Episode 105: RJD2 Show/Hide Search
RJD2 began his career as a DJ in the mid-1990s, but it wasn’t until his 2002 solo album Deadringer that he really started making noise. That record got a ton of attention for its creative sample-based approach to instrumental hip-hop, and RJ became an important part of the El-P led Def Jux label, which was a huge force in the underground rap scene of the era.
Since then, he has released a ton of wildly varying, but always worthwhile and interesting, projects, from hip-hop records to synthesizer-based soundscapes to pop songs with his own vocals. One of RJ’s tracks, “A Beautiful Mine,” is best-known to most people as the theme for AMC’s hit show Mad Men. His brand-new album with rapper Sugar Tongue Slim is called STS X RJD2.
Tracks featured in this episode:
- MHz Clique, “Physical Chemistry”
- DJ QBert @ The Summit (1998)
- RJD2, “Good Times Roll Pt. 2
- Melvin Bliss, “Synthetic Substitution”
- RJD2 f/NP, Illogic, & The Catalyst, “A Son’s Cycle”
- RJD2 f/NP, Illogic, & The Catalyst, “A Son’s Cycle”
- Gang Starr, “Speak Ya Clout”
- RJD2 f/NP, Illogic, & The Catalyst, “A Son’s Cycle”
- RJD2, “The Glow”
- RJD2 & STS, “Hold On, Here It Go”
- Stevie Wonder, “Venus’ Flytrap And The Bug”
- Jean Michel Jarre, “Oxygene”
- RJD2 f/ Kenna, “Games You Can Win”
- RJD2 & STS, “Doin It Right”
- Booker T. & the MGs, “Hip Hug-Her”
- The Notorious B.I.G., “Unbelievable”
- The Notorious B.I.G., “Unbelievable (Instrumental)”
- Roy ‘C’ & The Honey Drippers, “Impeach The President”
- Roy ‘C’, “Shotgun Wedding”
- Wu-Tang Clan, “Preacher’s Daughter”
- Clipse, “Grindin’”
- RJD2 & STS, “Dice Game”
- Jay Z, “I Can’t Get With That”
- RJD2 & STS, “F**k With That”
- RJD2 & STS, “420”
- RJD2, “A Beautiful Mine”
- Aceyalone & RJD2, “A Beautiful Mine”
- Wells Fargo commercial: Girl digs for change at drive-thru
- The Insane Warrior, “Thrust and Gain”
- John Carpenter, “Halloween Theme (Main Title)”
- Vangelis, “Main Titles”
- Soul Position, “Printmatic”
- RJD2, “You Never Had It So Good”
- RJD2, “The Bad Penny”
- RJD2, “Work It Out”
- RJD2, “Smoke & Mirrors”
Show notes: