February 7, 2017 would have been J Dilla's 43rd birthday. To celebrate the occasion and pay homage to the modern music legend, Bounce-Worthy songstress Jae Franklin decided to work on a musical dedication to Dilla and the result is pretty epic. As Jae explains, "The concept is simple. I've chosen my favorite Dilla beat, "Flowers," and arranged and sang my favorite soul and hip-hop songs over it. The songs are true to soul and hip-hop." Indeed they are, with a total of 14 songs included in this incredible four-minute mashup that crisscrosses classic and contemporary soul, R&B and hip-hop.
Jae begins her "Flowers - A Jilla Dedication" tribute by singing a verse from Anita Baker's "Angel," and her cover rides the beat effortlessly before smoothly segueing into Teedra Moses' "Be Your Girl." Franklin then flips it with a little hip-hop flavor, incorporating Erykah Badu and Common's "Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop)" into the mix. All this magic happens within the first minute, and there are still three more to go!
Intrigued yet? You should be, and we invite you to listen to SoulBounce's world premiere of Jae Frankin's "Flowers - A Jilla Dedication" and watch its accompanying music video, which features the singer smiling and grooving along to her song (much like we are). This is our third exclusive world premiere from Jae, and it just might be our favorite. Jae's voice sounds stellar, and her renditions of these familiar songs are totally her own. We appreciate her creativity and talent in pulling this together. This mashup almost makes us want to create "Jae Franklin Can Sing Anything" and "Jae Franklin Always On A J Dilla Beat" memes. Color us impressed.
This isn't all that Jae Frankin has been working on, with her upcoming EP, WAVE, coming later this year. Until we can ride Jae's next WAVE, enjoy her contribution to keeping J Dilla's legacy alive.
Songs covered in Jae Franklin's "Flowers - A Jilla Dedication":
- Advertisement -1. Angel - Anita Baker
2. Be Your Girl - Teedra Moses
3. Love of My Life (An Ode to Hip-Hop) - Erykah Badu feat. Common
4. Turnin' Me Up - BJ The Chicago Kid
5. All the Way Up - Fat Joe & Remy Ma feat. French Montana & Infared
6. Love Don't Live Here Anymore - Rose Royce
7. Keep Ya Head Up - 2Pac
8. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) - Nas
9. Don't Touch My Hair - Solange
10. Golden - Jill Scott
11. Alright - Ledisi
12. Joy and Pain - Maze & Frankie Beverly
13. It Never Rains In Southern California - Tony! Toni! Tone!
14. Happy Feelin's - Maze & Frankie Beverly
