RJD2

When RJD2 suddenly appeared on the underground hip-hop scene with his stunning 2002 debut, critics and college kids couldn't help but compare the Ohio native to California's own DJ Shadow. Mostly because his productions are cut-and-paste masterpieces — the sign of a guy who spends hours with his nose buried in dusty record crates, whether we're talking the cinematic soul of "Smoke & Mirrors," the wailing sirens and b-movie samples of "The Horror," or the funk-infused drum loops of "Good Times Roll, Pt. 2."

The ever-progressive producer didn't replicate the proven formulas of Deadringer with his next two albums, either — a point hammered home throughout our Next Steps.

The classic singer-songwriter bent of RJD2’s third album, the still-sampledelic Third Hand, is shocking to say the least. Actually, it’s downright peculiar . . . at least until you realize he tried similar soul-baring tactics with the robotic R&B song “Making Days Longer.” That’s the thing about RJD2: since he was the first non-MC signed to the leading underground hip-hop label Definitive Jux, people expected nothing but hot backpack-rap instrumentals from the second he dropped beat-chopping tracks like “F.H.H.” and the scratch-heavy “Take the Picture Off.” People were dead wrong though — check out the Cars nod of “Through the Walls.”

That’s not even including RJD2’s role as a producer and remixer for other artists, either. Good thing our Deep Cuts has that down pat.

RJD2’s had guest rappers on his records from the beginning, so it’s no surprise to see him linking up with Aceyalone for an entire album — the Motown-channelling Magnificent City, which is sure to remind you of the horn-blasting throwback tracks on Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black — or cooking up slick, slamming beats for underground MCs (check out the dizzying syllables of “Explosive” featuring Lyrics Born and Diverse). And when it comes to remixes, RJD2’s certainly up to the challenge regardless of genre, from the toasty jazz of Astrud Gilberto (“The Gentle Rain”) to the epic dance music of UNKLE (“Reign”).

Thanks to his restless nature and refusal to follow trends or anyone's expectations, quite a few RJD2 fans have cried foul with each of his releases. In that way, he really has followed in the rather large footsteps of DJ Shadow — by challenging the listener without ever appearing self-indulgent. In other words, RJD2's career has reflected his constant creative growth, a push-and-pull process that leaves you with two choices: whining about the lack of another Deadringer or sitting back and enjoying the beats, whether they delve into lovelorn soul ("Smoke & Mirrors," "Clean Living," "Someone's Second Kiss"), undeniably funky break beats ("Chicken-Bone Circuit," the horn-stabbed "Since '76"), or strange, unforeseen twists like traces of techno ("Iced Lightning"), piano-hammering rock 'n' roll ("Since We Last Spoke"), and a schoolyard sing-along ("Bus Stop Bitties") that'll leave you grinning from ear to ear.