Fantastic Vol. 2

by Matt Conaway After being released by their previous label, the debut from Slum Village (Jay Dee, T3, and Baatin) had been collecting dust for over a year. The trio of Detroit natives witnessed a renaissance for the album in underground hip-hop circles, as critical praise of the LP (Fantastic, Vol. 1) by the Roots and D'Angelo paved the way for it to become one of the most heavily bootlegged albums in recent years. Even though Fantastic has been given the seal of approval by those highly influential artists, the man most responsible for this LP's resurrection is group member Jay Dee. Due to his work with A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Macy Gray, and a solo Q-Tip, Jay's stock rose considerably, and he became one of this industry's most sought-after beat technicians. With Fantastic, Jay consistently demonstrates what all of the fuss is about, as his hypnotic instrumentals range from the straight soul of "Tell Me" featuring D'Angelo to the sublime keyboard grooves of "Fall in Love" and the quirky "Hold Tight," which features a pouty Q-Tip. Yet, even with all of Jay's wonderfully melodious production, Fantastic is more of an enigma then it is a triumph. While Jay exudes diversity behind the boards, he and the rest of his Slum Village mates are trivial MCs, slapping together a host of inept rhymes which are ripe with misogynistic overtones.