as an old-​school def-​jux fanboy, i pretty much was a fan of everything that label released, regardless of whether or not it was actually good music. just the fact that it was one of the few independent hip hop labels reppin’ the east was all that mattered. regardless of what you think of el-​p (aka james meline) personally, his cadre of musicians under his label was pretty impressive and was the who’s who of independent beatmaking. i mean yeah, it was the preeminent backpacker label, but who gives a shit, right? backpacker hip hop was basically the only decent hip hop being released for a long time. so when rjd2 released deadringer on def-​jux back in 2002, an entire community basically shit their pants. hot off the heels of dj shadow’s second effort, the private press, rjd2 stepped up to the batters box to challenge for the title of turntable supremacy.

like the aforementioned dj shadow, who had already carved out a recipe for awesomeness with his debut, entroducing, years earlier, rjd2 showed that there was another player on the scene who had just as big, if not bigger, a record collection that vinyl nerds everywhere pissed their pants over. rumours had it, at the time, rjd2 had at least 10 000 records stored somewhere in the basement closet of his mom’s house.

after two albums, rjd2 switched record labels, going from def-​jux to xl recordings and ended up confusing his fanbase. each record since deadringer has had its own identity, veering off in their own destination to the point where genre-​jockeys argued over if you could still consider rjd2 to be a hip hop artist (or even if he was hip hop in the first place). the debate raged just before he released his third album, aptly titled the third hand. rjd2 went on record stating that he was going to make a pop album. and folks shit their pants again when it was released — it sounded nothing like deadringer or since we last spoke. gone were the technical cuts, scratches, and obscure sampling, and for the first time, he was singing on basically all of his tracks. he went from turntable hero to indie rock crooner, a shock to his fans who had grown accustomed to his erratic beatmaking. but it certainly wasn’t a pop album either. to this day, the third hand remains his most divisive album among his fans — some love it, some hate it, others are indifferent.

now, rjd2 decided to back his bags and start his own label — rj’s electrical connections — and released his latest album, the colossus, on it. with this release, it is pretty much safe to say that rjd2 refuses to be pigeonholed. this album, like every other one he has released before, has a distinct identity. the artist who released the colossus today almost has nothing in common with the one who released deadringer. i’m convinced that if you listened to both records independent of the other and had no idea who rjd2 was, you would be surprised to find out they were made with the same guys. gone is the dominant sampling and glitchwork — the colossus is a more melodic album with more conventional song structures, and the sampling is a lot more subtle and more complementary to the overall track, blending easily into each track instead of standing out. but while the overall sound of rjd2 has changed since the deadringer days, the colossus is still filled with every ounce of talent that everyone knew rjd2 had in his fingertips.

for long time fans of rjd2, they are going to love this album simply because it’s something rjd2 released. for fans of music in general who aren’t particularly familiar with rjd2, there is a lot to like here. the tracks feature the vocalizations of the third hand, excellent sampling and instrumentation, and a prominent jazzy-​feel that threads itself through the entire album. fans of his earlier efforts with blueprint and the whole soul position projects will not be disappointed either. hip hop also makes a prominent return on the colossus. the only knock i can give to this album is its low energy and lack of a standout track. the album flows together so well, that the album feels like one long song. which can be a good or bad thing, depending on who you are.

and if you’ve ever been to an rjd2 show, you know how important energy is. but rjd2 is one of those artists who always sounds much better live than he does on record, so i’m pretty sure that even this album will make you jump around at his shows, especially when he’s throwing tonnes of free shit at you from the dj booth.

Track listing

  1. “Let There Be Horns” – 4:09
  2. “Games You Can Win” – 5:26
  3. “Giant Squid” – 4:08
  4. “Salud 2″ – 0:49
  5. “The Glow” – 4:26
  6. “A Spaceship For Now” – 3:15
  7. “The Shining Path” – 4:08
  8. “Crumbs Off The Table” – 4:04
  9. “A Son’s Cycle” – 4:05
  10. “Tin Flower” – 3:48
  11. “Small Plans” – 4:32
  12. “Gypsy Caravan” – 2:13
  13. “The Stranger” – 3:59
  14. “Walk With Me” – 5:24
  15. “Games You Can Win (Nicolay Remix)” – 5:04 (iTunes bonus track)