The Shining (J Dilla album)
| The Shining | ||||
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| Studio album by J Dilla | ||||
| Released | August 22, 2006 | |||
| Recorded | 2005-2006 | |||
| Genre | Hip hop | |||
| Length | 36:25 | |||
| Label | BBE Records | |||
| Producer | J Dilla, Madlib, Karriem Riggins, J. Rocc | |||
| J Dilla chronology | ||||
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| The Shining: Instrumentals | ||||
Cover for the instrumental version
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Aggregate scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 80/100 |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| The A.V. Club | B+ |
| HipHopDX |  |
| Now | |
| Pitchfork Media | 7.4/10 |
| PopMatters |   |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Stylus Magazine | B- |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | |
| XXL | XL |
The Shining is the third studio album by album by American hip hop recording artist J Dilla, who died February 10, 2006. The Shining was incomplete at the time of J Dilla's passing and was posthumously completed. Discounting the instrumental album Donuts, The Shining was the first full-length solo release by J Dilla (featuring vocals) since Welcome 2 Detroit five years earlier, and as such was highly anticipated. It was released on August 22, 2006 through BBE Records. An instrumental version of the album followed its release shortly afterward.
In the works for many years under working titles such as the rumored Welcome 2 LA, Dilla's manager, Tim Maynor, said in November 2005 that The Shining would come out in February 2006 on BBE and that the Dilla self-titled album would follow in the same year. As the album was ultimately only 75% complete at the time of J Dilla's passing, his friend and fellow Detroit hip-hop artist Karriem Riggins was entrusted by Dilla's mother for the completion and handling of the record. Riggins himself has indicated that there will be further future releases of Dilla's music in the coming years, stating that "all of his music needs to be heard".
A few of the tracks on The Shining are vocal versions of previously heard material such as "So Far to Go" (Donuts track "Bye" revamped and extended to serve as an intended remix to Common's "Go!"). This song was originally to be released by Common during the last quarter of 2005, as part of a Be special edition package. In 2007, an alternate version of "So Far to Go" containing new verses and a new mix was released on Common's Finding Forever album.
Dilla features some of his past collaborators, such as the aforementioned Common on two songs, Busta Rhymes, D'Angelo, Madlib, and Black Thought on the LP. The closing track, "Won't Do", is the only song to feature Dilla rhyming by himself. He does however also rhyme on "Baby" together with Madlib and Guilty Simpson and provide the chorus for "E=Mc2". "Won't Do" was also issued as a single (as The Shining EP2), accompanied by a video that premiered on December 12, 2006. The video included appearances by Common, Slum Village, will.i.am, Frank-N-Dank, Karriem Riggins, Black Thought, Talib Kweli, and J Dilla's younger brother, John Yancey (aka Illa J).
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