Curtailing any notion of jumping on some sort of Dilla bangwagon, Jay Stay Paid was executive produced by Dilla’s mother Maureen Yancey (aka Ma Dukes) along with the musical supervision of Dilla’s only real musical idol, Pete Rock. “It wasn’t rushed and it wasn’t haphazard,” explains Ms Yancey. “This album combines what he did in the beginning of his career, what he did in some of our early hospital stays, which was very deep, and some stuff pulled from old floppy disks & DATs. Its mind blowing…this is like the missing links to Dilla’s legacy.”
The format of the album plays like a radio show with Pete Rock as the program director. With regards to Pete’s involvement, Ms. Yancey gets very excited, “Dilla wanted to pattern himself behind Pete. His dream was to become as close as possible to what Pete stood for. Pete meant everything to him. Dilla would have just been flabbergasted! ” Pete’s sentiments were the same toward Dilla, “Dude was amazing. He just kinda came outta nowhere and the more you heard his beats the better they got. He may not be here with us, but it’s all good we’re going to keep his music alive and well.”
1. KJay FM Dedication 2. King 3. I Told Yall 4. Lazer Gunne Funke 5. In The Night (Owl N Out) – While You Slept (I Crept) 6. Smoke f. Blu 7. Blood Sport f. Lil Fame (of M.O.P.) 8. caDILLAc 9. Expensive Whip 10. Kaklow (Jump On It) 11. Digi Dirt f. Phat Kat 12. Dilla Bot Vs. The Hybrid f. Danny Brown & Constantine 13. Milk Money 14. Spacecowboy vs. Bobble Head 15. Reality Check f. Black Thought 16. On Stilts 17. Fire Wood Drumstix f. DOOM 18. Glamour Sho75 (09) 19. 10,000 Watts 20. 9th Caller 21. Make It Fast Mega Mix (Unadulterated Mix) f. Diz Gibran 22. 24K Rap f. Havoc (of Mobb Deep) & Raekwon 23. Big City 24. Pay Day f. Frank Nitty (of Frank n’ Dank) 25. See That Boy Fly f. Illa J & Cue D 26. Coming Back 27. Mythsysizer 28. KJay and We Out
Tidigare har han porträtterat Leila K. Den här gången vände Göran Olsson kameran mot den halvt bortglömde soulstjärnan Billy Paul. Resultatet: "Am I black enough for you?" inviger Tempo dokumentärfestival.
Vintern 2005 var Göran Olsson deprimerad. Varje dag gick han från sitt hem vid Slussen till jobbet på produktionsbolaget Story i Södra Hammarbyhamnen.
– Det var så jävla deppigt. Mörkt och kallt och Sovjet. Men jag lyssnade på Billy Paul och så länge jag hade hans röst i lurarna fanns det hopp. Han lättade min Weltschmerz. Till slut bestämde jag mig för att hylla honom med en film.
Tidigare hade Göran Olsson gjort uppmärksammade dokumentärer om popikonen Leila K och designern Ann-Sofie Back. Att få tag på Billy Paul, en halvt bortglömd soulstjärna från Philadelphia, var inte lätt.
– Det sades att han bodde på Rivieran. Jag såg framför mig att han gick runt i kaftan med en massa brudar. Men han bodde i ett radhus utanför Philadelphia med sin fru Blanche. Filmen kom att handla väldigt mycket om deras relation. Det blev en hyllning till det livslånga äktenskapet.
”Am I black enough for you?” är döpt efter den politiskt radikala singeln som Billy Paul släppte 1972 – när han stod på toppen av sin karriär och just hade vunnit en Grammy för hitten ”Me and Mrs Jones”. Billy låg på skivbolaget Philadelphia vars ena grundare, låtskrivaren och muslimen Kenny Gamble, tyckte att det var dags att protestera mot rasismen. Själv var Billy Paul inte lika övertygad om låtens förträfflighet. När skivförsäljningen dalade skyllde han på ”Am I black enough for you?”. Långt senare gjorde rappionjären Schoolly-D en cover av låten. Både han och Questlove från The Roots intervjuas av Göran Olsson.
– De är övertygade om att Billy Paul spelade in den låten eftersom han var trött på mainstreampubliken. Så var det inte. Billy Paul hatar ”Am I black enough for you?”. Han tyckte att det var absurt att min film skulle döpas efter den men ändrade sig efter ett tag. Jag var med när han framförde den live för första gången någonsin, tillsammans med Schoolly-D.
Göran Olsson följde med Billy Paul på turné genom USA, Brasilien och Frankrike. De pratade om kärlek, politik och soulmusik. Göran beskriver honom som en ”Zelig-människa” som under sitt liv haft kontakt med väldigt prominenta artister.
– Han var barndomsvän med Bill Cosby, han sjöng med Charlie Parker som sextonåring, han gjorde lumpen i Tyskland med Elvis Presley, han hängde med Miles Davis på sextiotalet, han blev kompis med Michael Jackson och sjöng med honom på Liza Minnellis bröllop.
”Am I black enough for you?” ser glassigare ut än Göran Olssons tidigare dokumentärer som hade en rå, realistisk skärpa. Ambitionen var att göra en ”coffeetable-film”.
– Jag hamnar lätt i undergroundestetik. Den här gången ville jag skapa något riktigt fint. Därför använde jag inte digitalkamera utan riktig film. Och jag spelade bara in på natten för att få en souligare känsla.
Life is a test many quest the universe And through my research, I felt the joy and the hurt The first shall be last and the last shall be first The basic instructions before leaving earth
Knowledge this wisdom, this goes back when I was twelve I loved doing right but I was trapped in hell Had mad ideas, sad eyes and tears Years of fears, but yo my foes couldn't bear I searched for the truth since my youth And went to church since birth, but it wasn't worth the loot that I was paying, plus the praying I didn't like staying cuz of busy-bodies and dizzy hotties That the preacher had souped up with lies Had me cooped up lookin at loot, butt, and thighs Durin the service, he swallowed up the poor And after they heard this, they wallowed on the floor But I ignored, and explored my history that was untold And watched mysteries unfold And dropped a jewel like Solomon, but never followed men cause if you do your brain is more hollow than Space oblivia, or the abyss With no trace of trivia, left with the hiss Does it pay to be deaf, dumb and blind? From a slave we was kept from the mind And from the caves he crept from behind And what he gave, was the sect of the swine When the bible, it condemned the pig I don't mean to pull your hems or flip your wigs But we used to wear a turban, but now we're in the urban No more wearing beanies and dress like a genie No hocus pocus cause I focus on the facts And put it on the tracks and brought it through the wax I speak on Jacob, it might take up some time And too much knowledge, it might break up the ryhme I did it anyway just to wake up the mind of those who kiss stones or prays on the carpet Those who sit home, or sell books by the market Need to chill and get their mind revived For years religion did nothing but divide The basic instructions before leaving earth
I strolled through the books of Job to unfold And open bibles, instead of hoping on revivals Calling on His name and screaming hallelujah when he hardly knew ya, that's how the devil's fooled ya See look into my eyes brethren, that's the lies of a Reverend Why should you die to go to heaven? The Earth is already in space, the bible I embrace A difficult task I had to take I studied till my eyes was swollen, and only arose when I found out that we were the chosen I deal with the truth, and build with the youth And teach my son as he kneels on the stoop Son, life is a pool of sin, corrupted wth foolish men and women with wicked minds, who build picket signs to legalize abortion, the evil eye distortion I quiz Son with my wisdom Before I converted, I was perverted, and knowledge was asserted The study of wisdom, I perferred it The understanding, it gave me mental freedom I even learnt Caucasians were really the Tribe of Edam The white image, of Christ, is really Cesare Borgia and uhh, the second son of Pope Alexander The Sixth of Rome, and once the picture was shown That's how the devils tricked my dome I prophesized to save a man, but no one gave a damn for my nation - the seed of Abraham Blessed with the tongue of Hebrew Now we're strung on needles, and some are plungin evils So study and be wise in these days of darkness Peace to my nephew Marcus