off the table’, a soulful ballad about a man’s strength and vitality sung by vocalist Aaron Livingston (Guns are Drawn – The Roots). Yes I know the songs message sounds a little wet, but don’t be put off because this is a real classy track.  Livingston sings, “I’ll walk it off, if this dream’s not a fable…. And eat the crumbs up off the table” which although overly sentimental makes for a pretty catchy and feel good tune. The other is ‘Gypsy Caravan’, which strangely enough seems to be a tribute to the Beatles. “RJ” provides the vocal with an uncanny likeness to Paul McCartney’s on “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Heart Clubs Band”.  The lyric isn’t far off either, “a Molotov cocktail ready to jam…. and slackers on LSD”. RJD2 shows real ability in producing a modern day Beatles number that is copied tastefully and to the highest of standards.

This record which RJD2 says “may be his last” is an excellent attempt at producing a thought provoking and original piece of music, that challenges the boundaries of Hip Hop production. In my opinion it still doesn’t match up to ‘Dead Ringer’, but then maybe I’m wrong to compare them in the first place.  ‘The Colossus’ is good in its own right, despite the lack of really special instrumentals. I do feel that the better parts of the album are the collaborations and maybe this is the area he should now look to focus on. Regardless if he chooses to do this or not, I still hope its not the last we hear from RJD2.

Grade = ‘B-’
Tracks to download: A Son’s cycle, Crumbs off the table