A Very Special Symphonic Tribute to J Dilla (Video)

After first hearing Suite for Ma Dukes orchestra for the first time a year ago, conductor Jason Weinberger reached out to Ma Dukes creator Miguel Atwood-Ferugon and before he knew it, Miguel Atwood-Ferugon was flying out to Cedar Falls, Iowa to hear J. Dilla's music being performed as part of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Symphony Orchestra's tribute to Great American Composers. The evening had Dilla's music performed alongside legends Duke Ellington and William Grant Still.

I love this video for so many reasons. First, hearing the symphony makes me (re)appreciate just how complex and beautiful Dilla's music was. He was hip-hop's greatest composed. Second, watching elderly, rich white folks file in for the symphony is not just mildly hilarious, it's proof of the power of music, escpecially Dilla's music, to unite. For a young Detroit beatsmith's music to be played by an Iowa orchestra is incredible.

If the video's got you hungry for some more from J Donuts, RefinedHype's accumulated a pretty extensive of Dilla-related material, from a Roots tribute mixtape to a three-part documentary. Click here for more.