1.3K
(Photo By Band Camp)
DJ B-Famous is a Chicago talent that made his presence felt when he attended a Milwaukee based DJ battle a while back and walked away the big winner of the night. The Illixer got to chop it up with him a little bit after his victory and he recently made contact again. Readers will get to learn more about him soon as he will be the featured DJ for the revamp of the That’s My DJ segment. This post will call attention to his latest EP, iBFAMOUS4.4v: NASmatic. The project serves as a homage to veteran emcee Nas as it’s a twist on a collection of songs from his various albums. It contains nine tracks total and the site will dive into our three favorites after the break.
“Life’s A B—h” F/ A.Z.
This is the first rendition on the EP. The original song can be found on Illmatic. The initial beat has a full base to it with subtle background elements, a relaxed tempo, and a mellow vibe. DJ B-Famous took things in a slightly different direction. For his version: the foundation has a lighter air to it, the secondary details still retain a certain discreetness, the tempo is slightly sped up, and the vibe is still pretty low key. Overall, it’s an interesting take on the record and it suitably holds it’s own against the official version.
“If I Ruled The World” F/ Lauryn Hill
This was a daring choice to remake as it is such a timeless classic and arguably one of Nas’ best collaborations. The primary version is set to a bass driven production with infectious supporting components, a mid-tempo speed, and a down to earth vibe. DJ B-Famous flips it so that the make up for the beat is a little more unconventional. It consists of fresh hollow style parts, a quirky rhythm, and an old school vibe. It doesn’t sound bad at all, it’s in fact very creative. However, it’s hard to shake the imprint of the It Was Written edition of the cut. All in all, it’s certainly worthy of a spin or two.
“Got Yourself A …”
This single appears on Stillmatic. The Nas version fuses a sample of “Woke Up This Morning” by Alabama 3 with a heavy hitting structure that also includes: rhythmical musical ingredients, an upbeat gait, and a street vibe. DJ B-Famous gives the selection a striking makeover. He incorporates an infamous clip from Kanye West for starters. He then goes on to: give the bass more of a richness, give the minor elements more of an edge, give the rhythm more of an expressiveness. And the vibe retains somewhat of a serious urban feel to it. If the vocals from the track were actually fitted to the new version, it would make for a solid legitimate remix. As a whole, this is a dope offering.
**My Two Cents: I”m not the biggest Nas fan ever but I was very curious to hear what DJ B-Famous did with the tunes. After giving the EP a listen, I have to say that I am pretty impressed. He really took an out of the box approach with each track and put his own one of a kind flavor on it. I believe people will appreciate it even if they aren’t too big on Nas. It speaks a great deal to the level of skills that DJ B-Famous has obtained throughout the course of his many years in the game. Props to him on a top notch project. -MinM
