Elzhi

Last updated
eLZhi
Birth nameJason Powers
Also known aseLZhi
Born (1978-05-12) May 12, 1978 (age 46)
Origin Detroit, Michigan, US
Genres Hip hop
Occupation(s) Rapper
Years active1998–present
Labels
  • Fat Beats
  • Jae B. Group

Jason Powers (born May 12, 1978), better known by his stage name Elzhi (stylized as eLZhi), is an American rapper from Detroit, Michigan. He is a former member of Slum Village and now records as a solo artist. In his youth, he made numerous visits to the Hip-Hop shop in Detroit, taking advantage of open-mic nights hosted by fellow Detroit rapper Proof.[ citation needed ]

Contents

Biography

Out of Focus

In 1998, Elzhi recorded a number of songs with Detroit hip-hop artist DJ Houseshoes with DJ Rios. These recording sessions yielded material that would become the Out of Focus EP, but the project was abandoned due to personal obligations and a lack of distribution options in Detroit. During the mixing process, DJ Houseshoes passed the DATs onto Dilla, who intended on remixing the whole album before his passing.[ citation needed ]

In late 2000, Elzhi acquired Dilla's master tapes and provided his close friends with CD's of the Out of Focus EP, plus 3 extra tracks. With a few CD's out in the open, the EP eventually leaked onto the Internet under the name "Unreleased Solo Project", but many CD's sold or distributed under this title are mislabeled with inaccurate track-listings and credits. The project was re-released in 2011 on his official website with a 27-minute bonus track showcasing verses from past features.

Dilla asked Elzhi to take his place in the group Slum Village because he believed in Elzhi's gift and Dilla was battling Lupus.

925, Waajeed, and Jay Dee

In 1999, Elzhi became affiliated with the 9-2-5 Colony, a group formed by Nick Speed and Magestik Legend. The trio of emcees recorded only a few songs together: "Gun Talk", "Oh Shit" and "Farewell". In "Farewell", produced by Lacks, each emcee spits a verse about their relationships with women. Elzhi uses a verse he had originally recorded for the DJ Houseshoes-produced "What I Am", a discarded song from the Out of Focus sessions. "Farewell", like the rest of the 9-2-5 material, remains incomplete and unreleased.

In 2000, Elzhi began extensive collaboration with Waajeed, and the pair created an untold number of songs. "Stunted Growth" is one of the few tracks to ever emerge from this era of recording.

As Elzhi and Waajeed became closer, so did El's affiliation with Slum Village. Constantly working on his music, Elzhi had the opportunity to record songs over some of Jay Dee's unused beats (e.g. "Days and Nights Analyzin'" and "Concrete Eyes") and attracted the attention of Slum Village member T3, who took the young artist under his wing, bringing Elzhi to the attention of Jay Dee. This connection paved the way for Elzhi's national debut on Jay Dee's Welcome to Detroit album, for which he received his first ever pay check in the rap game. Elzhi's verse on the song "Come Get It" was acclaimed by Hiphopsite.com upon its release.

Slum Village

In 2002, with Jay Dee no longer an official member, Slum Village began recording their follow up to Trinity . During the sessions, T3 invited Elzhi to collaborate on a few tracks. One of the earliest of these was the "Aerodynamic Remix" by Daft Punk, which was featured on the Kiss of the Dragon soundtrack. Originally, Slum Village intended Elzhi's presence on the album to be nothing more than a featured guest. But, recognizing their chemistry, Baatin and T3 invited Elzhi to become a full-time member, a choice enthusiastically supported by J Dilla. In July 2010, Elzhi officially announced his departure from Slum Village.

Libido Sounds

In 2004, Elzhi and Nick Speed formed the Libido Sounds label in order to release Witness My Growth, a double CD compilation of Elzhi's unreleased solo material from as early as 1997. The double disc includes exclusive J Dilla collaborations, as well as highlights from the Out of Focus EP. Production credits on the mixtape include J Dilla, Waajeed, Karriem Riggins, Page Kennedy, B.R. Gunna, DJ Magnetic, Houseshoes and The Alchemist.

His first solo project with national distribution, The Preface, was released on August 12, 2008. [1]

Elmatic

On May 10, 2011, Elzhi released a mixtape as an homage to Nas's debut album Illmatic , with Will Sessions recreating the sounds of the iconic album. The mixtape was greatly received by hip hop fans and considered one of the best projects released in 2011. He has released three videos for the mixtape, "Halftime", "Memory Lane", and "It Ain't Hard to Tell", which has hit 1 million views despite not being backed by a major record label.[ citation needed ]

Lead Poison

In November 2013, Elzhi successfully raised over $37,000 for a Kickstarter project designed to facilitate the creation and release of his next studio album. Following an extended delay, Elzhi announced in January 2016 that his new album Lead Poison was officially completed. Lead Poison was released on March 11, 2016. [2] [3] [4]

Jericho Jackson

On December 31, 2017, 9th Wonder posted a snippet of new music on his Instagram, revealing that Elzhi and Jamla producer Khrysis were working on a project under the name Jericho Jackson, named after the character in the film Action Jackson . The project was finally announced on February 9 as Elzhi & Khrysis are Jericho Jackson, releasing the single "Self Made" along with this information. The second single "Listen" featuring Amber Navran of neo soul band Moonchild, was premiered by Billboard on February 20. The album was released February 23, with Elzhi primarily on vocals, and Khrysis entirely producing the album.

Discography

Solo albums

With Slum Village

Extended plays (EPs)

Mixtapes

Collaborative albums

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Slum Village</span> American hip hop group

Slum Village is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. The group was formerly composed of the rappers Baatin (1974–2009), T3, and rapper / producer J Dilla (1974–2006). J Dilla left in 2001 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records. Elzhi joined in his absence, after which Baatin also left due to health complications.

<i>Welcome 2 Detroit</i> 2001 studio album by J Dilla

Welcome 2 Detroit is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist J Dilla, released on February 26, 2001. The album followed his group Slum Village's critically acclaimed Fantastic, Vol. 2, and kicked off BBE's "Beat Generation" series.

<i>Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit)</i> 2004 studio album by Slum Village

Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit) is the fourth studio album by American hip hop group Slum Village, released on June 29, 2004. It was released shortly after Baatin left the group, leaving only T3 and Elzhi.

<i>Slum Village</i> (album) 2005 studio album by Slum Village

Slum Village is the fifth studio album by American hip hop group Slum Village. It was released on October 25, 2005 via Barak Records. Recording sessions took place at R.J. Rice Studios in Southfield, Michigan. Production was handled by B.R. Gunna, MoSS and T3. It features guest appearances from Black Milk, Dwele, J Isaac, Melanie Rutherford, Phat Kat and Que D.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waajeed</span> American rapper

Robert O'Bryant, also known as Waajeed is an American music producer from Detroit, and one half of the hip hop and R&B group Platinum Pied Pipers, and a founding member of Tiny Hearts. He formed the Bling47 record label in 2002, which has released projects by J Dilla, Waajeed himself, and others. Since 2013, he has preferred the name Jeedo.

<i>Trinity (Past, Present and Future)</i> 2002 studio album by Slum Village

Trinity is the third studio album by American hip hop group Slum Village. It was released on August 13, 2002 via Capitol Records. Recording sessions took place at RJ Rice Studios in Farmington Hills, Studio A in Dearborn Heights, and The Studio in Philadelphia. Production was handled by T3, Waajeed, J Dilla, Karriem Riggins, Young RJ, Black Milk, Ess Man, Hi-Tek and Scott Storch.

Ronald Christopher Watts, better known by his stage name Phat Kat, is a rapper from Detroit, Michigan, best known as a favorite collaborator of the late J Dilla.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Milk</span> American rapper

Curtis Eugene Cross, better known by his stage name Black Milk, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">House Shoes</span> American music producer and DJ

Michael Griffith Buchanan, better known as House Shoes, is an American Detroit-born hip hop producer and DJ who lives and works in Los Angeles. He served as a producer on albums by Phat Kat, Proof, Elzhi, Pumpkinhead, Marv Won, J Dilla, Danny Brown, and Quelle Chris among others. He is a three-time Detroit Music Awards winner for Outstanding Hip-Hop DJ.

<i>The Layover EP</i> 2008 EP by Evidence

The Layover EP is the first solo extended play by American rapper and record producer Evidence. It was released on November 25, 2008, via Decon. Recording sessions took place at Soundproof East, Chop Shop Studios, The Ether, The Lab NYC, Dirt Class West, Daddy's Crib, Soundproof West, Studio 1, Dirty Science Lab 12. Production was handled by The Alchemist, Khrysis, DJ Babu, Sid Roams, and Evidence himself. It features guest appearances from Aloe Blacc, Blu, Defari, Elzhi, Fashawn, Krondon, Phonte and Will.i.am. The album didn't reach the Billboard 200 chart, however, it peaked at No. 27 on the Heatseekers Albums in the United States, and received generally favourable reviews from music critics.

<i>The Preface</i> (album) 2008 studio album by eLZhi

The Preface is the debut album of rapper eLZhi, released 12 August 2008 on Fat Beats Records. It features many other Detroit's MCs including Royce Da 5'9", Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, Fatt Father, Danny Brown and Phat Kat among others. The album has been critically acclaimed and considered by many professional reviewers as one of the best hip hop albums of 2008.

Christopher Frederick Tyson, better known as Khrysis, is an American hip hop producer and occasional rapper. He is best known as a former member of the Justus League collective, being one half of the duo The Away Team with Sean Boog. He also operates as an in-house producer for The Soul Council, 9th Wonder's producer collective, and acts as one half of the duo Jericho Jackson with Elzhi.

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<i>Villa Manifesto</i> 2010 studio album by Slum Village

Villa Manifesto is the sixth studio album by Detroit hip hop group Slum Village. It was released on July 27, 2010, via E1 Records.

<i>Villa Manifesto EP</i> 2009 EP by Slum Village

Villa Manifesto EP is an EP by Detroit hip hop group Slum Village, released on December 15, 2009 under Barak Records. The EP leads up to their full-length studio album, Villa Manifesto (2010). The EP was preceded by two singles – "Cloud 9" featuring Marsha Ambrosius, and "Dope Man."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J Dilla</span> American record producer (1974–2006)

James Dewitt Yancey, better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer and rapper. He emerged during the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as a member of the group Slum Village. He was also a member of the Soulquarians, a musical collective active during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

<i>Evolution</i> (Slum Village album) 2013 studio album by Slum Village

Evolution is the seventh studio album by American hip hop trio Slum Village. It was released on June 25, 2013, via Ne'Astra Music and Traffic Entertainment Group. Recording sessions took place at RJ Rice Studios in Southfield, Michigan. Production was handled by Young RJ, Focus..., Earlly Macmillion and T3. It features guest appearances from Big Pooh, Focus..., Vice Verse, Blu, Earlly Macmillion, Havoc, J. Ivy, Joe Scudda, Joteka and DJ Jazzy Jeff.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Illa J</span> American rapper

John Derek Yancey, better known by his stage name Illa J, is an American rapper, singer, producer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan who has released two albums on Delicious Vinyl Records. He is the younger brother of the late hip hop producer, and rapper J Dilla, and a former member of hip hop group Slum Village. He also released a collaborative album as Yancey Boys along with Frank Nitt. Illa J's second solo album ILLA J came out via the Brooklyn based record label, Bastard Jazz.

The following list is a discography of production by J Dilla, an American hip hop record producer and recording artist from Detroit, Michigan. It includes a list of songs produced, co-produced and remixed by year, artist, album and title.

References

  1. ↑ "Elzhi "The Preface" In Stores August 12". MichiganHipHop.com.
  2. ↑ "Elzhi Says Depression & Addiction Fueled New Album "Lead Poison"". HipHopDX.
  3. ↑ "PREMIERE: Elzhi The Great "February" - Mass Appeal". 24 February 2015.
  4. ↑ "Elzhi Announces New Album, Struggle with Depression & Drops a Bold New Single (Audio)". 29 January 2016.
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