Hold Tight

Fueled by the positive reception for Vol. 1 and now backed with strong connections within the industry, SV set about creating a second album which would serve as their proper introduction to the broader hip-hop world.

With their buzz now at full boil, the major labels came calling. They had signed with RJ Rice’s independent label, Barak, but now the likes of Def Jam and Universal were eager to get behind SV. Eventually — with Barak in tow — they signed with A&M Records.

Yet the deal didn’t affect their approach to the music. The group flew to Los Angeles for meetings, but all recording for Vol. 2 was still done back home in Detroit. Yet this time they got more people involved, with the likes of Common, Kurupt, ?uestlove, Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes and Pete Rock — plus early supporters like Q-Tip and D’Angelo — coming to record at either RJ’s studio or in Dilla’s basement. “Everybody wanted to be part of the album, that’s why we had so many features. Busta came in from New York. Pete Rock came to Conant Gardens to do his song. He came down and played beats and loaded up his SP-1200.”

In terms of style, Vol. 2 was meant to carry on the loose vibe of its predecessor but bring it to a higher level. Songs were longer and more fully formed and the record showed a more complete vision of how SV would blend smooth with street.

“We wanted to do a record that would get more play, so we always felt that female-friendly records were the first move for us. We didn’t want to come on super aggressive like that. But we still had that hard energy on it because of the kind of things we were talking about.” Plush cuts like “Climax” and “Players” were balanced with tracks like “Raise It Up,” an amped-up crowd favorite from their live shows.

Other than that, there was no need to overthink things. “It was supposed to seem like Michael Jordan playing basketball; he knows he’s good but he doesn’t have to try hard. He just shoots and it goes in every time. That was the goal. It’s supposed to sound like effortless music.”

By 1998, the record was complete, but it would take another two years before Vol. 2 would see its official release. According to T3, the label’s rap department was already wary of the record after they watched Kurupt’s expensive double-disc debut album Kuruption! bring less-than-expected returns. Shortly after in January 1999, A&M ceased operations after the company was merged with Geffen and Interscope Records. A year of legal limbo and uncertainty followed before SV were able to find a home for Vol. 2 on RJ Rice’s independent Barak (along with Atomic Pop/GoodVibe Recordings). After the long wait, SV released their sophomore album on June 13, 2000.

For many fans and critics, it was worth the wait. Dilla’s intoxicating production, along with T3 and Baatin’s inventive flows and improved songwriting, plus the impressive roster of guest stars, delivered on the high expectations established after Vol. 1.

But, ironically, one of their biggest co-signs created a challenging situation that would overshadow some of SV’s early success. T3 explains: “The only thing that hurt us was when Q-Tip said he was passing the torch to us on ‘Hold Tight.’ Before we even got out the gate, a lot of diehard Tribe fans who were reporters and stuff like that, they trashed the album based on that line. They felt like they didn’t know who we were for Q-Tip to say he was going to pass the torch to us. Before all of that happened, I knew the album was going to be successful. I knew it was going to be great and we all felt that way. Once that trash talk started happening, it made it hard for the group. We just wanted to do a regular song with Q-Tip, and the fact that he would put that in the song made it kind of difficult for us at that point.

“I did talk to him about it, one day in New York. He was just saying, ‘Man, I’m done with this industry, I don’t want to be part of this no more, I might go on to do other stuff.’ What are you going to say? I didn’t know him well enough to tell him what or what not to do. I just got him to do a song and vibe and kick it.”

Despite pockets of backlash, the album succeeded in presenting SV’s smooth, spontaneous style on a larger stage. Although it was not a smash hit at the time, T3 takes satisfaction in knowing that many of the same critics who derided Vol. 2 when it came out have since acknowledged the record as a classic.

The late great J Dilla is still shining.

Epilogue

The release of Vol. 2 marked the end of Slum Village’s first era. A month after that album’s release they dropped one final project and went their separate ways. It was an extremely limited 10-track EP released under the name J-88 called Best Kept Secret. “After the lukewarm success of Vol. 2, that’s when Dilla decided he wanted to do his own thing because he already had a deal in place at MCA. He said, ‘I’m going to do my thing, y’all should keep it going.’ So that’s what we did.”

Despite never officially releasing his album Pay Jay for MCA Records, Dilla resumed his ascent towards becoming one of the most acclaimed producers in hip-hop history through albums like Champion Sound (with Madlib), Ruff Draft and Donuts, plus countless other credits. After a long battle with a rare blood disease, J Dilla died on February 10, 2006. He was 32.

T3 and Baatin, joined by a talented upcoming MC from Detroit named Elzhi, carried the SV legacy forward and signed to Barak Records/Capitol Records. Trinity: Past, Present & Future featured only three songs produced by Dilla, yet the single “Tainted” and its accompanying video received solid traction on radio and TV. Baatin continued to struggle with health issues in the subsequent years, remaining absent from the group for their next two albums, but reconnected with SV in 2008. On July 31, 2009, Baatin died at his home in Detroit at age 35. His contributions to Villa Manifesto, released in 2010, mark his final work with Slum Village.

As the last remaining original member of the group, T3 takes pride in his responsibility for maintaining SV’s storied legacy, as well as moving it forward. The group, which finds T3 now joined by RJ Rice’s son Young RJ and J Dilla’s brother Illa J, released their latest album Yes! in 2015. Even with all the changes that have happened in between, SV still represents the same mentality that it did when the name was chosen: a community with a shared love of music, born right in Conant Gardens.

“Our recognition has been a long time coming. I think sometimes things just take longer than others to spread and get recognized. So, with that, I don’t take it personal. Who’s to say how long it should take when it comes to music? A lot of people abandon their Detroit roots. The fact that you can see we’re still here, it says a lot about Detroit to me.”