''Fantastic, Vol. 2'' (also referred to as ''Fantastic Volume II'') is the second album by

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

group

Slum Village Slum Village is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. The group was formerly composed of the rappers Baatin (1974–2009), T3, and rapper / producer J Dilla (1974–2006). J Dilla left in 2001 to pursue a solo career with MCA Record ...

, released on June 13, 2000. During the time of its release the group was still composed of its earliest members T3, Baatin and

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

Overview

The album was initially completed in 1998 for

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

shortly before the label became obsolete, leaving

in limbo for over a year. During this period, however, the group's producer Jay Dee greatly increased his profile through work with artists such as

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

Busta Rhymes Trevor George Smith Jr. (born May 20, 1972), known professionally as Busta Rhymes, is an American rapper, singer and actor. Chuck D of Public Enemy gave him the moniker Busta Rhymes, after National Football League, NFL and Canadian Football Lea ...

Erykah Badu Erica Abi Wright (born February 26, 1971), known professionally as Erykah Badu, is an American singer and songwriter. Influenced by rhythm and blues, R&B, Soul music, soul, and hip hop, Badu rose to prominence in the late 1990s when her debut al ...

and

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

. At the same time tremendous acclaim from notables such as

Questlove Ahmir K. Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought ...

The Roots The Roots are an American Hip-hop, hip hop band formed in 1987 by singer Black Thought, Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and drummer Questlove, Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's ''T ...

and

Q-Tip Cotton swabs (American English) or cotton buds (British English), also Q-tips ( proprietary eponym), are wads of cotton wrapped around a short rod made of wood, rolled paper, or plastic. They are most commonly used for ear cleaning, although th ...

built up anticipation for the long-delayed LP.

eventually found an outlet with Goodvibe Recordings & Barak Records, and released ''Fantastic, Vol. 2'' in spring 2000. Although sales were slow (due to heavy bootlegging) the group nevertheless had a huge impact on the underground circuit and were proclaimed torch-bearers for the departing

A Tribe Called Quest A Tribe Called Quest was an American Hip hop music, hip hop group formed in Queens, New York City, in 1985,Q-Tip< ...

. In particular Jay Dee's much lauded production work, full of subtle grooves and soul claps, was a blueprint for the direction that

neo soul Neo soul (sometimes called progressive soul) is a genre of popular music. As a term, it was coined by music industry entrepreneur Kedar Massenburg during the late 1990s to market and describe a style of music that emerged from Soul music, soul ...

would take in the coming years. The album was re-released minus the original version of "Fall-N-Love", which was replaced by the remix due to sample clearance issues, as well as their collaboration with Common, "Thelonius" (which originally appeared on Common's '' Like Water for Chocolate''). "Raise It Up" uses a sample from the song "Extra Dry" by

Thomas Bangalter Thomas Bangalter (; born 3 January 1975) is a French musician. He is best known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, alongside Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. He has recorded and released music as a member of the trio Music S ...

Daft Punk Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...

. It was initially used without permission, as producer J Dilla obtained a copy of the song from a

bootleg recording A bootleg recording is an audio or video recording of a performance not officially released by the artist or under other legal authority. Making and distributing such recordings is known as ''bootlegging''. Recordings may be copied and traded ...

, and assumed that the artist was an obscure producer who was unlikely to notice. Bangalter and

Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo Guillaume Emmanuel "Guy-Manuel" de Homem-Christo (; born 8 February 1974) is a French musician. He is known as one half of the former French house music duo Daft Punk, along with Thomas Bangalter. He has produced several works from his now-def ...

however happened to be fans of Slum Village, and rather than demand a payment for the sample, instead asked the group to remix one of their own tracks; this ended up becoming Slum Village's remix of the song "

Aerodynamic Aerodynamics () is the study of the motion of atmosphere of Earth, air, particularly when affected by a solid object, such as an airplane wing. It involves topics covered in the field of fluid dynamics and its subfield of gas dynamics, and is an ...

". The album's cover was designed by Waajeed (of the group Platinum Pied Pipers).

Critical reception and aftermath

The album received highly positive reviews and acclaim upon its release. ''

SF Weekly ''SF Weekly'' is an online music publication and formerly alternative weekly newspaper founded in the 1970s in San Francisco, California. It was distributed every Thursday, and was published by the San Francisco Print Media Company. The paper ha ...

'' commented that "(

Jay Dee James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

's) production style has been subtly influencing better-recognized producers for years" and even went as far as to claim that "Slum Village is going to single-handedly save rap music". The group themselves have since acknowledged the impact this record had, and while they benefited greatly from it, it has also overshadowed their later, though more commercially successful work. The twelfth track "Get Dis Money" was originally featured on the soundtrack to the 1999

Mike Judge Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is best known for being the creator of the animated television series ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present). He ...

cult film ''

Office Space ''Office Space'' is a 1999 American satirical black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the office work life of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron ...

''. The second track "Conant Gardens" was featured in the 2002

Frankie Muniz Francisco Muniz IV (; born December 5, 1985) is an American actor and racing driver. Muniz came to prominence in the 2000s playing the title character of the Fox sitcom ''Malcolm in the Middle'' (2000–2006), for which he was nominated for an E ...

film ''

Big Fat Liar ''Big Fat Liar'' is a 2002 American teen comedy film directed by Shawn Levy, and written by Dan Schneider from a story by Schneider and Brian Robbins. It stars Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti and Amanda Bynes, with a supporting cast featuring Am ...

'' as well as the 2003

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

film ''

Cheaper by the Dozen ''Cheaper by the Dozen'' is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Frank Bunker Gilbreth Jr. and Ernestine Gilbreth Carey, published in 1948. The novel recounts the authors' childhood lives growing up in a household of 12 children. The bes ...

''. The album was re-issued as ''Fantastic Vol. 2.10'' in 2010.

Track listing

Original pressing

All tracks are solely produced by Jay Dee, except for "Tell Me", which is produced by

D'Angelo Michael Eugene Archer (born February 11, 1974), better known by his stage name D'Angelo (), is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He first garnered attention after co-producing the single "U Will Know" ...

and co-produced by Jay Dee, and "Once Upon A Time", which is produced by

Pete Rock Peter O. Phillips (born June 21, 1970), better known by his stage name Pete Rock, is an American record producer, DJ and rapping, rapper. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest hip hop producers of all time, and is often mentioned along ...

and Jay Dee. On subsequent pressings, the album includes the Jay Dee-produced songs "Thelonius" and "Who We Are" as bonus tracks.

produced the preceding interlude to "Thelonius" but as the entire track is lifted from Common's '' Like Water For Chocolate'', he is not credited. *All songs written by James Yancey, Titus Glover and R. L. Altman, except as noted # "Intro" – 1:25 # " Conant Gardens" – 3:04 # "I Don't Know" – 2:25 # "Jealousy" – 4:05 # "Climax (Girl Shit)" – 3:31 # "Hold Tight" (feat.

) (James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman, Kamaal Fareed) – 3:12 # "Tell Me" (feat.

) (James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman, Michael Archer) – 4:37 # "What It's All About" (feat.

) (James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman, Trevor Smith) – 3:36 # "Forth and Back" (feat.

Kurupt Ricardo Emmanuel Brown (born November 23, 1972), better known by his stage name Kurupt, is an American rapper and record producer. Born and raised in Philadelphia, he formed Tha Dogg Pound in 1992 along with Daz Dillinger; the rap duo has releas ...

) (James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman, Ricardo Brown) – 4:26 # "Untitled/Fantastic" – 3:54 # "Fall in Love" – 3:47 # "Get Dis Money" – 3:31 # " Raise It Up" – 4:27 # "CB4" – 3:45 # "Once Upon a Time" (feat.

) (James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman, Peter Phillips) – 5:54 # "Players" – 2:26 # "Eyes Up" – 4:22 # "2U 4U" – 3:08 # "Go Ladies" – 4:43 # "Thelonius" (feat.

) (James Yancey, Titus Glover, R.L. Altman, Lonnie Lynn) – 4:29 (

hidden track In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...

) # "Who Are We" – 3:44 (bonus track found on later pressings)

2010 re-release

On February 2, 2010, the album was re-released as the two-disc ''Fantastic Vol. 2.10'', commemorating the 10th anniversary of the original album. This Barak Records release features additional tracks, alternative versions of a few songs, instrumentals, and a different intro from the original release. The songs changed or replaced are "Hold Tight", "Fourth & Back", "Once Upon a Time" and "2U 4U". This version of "Once Upon a Time" is produced by Pete Rock only. "Climax", while the same version of the song, now features a different ending followed by a skit. "Fall-N-Love" is listed as the 'original version' but is the same version to be found on the original release, this is because of some earlier presses that replaced it with the 12" remixes because of a sample problem. It is notable for including many small skits that appear between songs that never appeared on earlier presses. Disc 1: # "Intro" # "Conant Gardens" # "I Don't Know" (feat. Jazzy Jeff) # "Skit #1" # "Jealousy" # "Climax" # "Hold Tight (Remix)" (feat. Q-Tip) # "Tell Me" # "Skit #2" # "Forth & Back (Original Version)" (feat. Kurupt) # "Untitled" # "Fall-N-Love (Original Version)" # "Get Dis Money" # "CB4" # "Once Upon a Time (

Remix)" (feat. Pete Rock) # "Players" # "Eyes Up" # "2U 4U ive Drums # "Hustle" (feat. Busta Rhymes) # "Go Ladies" # "Skit #3" # "We Be Dem #1" # "We Be Dem #2" # "Get It Together" Disc 2: # "Conant Gardens (Instrumental)" # "I Don't Know (Instrumental)" # "Climax (Instrumental)" # "Hold Tight (Remix) (Instrumental)" # "Tell Me (Instrumental)" # "Untitled (Instrumental)" # "Fall-N-Love (Instrumental)" # "Get Dis Money (Instrumental)" # "CB4 (Instrumental)" # "Players (Instrumental)" # "Eyes Up (Instrumental)" # "2U 4U (Instrumental)" # "Hustle (Instrumental)" # "Go Ladies (Instrumental)"

Outtakes

*"Once Upon A Time" - was originally titled "On A Mission", and was on a

white label White label may refer to: * White-label product, a permitted replication and rebranding of a product * White label record, records with plain white labels attached. * White Label Music, an independent record label based in the United Kingdom * ''Wh ...

before the album's release. This version is also produced by Pete Rock, but without Jay Dee's added touches. *"Get Dis Money" - a version with an alternative verse from Baatin. *"The Hustle" (Ft. Busta Rhymes) - white label. *"Beej N Dem" - one of the many tracks from Slum's demo debut "Fantastic" that was re-recorded for Volume 2, this was the last and most high-end cut of this song that was released. *"Forth & Back" - the second of three recordings for "Forth & Back", another song concept from "Fantastic", this version uses a more radio-friendly beat, sampling Tom Browne's "

Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.) "Funkin' for Jamaica (N.Y.)" is a song by jazz trumpeter Tom Browne (trumpeter), Tom Browne. The single—a memoir of the Jamaica, Queens, Jamaica neighborhood in the New York City borough of Queens where Browne was born and raised—is from his s ...

". The order of verses remains intact, including the feature from Kurupt, except Jay, T3, and Baatin's verses are all older vocal takes with completely different lyrics. *"2U4U" - a version with drums by Jay Dee &

Karriem Riggins Karriem Riggins is an American jazz drummer, record producer, DJ and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan. He met Chicago rapper Common and fellow Detroit musician J Dilla both in 1996, and served as an extensive contributor for releases by both ...

. All of these outtakes are on the re-release of the album.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2000 albums J Dilla albums Slum Village albums Albums produced by J Dilla Albums produced by Pete Rock Albums produced by Questlove Sequel albums