What can we say about RJD2? We can begin by mentioning that he’s one of the most innovative producers and beatsmiths of recent memory. Or maybe we can say that he effectively bridged the gap from mainstream hip-hoppers who continually overlooked the underground through his work while on Definitive Jux.  RJ has been a presence in hip-hop and music altogether for quite some time. Working hard since the turn of the millennium, RJD2 has emerged as a prominent voice in the game—his style is pragmatic, intelligent and as such, is easily identifiable a la DJ Shadow, Cut Chemist, Pete Rock and DJ Premier—always containing an accessible and very human quality.  Returning to the stage since his underappreciated and less-than-stellar work on 2007’s The Third Hand, RJD2’s new effort includes elements of his outstanding production abilities (see Deadringer, Since We Last Spoke, 8 Million Stories, Things Go Better with RJ and Al, Magnificent City, Tin Foil Hat EP, etc.) as well as the more tolerable components from his more personal work on The Third Hand.  The Colossus is the first core release from RJ’s newly founded label, RJ’s Electrical Connections—congratulations.  At times self-indulgent, The Colossus contains enough of the parts that made RJD2 relevant in the past to reignite interest in both this album and his vast (and growing due to unreleased material) back catalogue of work.

Visiting RJD2’s The Colossus will leave you pleasantly surprised. Contrasting it with RJ’s previous work, it shows the dynamism and and growing adaptability of his distinctive style.  The hip-hop infused tracks on The Colossus remind me of the days of The Horror as well as his work with emcee Blueprint on Soul Position’s 8 Million Stories, yet are completely and uniquely revamped to reflect a different and new stage in the musical interests of RJ.  As with most of his albums, he invites artists to collaborate with him (he has previously collaborated with Aceyalone, Vast Aire, Diverse, MF Doom, Cannibal Ox, among many more) and this is no exception.  In this 2010 release, he has included the following artists: Kenna, Phonte Coleman, Aaron Livingston, Heather Fortune, and emcees The Catalyst, Illogic and NP.  I feel obliged to highlight the track “A Son’s Cycle” featuring The Catalyst, Illogic and NP as the dynamism of both the emcees and sound-bed  on which they flow are surgically joined at the hip(-hop).  Like it was when I first listened to his work with Aceyalone and Blueprint (the production was class), I would immediately seek out the instrumental LPs to add to my collection. Similarly, I can’t wait for the instrumentals for this track (hopefully in vinyl format) to be released in the future.  This track stands out from the rest of those presented on the album simply because of its dark and ominous approach which makes the tracks around it sound better—it is genially bookended by “Crumbs Off The Table (Featuring Aaron Livingston) and Tin Flower (Featuring Heather Fortune).

This review seeks to highlight the hip-hop inspired work on the album (as that is my personal lens on which I view the work of RJ), yet it by no means sets out to demean or devalue the work of the guest artists. As a matter of fact, I aim to highlight them. RJD2 has clearly understood that his vocals are not strong enough to carry an album (The Third Hand), and thus, has outsourced the vocal work to a varied set of very talented individuals. Aaron Livingstone for example, is a talented artist whose work with The Roots speaks volumes to me about the depth of his work.  Heather Fortune, if I’m not mistaken, played the flute on a cut on Dr. Dog’s album from 2007 Fate. I applaud the work of the guest artists and RJ’s apt ear for including their talents, because the album would fall apart without this collaborative glue.  The Colossus, as it stands, is as an album whose title is perhaps a reference to RJ’s triumphant return to the hip-hop/producing game. I hope this is a correct assumption, as many of the cuts on the album are clearly striving for some of the top marks achieved on classic cuts like Smoke & Mirrors, Clean Living, etc.  Regardless of who you are and what your stance on RJ’s position is within the realm of hip-hop, one factor cannot be excluded—he is damn good at what he does when he sets out to do it.

Pleasantly, the album ends off in the same fashion in which it began.  The triumphant and powerful strength with which “Let There Be Horns” (music video below) initiates the album, is brought back together at the end, providing a symmetry and stability to the album with the more poppy and less hip-hoppy “Walk With Me.”  The cuts that are more poppy, ironically, seem more forced and derivative by current pop standards.  RJ’s instrumental hip-hop, however, flows like water.  It is my professional opinion that RJD2’s headed in the right direction with this new “hybrid” of an album.  He’s brought back his famed beats (which will be a welcome return for the fans) and included some standout guest work throughout the album—which is by any standard a very impressive feat.  Being a devout follower of the hip-hop arts, I would’ve hoped he got rid of the popartz (reference to ex-labelmate Aesop Rock’s primary producer Blockhead) entirely, but I guess one can’t expect that immediately.  It seems RJ is “maturing,” and it’s going to a place of reconciliation and balance—an equilibrium of his personal explorations/experimentations with what the fans expect of him—high-grade hip-hop—regardless if he considers it “moron music” (he used that phrase in a 2004 interview attempting to legitimize his new direction in The Third Hand).  It goes without saying, do not sleep on this album. The Colossus is more rather than less the RJD2 we all have grown to love.

As a final note, I say to you, RJ: You are an asset to hip-hop music and have contributed a lot in your short tenure. The Colossus is a testament to your boundless creativity and has opened the door to future exploits.  On the behalf of the many fans of RJD2 and as a fellow hip-hop fan, I humbly ask you to continue making beats so that we can nod along in accordance (We would all love if you continue to collaborate with emcees as you successfully have in the past).  You are an amazingly talented individual, so really, why stop doing what you do best?

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