I was also introduced via Tribe but later, on The Love Movement. I'd heard BR&L in bits and pieces but didn't really know who was on production. I'd also been a huge fan of Stakes is High but again, didn't really know who Jay Dee was so seeing his name in the credits didn't really move the needle at the time since I was so young. But I was/am around the same age as you as well, give or take a year or so I think.

But yea by college I was fully immersed in the Soulquarian vibe so I went backwards and forward as a Dilla fanboy from there. I was, and continue to be, blown away by the unprecedented impact he's had on so many different corners of production culture. His imprint is everywhere. And I'm also always blown away by how many times he shapeshifted and recreated himself. One of a kind talent, gone too soon.

Couldn't agree more re: the outpouring of love he has and continues to receive from his peers. It's remarkable, but also unsurprising considering how timeless his sound(s) is/are.


>RE: Was introduced through Beats, Rhymes & Life and would love to say
>I was a devotee ever since. But I wasn't. I was 12/13 and
>getting into music and while I enjoyed it, I wasn't in any
>kind of space to really appreciate his work until college. I
>don't think I realized just how many things he had touched
>that I listened to until then (also, by then the internet was
>a thing for me and I had a better understanding of what a
>producer actually does.)
>
>There are other producers who will have more said about them
>when they pass away. But I still don't know if we'll ever see
>the outpouring from *musicians* that we got when Dilla went.
>MAYBE someone like Primo might command that level of sheer
>adoration among his peers, I can't think of anyone else who
>could come close.