It’s pretty hard to understand how R.J. Krohn, a white boy from Ohio, became one of today’s most renowned instrumental hip-hop artists.
In 1996, Josh Davis, a.k.a. DJ Shadow, laid down his debut record, a revolutionary hip-hop/turntable album called Endtroducing. The album focused on the little-explored field of instrumental hip-hop and stretched the limits of the turntable as a musical instrument. In 2002 he put out his sophomore release and, to everyone’s surprise, was eclipsed by a relatively unknown kid by the name of R.J. Krohn, a.k.a. RJD2. Krohn’s 2002 debut, Dead Ringer, released by the New York-based indie rap label Def Jux, was a consistently excellent first effort.
Mixing funk, soul, hip-hop, jazz and ‘80s pop, Dead Ringer was both a party album and an impressive display of hip-hop technique and knowledge. According to Krohn, the album very nearly didn’t reach a wide audience.
“I won’t even lie,” he said in an interview this week. “I was trying to get signed by any instrumental label that would even throw anything my way.” Def Jux was still in the formative stages, and was the only label to even offer Krohn a contract.
A lot has changed since the release of Dead Ringer. Def Jux is now regarded as a leading label in the underground rap scene and Krohn’s musical tastes have expanded significantly. Early this summer Krohn released his second proper album, the schizophrenic Since We Last Spoke, to mixed reviews.
Since We Last Spoke moves away from his earlier work in a number of ways. First, Krohn’s beat techniques have progressed significantly. His skill with samples has progressed, and his turntable manipulation is technically excellent, especially as witnessed by the unexpected beat breaks on the title track. More importantly, though, he shows influences from a far wider range of genres than on his previous album. Eschewing much of the dance-music he drew from for Dead Ringer, Krohn looks more to indie-rock, ambient house and world music for inspiration. A prime example is “Making Days Longer,” an indie-rock ballad placed over a simple beat-a sort of singer-songwriter equivalent to Dead Ringer’s rap-centric “Ghost Writer.”
Much of the difference is due to an altered approach for the new album.
“I wanted to just make a record with good songs,” Krohn explained. “A few of the songs on [Dead Ringer] are just kind of ambient, instrumental-type songs, but some of it I laid together tight and concise, sort of the way a rock band or a really tight pop group would put together a song. I wanted to do the new record so every single song was like that.”
Krohn’s work between records also impacted his decisions for Since We Last Spoke. During the Dead Ringer recording sessions, Krohn cemented his Soul Position project, a DJ/MC collaboration with indie-rapper Blueprint. In 2003, Rhymesayers Records put out their debut, 8 Million Stories.
“The Soul Position record influenced the way this record came together. Part of it was that I did that record, and I did some other things, and I didn’t feel it was necessary to keep beating the rap thing to death,” he said.
Krohn rattled off a list of other artists he would like to work with, ranging from Nas, whose new record he is “really anticipating,” to Queens of the Stone Age frontman, Josh Homme.
Just as Krohn’s musical techniques have changed the feel of his albums, his live show has evolved.
“I said ‘I’m gonna prepare. I’m gonna do as close to a good tour as I can,’” he said. “I realized that was a decision I needed to make as a solo artist. When it comes time to tour I know people that just procrastinate and procrastinate and then it’s two days before. People don’t rarely say, ‘Ok, I’m gonna book rehearsal space. I’m gonna set aside time and I’m gonna practice.’”
Krohn’s approach to live music, rare among hip-hop artists, has garnered him a reputation as a phenomenal performer. According to Krohn, he’s also feeling more comfortable and confident performing solo on this tour than he has before.
RJD2 will be unpacking his four turntables and a microphone at the Black Cat on Sept. 29. Fellow DJ’s Diplo and Rob Sonic open. $12, doors open at 8:30.
