The Evolution of RJD2
Famed hip-hop artist returns to Columbus for anniversary show
By Adam Scoppa |
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In 1997, a 21-year-old kid with the curiously cool birth name Ramble John Krohn won a DJ battle in Columbus. Since then, his work has been used for everything from Levi's commercials to skate and graffiti videos, video games, and, perhaps most recognizable to many readers, the instrumental track from A Beautiful Mine is the opening theme to the hit AMC show Mad Men.
Hip-hop artist RJD2
Photo courtesy of Dan McMahon
RJD2 allowed (614) to probe him for tidbits about his Columbus past.
"You're really pushing my memory, this was like 15 years ago," said Krohn when I asked him about his music lifestyle in the 1990s. He told me of performing at Fort Hayes, gigging at house parties, mix tapes, and hip-hop expos.
"DJ battles were how I cut my teeth," he said. "It didn't really take off until I won."
And take off it did, as snowballing recognition and international acclaim followed shortly thereafter.
In the independent hip-hop world, Krohn, 34, is now known as RJD2 and has one of the most glowing resumes in that sprawling scene. His inventive turns as a break-beat aficionado have earned him production credits for the likes of MF DOOM, as well as homegrown talents Blueprint, Copywrite, and Catalyst. He is one of Columbus music's inspiring success stories, and his most recent projects have fittingly involved other talented (if unlikely) veterans of the scene.
After winning that fateful DJ battle, Krohn began steadily collaborating with fledgling local hip hop troupe MHz. His 2002 debut as a solo DJ, Deadringer, was widely praised at a time when similarly minded artists like DJ Shadow were breaking out.
Eight years later, the record remains a landmark statement of turntablism: all juicy grooves and insta-party odes to vintage soul. 2004's equally ambitious Since We Last Spoke expanded on the no-nonsense, rumbling funk of Deadringer with moodier, introspective passages.
Out to show the world that he was interested in more than just fading and scratching, RJD2, now living in Philadelphia, completely changed gears. In 2007, he released The Third Hand, a quirky, jubilant foray into pop songwriting, which featured his own instrumentation and vocals.
"People ask me this all the time and it's been kind of hard for me to answer," said RJD2, when asked about his new musical direction. "The whole concept of Deadringer was to make the most vocal-present, pop-oriented - and that might not even be the right word - [album] out of sample-based music. That was the whole point of what I was trying to do from the beginning . . . I feel like [The Third Hand] is not a new development."
The press apparently didn't see it that way: the album received mixed reviews from confused critics struggling to understand why such a gifted hip-hop producer had seemingly all but dismissed the genre.
As a pop record, The Third Hand isn't as invigorating as his first two albums were to the world of hip-hop, but it endearingly captures the artist's wide-eyed excitement for exploring new territory. Simply put, the album is not suffering for want of imagination and offers up some nifty gems on its own terms.
The critics' skepticism was only exacerbated by subsequent live performances, in which RJD2 employed a touring band and rarely put his fingers to vinyl.
"I feel good about what I'm doing, and I think it's the right decision," he said, explaining the pros and cons of working with other musicians. "I have to re-learn the songs and write charts and that kind of stuff. It's a lot easier to just be responsible for myself," he laughed.
The band in question is comprised of multi-instrumentalists Happy Chichester, Sam Brown, and Derek Dicenzo - three Columbus music stalwarts who are some of the most reliable talents in the business.
"They're incredible musicians," said RJD2. "It makes things much easier." As a crack unit, they translate earlier material to a live setting with aplomb, while infusing newer cuts with dazzling spontaneity.
RJD2 and band will emerge from the midst of their current tour to play Donewaiting.com's seven-year anniversary show, no doubt to a dangerously packed house of fans and friends. Then it's back on the road in support of his 2002-2010 box set and the excellent The Colossus, both on his new imprint, RJ's Electrical Connections. The latter is at once a return to form and a brave step forward for an artist so committed to his own musical evolution that he admits to having no idea what is going on in Philadelphia, where he now resides.
"I don't really get out," he says. "When I'm home, I'm usually in the studio being a hermit."
Donewaiting.com and On The Floor Productions Present The Donewaiting.com 7-Year Anniversary Party with RJD2, Keenan Bell, Happy Chichester, Thought Collective, and DJ Detox
February 5th @ Skully's
1151 N High St.
Originally Published: February 1, 2010
