Jon B – Beat Diarya

Independent, 2007

Is the famous 1990’s R&B singer back to resurrect Tupac for another hit single? Apparently not; this is a different Jon B altogether, one who is actually a pretty dope producer from Edmonton. There definitely is some resurrecting going on here though, as this is a remix album, but these aren’t your everyday remixes. The press release states very fittingly that this is a “rap experiment.” Jon doesn’t shy away from things such as playing with familiar pitches, turning a couple of your favourite rappers into chipmunks. You can end up first thinking he’s going to fuck up one of your favourite tracks, but by the end of the song thinking that, hey this is pretty cool. The overall sound here is distinctly lo-fi, evoking the image of a kid in his parent’s basement having fun making pause-tape remixes with cassingle accapellas and instrumentals. Along with classics from Mobb Deep, Busta Rhymes, and Afu-Ra…to name a few; Jon B also takes time out to showcase local Canadian talent such as Touch (The Representatives), Wordburglar, Mindbender, and more. These sprinklings of lesser known rappers, such as one of the stand-outs by Corvid Lorax, combined with Jon B’s somewhat untamed production style are what make this album really worth checking out. If you’re not hearing the original familiar beat in your head, then you’re probably listening to good remix, and more often than not that ends up being the case on Beat Diarya.