Rapper-producer Jay Dee left after the group's first national album, 2000's Fantastic, Vol. 2 (Barak) and rhymer Elzhi was added to the mix for 2002's Trinity (Past, Present And Future) (Barak/Capitol). Now, with the release of Slum Village's new album, the stunningly impressive Detroit Deli (Barak/Capitol), the group consists of just T3 and Elzhi. Throughout the changes, Slum Village's musical mission has remained constant: to deliver soul-stirring sonics that represent Detroit to the fullest. That vision is fully realized on Detroit Deli. Throughout the sensational 15-cut collection, T3 and Elzhi give listeners an intimate look at life in The D, from where they shop, hang with friends and eat to the type of cars they drive (check "Zoom") and what clothes they wear.
Slum Village represents the Midwest's funk heritage on the inspirational "Do You," which was produced by Jay Dee, and teams with Chicago's Kanye West on lead single "Selfish," a sly, piano-driven song where T3, Elzhi and West rap about their desire to have a monopoly with women. They then team with Ol' Dirty Bastard on the riotous "Dirty" about having to battle for a woman and deliver a Player's Hand Guide of sorts on the sensuous "Count The Ways," Both produced by B.R. Gunna.
Even though Slum Village excels at making this type of lighthearted music, they show on Detroit Deli that they also hit hard with more serious subject matter. On the moving, guitar-driven "Keep Holding On," they rap about people not losing faith in their lives, while on the stirring "Old Girl/Shining Star," T3 and Elzhi send a open letter of hope and support to single mothers working hard to survive.
"The inspiration came from my boy's niece who has a gang of kids and is out here struggling," Elzhi says. "She's stringing her kids around on the bus, just to get by. By me just looking at that, I'm like, 'I need to write a song because I know she's not the only one going through it.' Slum Village has never touched on ladies like that and everybody is calling girls hoes and Bs, dissing these ladies, so we wanted to touch the ladies in a different way."
The group also takes a different route on "Reunion." Jay Dee joins T3 and Elzhi on the insightful cut, which offers three different takes on the group's status. "It's like you're going through three state of minds at one time kind of in reverse," T3 says. "What we're trying to say is that we wish we were together, we might be together and then we're not together at all. We're trying to give you all the aspects of how people are coming at us, the type of stuff we're dealing with and kind of give you a glimpse of the stuff we're dealing with in the group."
Indeed, songs such as "Keep Holding On," "Old Girl/Shining Star" and "The Reunion" signal Slum Village's evolution; they mark the first time the group has let listeners in on their personal feelings. "I don't think people really know us and we never really touched on our emotions like that," T3 says. "We wanted to bring some realness, besides just the soul music. Elzhi, as a guy that saw Slum Village on the outside, he brought it to my attention that we never touched on serious topics and that we should try to touch on them more. I was with that and I have a lot to say, so why not?"
Detroit Deli also stands as Slum Village's most musically rich album to date. B.R. Gunna producers Black Milk and Young RJ, both 20 years old, handled the majority of the beats, while Kanye West produced "Selfish," Jay Dee handled "Do You" and T3 along with young RJ produced "Closer" and "Count The Ways." The beats are as divergent as the album's subject matter, ranging from soulful to futuristic, but they always remain powerful and innovative.
The same can be said for Slum Village's storied career. After releasing Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1 independently, Slum Village became one of hip-hop's hottest groups. While working on Fantastic vol. 2, they were joined in the studio by such luminaries as D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes, Kurupt, Pete Rock, and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, among others. The resulting album became an underground classic and Slum Village was seen as the second coming of the Native Tongues (A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul) by member Q-Tip, as well as fans and journalists alike.
Jay Dee left the group after Fantastic, vol. 2 in order to work on his solo career, but Slum Village pressed on, releasing in 2002 the Dirty District mixtape and later that year its third album and first with new member Elzhi, Trinity. Many fans looked at rapper-producer Jay Dee as the group's backbone, but Trinity proved that Slum Village could provide without its sonic architect, as that album's single "Tainted" became the group's biggest hit.
"We've always stuck to our guns," T3 says. "We've never tried to change to get commercial success. We always just did what we did and when you do what you do, eventually somebody's going to have to give you your respect for having the courage to do what you do."
Now back where they started, Slum Village yet again thrills and delights fans and gains yet a larger audience hungry for the smoking beats under the hot lyrical talent of T3 and Elzhi. Slum has begun to bring more of their personal feelings to their music, allowing the listeners and fans to touch more on the emotions and realness and touched on more serious topics. Prequel to a Classic features previously unreleased joints and jams from Slum Village with production by B.R. Gunna, J Dilla and Kareem Riggins. The mixtape gives listeners the best of some of their material since Fantastic Vol. 1.
T3 has said in a recent interview that slum village has reunited with Baatin and has added Illa J(J Dilla's Brother) to bring a Dilla effect. He is quoted "Slum Village is totally not that at all,” T3 adds. “I’m incorporating Baatin, and I’m putting Illa J in—not to take Dilla’s place, but just to have that essence of Dilla on this new project. I’m pulling together all the producers that we’ve used before—Black Milk, Wajeed , Kareem Riggins, Pete Rock and all the people who have been down with SV from day one.”
J Dilla died on February 10, 2006 after being diagnosed with TTP and Lupus.
Baatin died on July 31, 2009.
www.slumvillage.com
I Don't Know
Slum Village Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You, you, (you)
Could ask my man, T(3)
I ain't the, (one)
To be, played like them niggas that you use to play for money and
No time for acting, (funky), with me
I'm influenced to like uh, (you know)
And then I pick up the phone, shit, (I don't know)
She walks by casual says my loot is usual
Baatin says it's him (too)
To all my ladies in the place
I mean your whole crew is light (yeah)
You know the S is my crew we rule, (what man you know)
We got a whole flock of niggass with 'Locks (you know)
But I don't know why I'm fucking with you
I don't know why the fuck I'm fucking with you
It's like, you know you scandalous as hell
Yeah I can tell, from your nails to the Chanel
Say (what)ever you doin you doin it well
You jockin my man R.L. (too)
Wait see you, shouldn't do the things you do
But you constantly do (your bad self)
Also you, love to, (eh, eh)
See I'mma get with you so we can (uh)
And if you don't know, your shit is crucial
To all my people in the place if you need to know I
(Rock with your bad) enough to say (watch me)
Do my shit on the dance floor
And if you need to call me (you know)
My number is (3 2 1) 1 7 88
Yo, yo, why I'm fucking wit you
I don't know why the fuck I'm fucking with you
The lyrics to Slum Village's song "I Don't Know" express the confusion and uncertainty the singer feels about his relationship with a woman. He starts off saying that he doesn't know why he's even involved with her, questioning his decisions and sanity. He then refers to his friend T(3) and states that he's not the type to be used for money and won't tolerate any phony behavior from her. He admits to being influenced by her but still can't explain why he's taking her calls. The woman walks by, nonchalantly commenting on his money, while Baatin says he's attracted to her too. The singer then addresses all the ladies in the place, referring to his crew as being superior but admitting that he's still drawn to this one woman.
The singer seems to be conflicted between his loyalty to his crew and his attraction to this woman, who he portrays as problematic and manipulative. He acknowledges that she's scandalous and loves to cause trouble, but he can't resist her. The woman seems to be using him as well, as she's interested in his friend R.L. and is constantly doing things that she knows she shouldn't. The singer humorously or ironically suggests that they should get together to do their misdeeds, while also encouraging people to rock with their bad selves and do their own thing on the dance floor. Overall, the song portrays a complicated and confusing relationship that produces conflicting emotions and desires.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't know why the fuck I'm fucking with you
I'm questioning why I'm in a relationship with you
You, you, (you)
Referring to the person he's in a relationship with
Could ask my man, T(3)
Referring to his friend, T(3), who may know why he's in the relationship
I ain't the, (one)
He's not the kind of person who would be played like other men for money
To be, played like them niggas that you use to play for money and
He won't put up with the same treatment as men who were played for money by the person he's in a relationship with
No time for acting, (funky), with me
He doesn't have time for any drama or acting in the relationship
You best believe that you won't, (do it)
He's warning his partner not to cause any problems or drama in their relationship
I'm influenced to like uh, (you know)
He's admitting that he's attracted to the person, even if he's not sure why
And then I pick up the phone, shit, (I don't know)
He's unsure of what he wants to do when he's communicating with the person
She walks by casual says my loot is usual
A woman walks by and comments on his money as if it's something usual or expected
Baatin says it's him (too)
Another person in the group (Baatin) is also experiencing a similar situation
To all my ladies in the place
He's speaking to all the women present
I mean your whole crew is light (yeah)
He's complimenting the women in the group
You know the S is my crew we rule, (what man you know)
He's asserting that his group (Slum Village) is dominant and successful
We got a whole flock of niggass with 'Locks (you know)
He's highlighting the diversity and uniqueness of his group
But I don't know why I'm fucking with you
He's still questioning why he's in a relationship with the person
It's like, you know you scandalous as hell
He's accusing the person of being scandalous
Yeah I can tell, from your nails to the Chanel
He can tell the person is scandalous just by their appearance
Say (what)ever you doin you doin it well
He's acknowledging the person's success in whatever they're doing
You jockin my man R.L. (too)
The person is also showing interest in one of his friends (R.L.)
Wait see you, shouldn't do the things you do
He's telling the person they shouldn't behave in certain ways
But you constantly do (your bad self)
The person consistently behaves in negative ways, but still takes pride in themselves
Also you, love to, (eh, eh)
The person is being playful or flirtatious
See I'mma get with you so we can (uh)
He's indicating that he wants to pursue a sexual relationship with the person
And if you don't know, your shit is crucial
He's saying that the person is important or valuable to him
To all my people in the place if you need to know I
He's addressing everyone present
(Rock with your bad) enough to say (watch me)
He's confident in his abilities and wants others to see him perform
Do my shit on the dance floor
He refers to dancing on the dance floor
And if you need to call me (you know)
He's providing his phone number for people who may need to contact him
My number is (3 2 1) 1 7 88
He provides his phone number for others to contact him
Yo, yo, why I'm fucking wit you
He's still questioning why he's in a relationship with the person
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: James Brown, Charles Bobbitt, James Yancey, R.l. Altman, Titus P. Glover
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@oskamadison
The most creative use of James Brown vocal samples ever...as if I really needed to say that...
@dawnjones3617
Jazzy Jeff
@damianmarvay5480
you know
@tapeworm6093
Best Dilla song ever with the scratch and mix
@RJKK
You might like "just ain't gonna work out" by Chuuwee n Cookin Soul...the same James Brown sample is used in it as well...pretty cool actually👍
@TheDesciple30
Facts
@infyouth
WOW... The placement of those James Brown vocal chops are smooth as hell. Peep how Jay makes the snare hit a little earlier when he says "doin' it well" to mimic the drum pattern of LL Cool J's "Doin' It". That was pretty slick.
@johnbarrett7777
Jazzy Jeff on the ones and two's . Dilla beat, Slum Vill .
This is the quintessence of dopeness on a Hip Hop joint.
@meyou5789
I didn't know DJ Jazzy Jeff did the cuts
@seanlamoureux3484
@@meyou5789 I'm pretty sure Dj DEZ (DEZ ANDRES) did the cuts...