Slum Village

Detroit's Slum Village upheld the funk-laden, soul-steeped hip-hop lineage established by early trailblazers A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and the Pharcyde. Formed initially by rappers Baatin and T3 alongside producer/rapper J Dilla, the collective first appeared in the early '90s under the moniker Ssenepod before adopting the Slum Village name ahead of issuing their debut album Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1 in 1997. Across nearly a dozen projects, the outfit delivered its top-performing release Trinity (Past, Present and Future) in 2002 and later registered a Hot 100 entry in 2004 via the hit single "Selfish" that included Kanye West and John Legend. Multiple roster shifts occurred following J Dilla's departure in 2001, Baatin's passing in 2009, and Elzhi's exit in 2010. By the 2010s the act operated as a duo when T3 paired with producer Young RJ. Further compilations and releases including Yes! (2015) and The Source (2019) plus ongoing live appearances through the 2020s continued thereafter.

Hailing from Detroit's Conant Garden area and linking up while attending Pershing High School, Baatin, J Dilla (also known as Jay Dee), and T3 earned underground acclaim locally for their open-mike prowess. Their initial full-length Fan-Tas-Tic was tracked in 1996 yet remained shelved for years amid label complications. A subsequent deal with Barak/A&M Records collapsed when the imprint folded in 1999, stranding the three members. Throughout that stretch Dilla rose to prominence within hip-hop circles as part of the Ummah, the production collective behind numerous successes for Q-Tip, A Tribe Called Quest, D'Angelo, the Pharcyde, De La Soul, and Common, in addition to reworkings for Janet Jackson and Brand New Heavies.

Slum Village resumed activity in 2000 by unveiling both the compilation Best Kept Secret (drawn from the earlier Fan-Tas-Tic sessions) and their proper second album Fantastic, Vol. 2 (GoodVibe). That follow-up contained beats from Dilla, Pete Rock, and D'Angelo together with contributions from Q-Tip, Jazzy Jeff, Busta Rhymes, Kurupt, and Common. Next came Trinity (Past, Present and Future) (Barak/Capitol Records), which reached number 20 on the Billboard 200 to mark the group's strongest chart placement at the time. The set scaled back guest spots and signaled a pivotal shift after J Dilla's departure and replacement by Elzhi. Later the same year the crew put out Dirty District, a Detroit MCs compilation crafted by T3 and RJ Rice.

Recording for the fourth studio album commenced after Baatin had exited to launch a solo path. T3 and Elzhi compensated by enlisting notable guests such as Ol' Dirty Bastard, MC Breed, and Dwele on Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit), which arrived in June 2004. The project housed the act's biggest single "Selfish" featuring Kanye West and John Legend.

One year afterward Slum Village left Capitol to return to independent outlet Barak. The mixtape Prequel to a Classic paved the way for the September 2005 self-titled LP from the reconfigured duo. Over the ensuing four years the members endured the losses of both Dilla and Baatin yet persisted to deliver Villa Manifesto (E1 Records) in 2010. That effort incorporated posthumous turns from Dilla and Baatin along with appearances by DJ Babu, Posdnuos, Phife Dawg, Questlove, and additional artists.

Elzhi departed Slum Village in July 2010, leaving T3, newcomer Young RJ, and Dilla's younger brother Illa J as the configuration for the aptly named seventh album Evolution (Ne'Astra Music/Traffic) released in 2013. Illa J exited shortly before the 2015 arrival of Yes!, which carried additional posthumous production from his sibling plus verses from De La Soul, Phife Dawg, Bilal, and Black Milk. Slum Village, Vol. 0, a trove of rare early recordings assembled by Young RJ, surfaced in 2016. Another assortment of unearthed late-'90s material from the original trio, The Lost Scrolls, Vol. 2 (Slum Village Edition), followed in April 2018 and spotlighted Dilla, T3, and Baatin on tracks produced by Dilla.

In 2019 the crew generated multiple outputs beginning with The Source. The atmospheric collection incorporated guests Madlib, BJ the Chicago Kid, and Dilla. Two retrospective instrumental collaborations with Abstract Orchestra, Fantastic 2020, Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, completed the year's activity.