by SCOTT C

As one of the most sought after and celebrated artists on the Definitive Jux roster, RJD2 has a lot of people loking in his general direction for some next level music, especially after all the commotion that his first LP, Dead Ringer caused upon its release. His new album, Since We Last Spoke, is exactly what all his impatient fans weren't expecting, featuring yet another side to this soft-spoken producer of the moment, plus all the bells and whistles that set him apart in the first place. The Mirror spoke to RJD2 over the phone from Ohio.

Mirror: There seems to be a lot of people who think that they're talented enough to produce, sing, rap and play all the instruments on their record, while only a few of them truly have the creative resence to actually get away with it. How did you arrive at the place where you were ready to sing on Since We Last Spoke?

RJD2: It wasn't like, these guys are doing it wrong, I have to do it right. I'm not really that confident with my singing, to tell you the truth. It just kind of happened. There were these songs that I couldn't get done, songs that I wanted other people to sing, and I was just hitting roadblocks. People couldn't do them, and I had a deadline with the record. Sooner or later, I just started running out of time and had to do them myself. Even while I was turning in the record, I was thinking of people who could have done it better than I did. The logistics of getting it done were just impossible.

M: What I like about your music is that I can hear, without a doubt, that you listen to a lot and really love music. You kind of blow the whole genre-specific thing right out the window, which makes the people who try to categorize your style have to listen a lot harder to figure out exactly what it is that you're doing.

R: Thanks man, but we'll see. I'm a little worried about losing the hip hop kids and fans of my first record.

M: You'll be alright. You're really big on drums, it seems, based on how deftly you've chopped up all those licks and fills. Is that how you would describe yourself? As a drum guy?

R: In a lot of ways, that's where I think you separate the men from the boys. It's just one of those things that I'm real finicky about. There are very few people who can do proper drums, and can't grasp the rest of production. There's a lot of people who can do loops or play keys, y'know, dig deep for that sample or whatever, but if at the end of the day you're still biting Jay Dee, then it's time to develop your own identity and style.

With Diverse and Automato at Cabaret
on Sunday, May 16, 8:30pm, $17.50

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