Considered one of the most promising producers in American underground hip-hop and the spearhead of Def Jux, the Brooklyn-based label founded by El P in the early 2000s, RJD2 has never quite gotten the recognition he deserves. No doubt this is due to his desire to stay true to his own ideals and musical quirks, which just so happens to be funk in this newest album. His love of big brass sections became clear in his 2002 hit, Ghostwriter, (from the classic debut album, Deadringer), which sampled Paul Desmond, the Delfonics and Betty Wright, but this time he has sampled funk…to make more funk. Well, almost.
Mainly instrumental, The Fun Ones is like a tribute to 70s funk with its snare drums and brass band in No Helmet Up Indianola and its bed of violins in 20 Grand Palace. He teams up with duo Khari Mateen and STS, also from Philadelphia, on Pull Up on Love, a super-funky old-school hip-hop track, while the Californian MC Aceyalone sets the ambience over Meter’s-esque instrumentals in A Genuine Gentleman. Also featured in the album is Homeboy Sandman, a rapper of Dominican origin from Queens and signed by Stones Throw Records, who is completely at ease on the psychedelic One of a Kind. RJD2 wraps up the album with more iridescent synths and vinyl scratches on A Salute to Blood Bowl Legends, which is a reminder of why some people used to say he was the next DJ Shadow. © Smaël Bouaici/Qobuz