''Welcome 2 Detroit'' is the debut

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

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 ...

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 ...

, released on February 26, 2001. The album followed his 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 ...

's critically acclaimed '' Fantastic, Vol. 2'', and kicked off BBE's "Beat Generation" series (producer-driven albums). ''Welcome 2 Detroit'' bears the name "Jay Dee" as well as "J Dilla", and marks the first time Dilla (who until that point was still known as Jay Dee) officially used the name J Dilla.

Overview

''Welcome 2 Detroit'' is a showcase of the talent from J Dilla's hometown, introducing a pre-

Elzhi Jason Powers (born May 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Elzhi (stylized as eLZhi), is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a former member of Slum Village and now records as a solo artist. In his youth, he made numerous visi ...

on the song "Come Get It", and making room for his longtime 1st Down partner

Phat Kat Ronald Christopher Watts (born August 26, 1971), better known by his stage name Phat Kat, is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan, best known as a favorite collaborator of the late J Dilla. Biography His career began in the mid-1990s as part of 1st ...

on the appropriately titled "Featuring Phat Kat". The album's sound ranges from grimy

hardcore hip hop Hardcore hip-hop (also known as hardcore rap) is a subgenre of hip hop music that developed through the East Coast hip hop scene in the 1980s. Pioneered by such artists as Run-DMC, Schoolly D, Boogie Down Productions and Public Enemy, it is gen ...

("Pause") to

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

("B.B.E."). The track "Rico Suave Bossa Nova" is inspired by

Brazilian music The music of Brazil encompasses various regional musical styles influenced by European, American, African and Amerindian forms. Brazilian music developed some unique and original styles such as forró, repente, coco de roda, axé, sertanejo ...

group Azymuth. As Dilla mentions in the extensive liner notes: J Dilla covers

Donald Byrd Donaldson Toussaint L'Ouverture Byrd II (December 9, 1932 – February 4, 2013) was an American jazz and rhythm & blues trumpeter, composer and vocalist. A sideman for many other jazz musicians of his generation, Byrd was one of the few h ...

's "Think Twice," singing the lead vocals. On "African Rhythms", J Dilla covers the

Afro beat Afrobeat (also known as Afrofunk) is a West African music genre, fusing influences from Nigerian (such as Yoruba) and Ghanaian (such as highlife) music, with American funk, jazz, and soul influences. With a focus on chanted vocals, complex inte ...

group Plunky & the Oneness of Juju's song of the same name, replaying all the instruments as well as mimicking the spoken introduction. On the album's outro "One," J Dilla takes a moment to thank all who have helped him in the hip-hop industry, including Slum Village,

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 ...

and

De La Soul De La Soul ( ) is an American hip hop music, hip hop group formed in the village of Amityville on Long Island, New York (state), New York in 1988. They are best known for their eclectic sampling, eccentric lyrics, and contributions to the evoluti ...

. The

Pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...

band

'N Sync NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, Joey ...

is also mentioned. An instrumental version of the album was released on August 23, 2005.

Track listing

''All tracks produced by

except "The Clapper," which is produced by

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 ...

and co-produced by

.'' # "Welcome 2 Detroit" – 0:49 # "Y'all Ain't Ready" – 1:28 # "Think Twice" (Feat.

Dwele Andwele Gardner (born February 14, 1978), known professionally as Dwele, is an American R&B singer, rapper, songwriter and record producer from Detroit, Michigan. He is best known for his guest appearance on Kanye West's 2007 single " Flashing ...

) – 3:52 # "The Clapper" (Feat. Blu) – 2:06 # "Come Get It" (Feat.

) – 5:02 # " Pause" (Feat.

Frank N Dank Frank N Dank (real names Frank Bush and Derrick Harvey) are an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. They also go by the names Frank Nitt (previously known as Frank Nitty, which is a reference to the 1930s crime boss Frank Nitti) and D ...

) – 2:45 # "B.B.E. (Big Booty Express)" – 2:12 # "Beej-N-Dem Pt. 2" (Feat. Beej) – 2:49 # "Brazilian Groove" (EWF) – 1:30 # "It's Like That" (Feat. Hodge Podge (Big Tone) and Lacks (Ta'Raach) ) – 4:05 # "Give It Up" – 3:08 # "Rico Suave Bossa Nova" – 1:25 # "Featuring Phat Kat" (Feat.

) – 3:43 # "Shake It Down" – 2:55 # "African Rhythms" – 1:36 # "One" – 1:30 ''Welcome 2 Detroit - The 20th Anniversary Edition'' This edition was released on February 5, 2021 on the BBE label, containing the original 16 tracks, with instrumentals, bonus mixes, beats and alternate takes. #

Album singles

Personnel

* James Yancey - rap, vocals, instruments, production *

- drums, percussion, production * Dwele Gardner - keyboards, trumpet, bass guitar, fender rhodes *Antwan Gardner - trombone *

Frank Bush Frank Bush (born January 10, 1963) is an American professional football coach and former linebacker who is the linebackers coach for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Houston Oilers in the fifth ...

- rap, claves * Derrick Harvey - rap * Jason Powers - rap * Ronnie Watts - rap *Anthony Jackson - rap *Terrell McMathis - rap *Blu - rap *Beej - rap

Recording

*Recorded at Pay-Jay Studios, Studio A, Dearborn *Engineered by James Yancey and Todd Fairall *All songs mixed by James Yancey and Todd Fairall at Studio A, Dearborn. *Mastered by Shawn Joseph, Optimum Mastering *Executive producers: Peter Adarkwah and James Yancey *Co-executive producer: Timotheous Entertainment *Art Direction and Design: Thomas Mc Callion

References

External links

*
Welcome 2 Detroit
' at

Discogs Discogs ( ; short for " discographies") is a database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. Database contents are user-generated, and described in ''T ...

{{Authority control 2001 debut albums J Dilla albums Albums produced by J Dilla Albums produced by Karriem Riggins Barely Breaking Even albums