Slum Village Ft. Kanye West & John Legend – Selfish

The old-school, funk-and soul-infused hip-hop legacy of genre pioneers A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and the Pharcyde has been carried on by Detroit’s Slum Village. The group, originally made up of rappers Baatin and T3 and producer/rapper J Dilla, made their debut as Ssenepod in the early 1990s. When their first album, Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1, was released in 1997, they changed their name to Slum Village. Slum Village released their highest-charting album, Trinity (Past, Present, and Future), over the course of over a dozen albums. The single “Selfish,” starring Kanye West and John Legend, peaked on the Hot 100 in 2004. With the departure of Elzhi (2010), the passing of Baatin (2009), and the departure of J Dilla (2001), their lineup has seen major changes. In the 2010s, producer Young RJ teamed up with T3 to form the duo Slum Village. Since then, there have been a variety of compilations and projects like Yes! (2015) and The Source (2019), in addition to performances well into the 2020s.

Wonderful Selection
Growing up in Detroit’s Conant Garden neighborhood and teaming up at Pershing High School, Baatin, J Dilla (also known as Jay Dee), and T3 gained notoriety in the underground community for their prowess with the open mic. In 1996, they released their debut album, Fan-Tas-Tic, but the album would be overshadowed for years by label conflict. After signing with Barak/A&M Records, the group was left adrift when the latter closed its doors in 1999. As a member of the Ummah, the production group behind several singles by Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest, D’Angelo, the Pharcyde, De La Soul, and Common, as well as remixes for Janet Jackson and Brand New Heavies, Dilla rose to prominence in the hip-hop scene at this time.

Greatest-Kept Secret
In 2000, Slum Village resumed their career with the releases of Fantastic, Vol. 2 (GoodVibe), their official sophomore album, and the collection Best Kept Secret, which was recorded during the Fan-Tas-Tic sessions. Dilla, Pete Rock, and D’Angelo produced the second installment, which also included cameos by Q-Tip, Jazzy Jeff, Busta Rhymes, Kurupt, and Common. The group’s next release, Trinity (Past, Present and Future) (Barak/Capitol Records), was their highest charting album to date and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200. Less guest stars appeared on Trinity, which also signaled a change in Slum Village’s past when J Dilla left to be replaced by Elzhi, a newcomer. Subsequently, the group released Dirty District, a T3 and fellow countryman RJ Rice-produced compilation of Detroit MCs.

A Taste of Detroit: Detroit Deli
Baatin had left Slum Village to pursue a solo career by the time recording for their fourth official album started. For Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit), released in June 2004, T3 and Elzhi made up for the paucity of content by bringing in well-known guests like Dwele, MC Breed, and Ol’ Dirty Bastard. The group’s highest charting single, “Selfish,” starring Kanye West and John Legend, was included on the record.

An Introduction to a Classic
After a year, Slum Village moved back to the independent Barak and broke away from Capitol. The newly formed duo’s self-titled full-length album was released in September 2005, followed by the mixtape Prequel to a Classic. They suffered two devastating personal setbacks within the following four years with the deaths of Dilla and Baatin, but they continued and in 2010 released Villa Manifesto (E1 Records). Posthumous appearances by Dilla and Baatin were included in the endeavor, along with DJ Babu, Posdnuos, Phife Dawg, Questlove, and other guests.

Evolution Dilla’s younger brother Illa J, T3, and recently recruited Young RJ made up the group’s lineup for the appropriately named seventh album Evolution (Ne’Astra Music/Traffic) released in 2013. Elzhi left Slum Village in July 2010. Illa J departed the group just before the release of Yes! in 2015, which included lyrics by De La Soul, Phife Dawg, Black Milk, and his older brother’s posthumous production. Cobbled together by Young RJ, Slum Village, Vol. 0 is a 2016 compilation of rare material from the group’s early days. In April 2018, a second collection of the original trio’s previously undiscovered early songs was received. Dilla, T3, and Baatin were featured on Dilla-produced songs from The Lost Scrolls, Vol. 2 (Slum Village Edition), which were recorded in the late 1990s.

The Source was the first in a long line of releases the group put out in 2019. Among the guests for the moody set were Dilla, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Madlib. The remainder of the year was filled in with two retro instrumental releases with Abstract Orchestra, Fantastic 2020, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2.