Slum Village

Born in Detroit, Michigan, Slum Village formed in the mid-1990s around T3, Baatin and J Dilla, three artists from the Conant Gardens neighborhood. The group is part of a hip-hop that is at once soulful, jazz-rap and experimental, marked from the start by J Dilla’s smooth and offbeat productions and by writing anchored in the Detroit scene. Slum Village emerged with the Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1 recordings, made in 1996-1997 and released later, before Fantastic, Vol. 2 in 2000, the central album of their early period. After J Dilla’s departure in 2001, Slum Village continued with the arrival of Elzhi and released Trinity (Past, Present and Future) in 2002 and then Detroit Deli (A Taste of Detroit) in 2004, where the group articulated more Detroit soul hooks and Detroit rap without losing its groove. Over the years, the lineup changed several times, notably after the deaths of J Dilla in 2006 and Baatin in 2009. T3 remains the historic member, later joined by Young RJ, a longtime associate and producer linked to the collective. Slum Village also crossed paths with artists like Dwele, Common, Pete Rock or Q-Tip, and kept a regular presence on independent hip-hop stages. The discography also includes Slum Village (2005), Villa Manifesto (2010), Evolution (2013), YES! (2015) and Vol. 0 (2016).