DJ Babu, of the world famous Beat Junkies and turntablist-mastermind behind the Dilated Peoples’ headnodding work, is at it again in a follow-up to his 2007 instrumental The Beat Tape Vol. 1 with the aptly named record: The Beat Tape Vol. 2. With his already impressive discography and genre-defining work on Super Duck Breaks (1996), Super Duper Duck Breaks (2000), and the Duck Season series, DJ Babu is no newcomer to the beatmaking game. A pioneer in his own right, DJ Babu has been a prominent name in hip-hop since his introduction to the culture and has contributed vast amounts of innovation through his innovative and creative musical efforts. The Beat Tape Vol. 2, like its predecessor, is an album of short one-to-three-minute instrumental beats that showcase the versatility of DJ Babu’s abilities on the wheels of steel. His work has continually evolved, providing the soundscapes to the ever-changing world of hip-hop music. On The Beat Tape Vol. 2, DJ Babu comes correct with a dark and ominous flavor, a textured, layered, and intricately composed selection of satisfying compositions.  Installments such as “Manferd,” and “What R U Doing,” are two of the tracks that reveal a subterranean coolness rarely found in hip-hop these days.

Hard hitting with the bass, Babu’s constructions exemplify a finesse normally attributed to the yesteryear of hip-hop music–to producers like Premier, Muggs, RZA, Pete Rock and Large Professor—they contain an inspired and passionate quality missing from today’s mass-produced, souless (anti-)aesthetic. However, while Babu may not (currently) rank up there with the golden few quite yet, his expansive and never-boring catalogue has time-and-time again proved his worth as a heavyweight in the producing game. Continually impressive, all that Babu is missing are some quality emcees to pair up with his meticulously constructed instrumentals. I ask myself, where is Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence?  Although some of the samples Babu uses have been flipped in more interesting ways before, they are still worthwhile to listen to.  Exceptional tracks like “Funkyromedary,” “Sunshine Days,” and “Philip The Trac” assemble a diverse picture of the boundless creativity hidden within the mind of Babu. The Beat Tape Vol. 2 is a fast-moving and pleasant experience from start to finish. This DJ Babu installment is well received (as his work normally is) and comes at a very opportune time. So far, 2010 has been a great year for the producer, and seems like it will continue to be so. The Beat Tape Vol. 2 is a call to all emcees to collaborate with DJ Babu. I can’t wait to hear some emcees tear it up on some of these bangers, but for now, I’ll sit here (while waiting for the next installment in the Duck Season series) and let this batch of instrumentals speak for themselves.

On another note: Check out this hilarious short film. It’s great, and it shows the fun and rarely-seen source of creativity (human interaction) on behalf of producer-DJ extraordinaire, Babu.  It’s great to see the community that lies in and around hip-hop. There is most definitely a lot of good  and talented people coming through Babu’s apartment!

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