2020 sees the release of “The Fun Ones”, the 7th solo album in the constantly expanding RJD2 catalog. The album draws largely from that basic DNA of hip-hop, funk music, but taken to a level of sophistication not seen before from this guy. Heavy on the brass, plenty of thump, and some slicker than average chord changes all add up to a rollicking good time. On “One Of A Kind”, RJ links up with Homeboy Sandman to push the levels of syncopation into the red. On “Pull Up On Love”, longtime collaborators STS and Khari Mateen reconvene to bring the spirit of James Brown to the quintessential Atlanta rib shack. Jordan Brown steps in to bring a falsetto lilt over a cacophonous drum break that would leave Ginger Baker scratching his chin. And the duo who brought you Magnificent City(Aceyalone and yours truly) reform on “A Genuine Gentleman”, a futuristic Meter’s-esque groove with the king of west coast abstract rhyming. All in all, the album flirts with vocal stylings, but stays firmly on-task for the mission of propelling the world of modern funk and instrumental music forward. Assembled as a mixtape with samples taken from a number of conversations with his contemporaries, the album leads a secondary role as a themed statement on the subject of, well, I’ll let you figure that out. Dig in and enjoy!
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