James “J-Dilla” Yancey is commonly hailed as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, and rightfully so. In the mid-nineties, he began to make a name for himself, producing a handful of tracks for Pharcyde’s phenomenal sophomore album, Labcabincalifornia. From there, he would produce tracks for De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, and Mad Skillz. Eventually, he’d become one-third of the production team, The Ummah with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and the trio would shape the sound of A Tribe Called Quest’s fourth album, Beats, Rhymes & Life, and later, The Love Movement. His resume would continue to blossom as he’d go on to produce tracks for Common, Erykah Badu, The Roots, Bilal, D’Angelo, Janet Jackson, and many more. But let’s go back to 1997 when Dilla was still a member of his original group, Slum Village.

Through the years, Slum Village would see a handful of roster changes, but the original cast consisted of Dilla, T3, and Baatin. The three grew up together in the same Detroit neighborhood and attended the same high school, which is when the group formed amongst a blossoming Detroit hip-hop scene that included the likes of Royce Da 5’9 and Eminem. In 1996, the threesome would begin to work on what would become their first album, Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1.

Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 is Slum Village’s unofficial debut album. It’s virtually a demo tape of the group’s early work, recorded between ‘96 and ‘97 (with a few add-ons and alterations), completely produced by J Dilla. It got leaked and passed around the streets like a ten-dollar hooker, creating quite the buzz for the trio on the bootleg circuit. Though it wouldn’t see its official release until 2006, Google lists its bootleg release date as July 11, 1997, which is why I’m placing it in my ‘97 releases (Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 2 was released in June of 2000 on the GoodVibe label and is virtually a reworking of Vol.1).

With Dilla being one of my favorite producers, Fan-Tas-Tic Vol.1 is an album I revisit every few years. I wasn’t hip to it in ‘97 when it got its original bootleg release, and I didn’t get familiar with it until a few years after its official release. But there’s a reason I keep coming back for more. Rest in peace, Jay Dee and Baatin.

Fantastic – After just enough popping to make you think your CD or vinyl is scratched, soothing melodic bells fall like manna from heaven onto crisp boom-bap drums. Baatin uses the majestic music to get off one short warm-up verse (where he’s on his Moses shit, twice suggesting that brothers “write up a scroll” on their lady “if she don’t act right”) before SV closes the track with the album’s reoccurring theme chant.

Keep It On – Through the years, Keni Burke’s “Risin To The Top” has commonly been sampled in hip-hop records, but I don’t think anyone has ever chopped it up and flipped in the fashion Dilla does for this record. Speaking of Dilla, his witty, frustrated opening verse shines brightly as his music on this track.

I Don’t Know – Over feel-good rhythms and smacking drums, SV interacts with James Brown via cleverly placed JB vocal snippets in this brilliant one-minute musical affair. FYI: Vol. 2’s version is twice as long and more polished, with even more interaction from The Godfather of Soul. It also features superb cutting from the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff at the end, but we’ll discuss that more in the future.

How We Bullshit – Dilla addresses SV’s haters over a meandering bass line that ends with a Posdnuos vocal clip taken from De La Soul’s “Stakes Is High,” a track Dilla also produced. The interlude ends with the trio acting silly and poking fun at Xscape’s “Just Kickin’ It.” It’s an inside joke, and we’re not on the inside.

Fat Cat Song – This one starts with some weird moaning before a jazzy swing beat comes in, accompanied by scattered scatting from a sampled female voice. SV’s joined by Phat Kat on the mic, and all four parties sound like they’re trying to get their “flows together.” The swing beat morphs into a slick melodic groove shortly before the track ends, but it left me wanting more of it, which I’m sure was by design.

The Look Of Love – The track begins with SV performing the song live while their fans rap along. Then, the beautifully somber strings from the demo recording drop, and Dilla, T3, and Baatin discuss the look of love, or more appropriately, the look of lust. The trio was obviously still working their rhymes out, but the warm, tender melody in the instrumental is perfection, even in its rawest form.

Estimate – Dilla, Baatin, and T3 address phony people and encourage them to stop pretending. At least, that’s part of their message in this song. Dilla’s backdrop sounds like soulful elevator music, and I mean that in the most flattering way.

Hoc N Pucky – Baatin and T3 transform into their alter-egos, Hoc-n-Pucky (at least, I think that’s them; hit me in the comments if I’m wrong), for this minute and forty seconds of animated lunacy.

Beej N Dem – This starts with Dilla sounding like a perverted bootleg Jamaican (which still makes me laugh every time I hear it). Speaking of Dilla, I love his line: “This shit reminds me of some ole EPMD shit.” The instrumental does favor PMD and The E-Double’s work in a clouded, melodic, slightly blunted sort of way. The subtle “Friday the 14th” vocal snippet laced in the track only adds to the zaniness of this record.

Pregnant (T3) – This track finds T3 working out his rhymes over a grey and spacey backdrop. I love the soulfulness in the instrumental, but I hate the loud drum claps placed underneath it.

Forth & Back (Rock Music) – This is the most polished record on Fan-Tas-Tic that you’ll find. Dilla lays down a tantalizing groove you can’t resist swaying to while singing along and following directions to the catchy hook. Despite SV’s censored bars, this one is utterly infectious.

Fantastic 2 – SV brings back the album’s theme chant, which was first heard on the opening track. Dilla’s backing music is on some Sherlock Holmes mystery type-shit with a soulful twist.

Fantastic 3 – The same chant from the previous two installments over instrumentation that gives smoky after-hours lounge spot vibes. Soulfully scrumptious.

Keep It On – This jazzy retouching of the original mix is even more delectable than its predecessor.

5 E’A Remix – Slum Village is joined by another Detroit threesome, who ironically called themselves 5 Elementz. The trio consisted of Thyme, Mudd, and Proof, who most of you know as Eminem’s man, who was also a part of D12. The six emcees pass the mic around like a hot potato blunt, taking short turns spewing rhymes full of juvenile fun over Dilla’s finely chopped loop from Patrice Rushen’s “You Remind Me.” I’ve never heard the original version, but I enjoyed this remix.

Give This Nigga – Dilla goes solo dolo and gets off a quick verse over Roger Troutman/Zapp-inspired funk.

Players – SV addresses all the wannabe players who “need to be smacked open-handedly” for their buffoonery. This joint sounds great when cruising the city after hours.

Look Of Love (Remix) – Yep, another remix. The instrumental is built around the same Minnie Riperton loop ATCQ used for “Lyrics To Go.” Diila’s verse is removed, but he still helps with the hook. T3 softly regurgitates his bars from the original, and Baatin whispers a half-baked new verse. I dug the female vocals on the hook. It felt very Vinia Mojica-ish.

Pregnant (Baatin) – Dilla serves Baatin with some cool luscious shit to give birth to his rhyme. The bars were clearly still not fully developed, but even in their preemie stage, “the one who sold you your kilogram boulder’s” pregnancy went better than T3’s.

Things U Do (Remix) – The rhyme scheme, flow, and cadence SV uses on this record sounds like the template for Q-Tip’s rhyming approach to The Love Movement. I love Dilla’s sexily melodious groove, and Baatin’s closing verse sounds both nonsensical and like poetic genius: “We would fuck on the roof at a Tantra seminar, Autobot stimulator, tantra master visualize the lotus, ladies and women the catch is in my lingam.” The track ends with T3 stuttering while working out another rhyming rendition over a bubbling, bassy backdrop.

Fat Cat (Remix) – The instrumental sounds less soulful and jazzy than the rest of the album, but its tough-guy energy is welcomed. I hate that they censored the rhymes in this mix.

Fantastic 4 – The final installment’s backing music sounds saddened after receiving word that the album will shortly come to an end.

What’s Love Gotta Do With It (Look Of Love Remix) – Musically, Dilla maintains the same melody as the O.G. mix, but the sweetly somber guitar riff transforms into urgent synth chords, giving the song a completely different feel than the other two mixes, but that’s the purpose of a remix, right? The trio also adds new lyrics to this version; unfortunately, they’re censored.

2 You 4 You – Dilla leaves us with one last instrumental before parting ways. It’s best described as animated vibrating soul mixed with a muted melody that only the brilliant mind (and hands) of Dilla could create.

On “Beej N Dem,” T3 rhymes, “Ya’ll muthafuckas think that we don’t be freestyling.” Those who think that have never listened to Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1. They’ve only skimmed through it.

From the start of Fan-Tas-Tic, it’s clear that Dilla, T3, and Baatin are coming off the top or at least working out their rough drafts in real-time (I mean, it is a demo). At certain points, you’ll even catch them mumbling inaudibles while trying to find a sound pocket or cadence to stand on. You won’t find top-notch lyricism or chiseled flows and rhyme patterns on Fan-Tas-Tic, but you will discover scattered wit and potential sprinkled over raw bars, and their “Detroit homeboys” chemistry gives their rough drafts even more life. But all the emceeing on Fan-Tas-Tic plays second fiddle to the album’s main attraction: Dilla’s production.

Throughout Fan-Tas-Tic, you can hear the dusty basement residue hovering over Dilla’s lo-fi soul and jazz loops. Most of the loops he builds around are untapped soil (at least they were in 1997), and the few times he does recycle familiar ones, he chops and flips them so uniquely they almost lose their familiarity. Whether familiar or unfamiliar, Dilla’s loops carry addictive neo-soul adjacent melodies and grooves, and brilliantly, he keeps most of the tracks’ run time short, leaving the listener yearning for more.

Revisiting Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 is a bittersweet experience. It’s a great demo, better than many of your favorite rappers’ best mixed and mastered work. But it’s sad when you listen to the project and get reminded that two-thirds of the original team passed away far too early.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic