The maxi-single of Da Enna C – You Can’t Use My Pen is one of the most tightest and rarest Detroit hip hop releases ever. This is 90s Detroit hip hop and jazz hop at its best. This is when hip hop was fun. You can feel that sense of grittiness, sadness, and mellow vibes as you listen to this maxi-single. J Dilla’s production sounds very much similar to Pharcyde – Labcabincalifornia and De La Soul – De La Soul Is Dead. However this single flew under the radar and got overlooked. Sadly Detroit influenced hip-hop almost never get its credit truly deserved. If you love the sounds of Pharcyde, De La Soul, Brand Nubian, or A Tribe Called Quest, then you will love this max-single.
All songs included on this maxi-single were recorded at Mike E Clark’s Funhouse Studio. Nearly all the beats were produced that legendary J Dilla. P-Gruv produced 25% of these beats on this maxi-single.
The maxi-single of Da Enna C – You Can’t Use My Pen was the first public release to have a J Dilla production used. Up Top Entertainment was the first record label to release a J Dilla production ever to be commercially released.
Da Enna C is pronounced as “da inna see”. Da Enna C is and was P-Gruv (MC and producer), Sleeepy D aka 3E (MC and producer), DJ Dez (DJ, MC, and producer), and Boog Woog (dancer). Finess a.k.a Jahzilla was the other MC featured.
You Can’t Use My Pen uses a jazzy hop hop fusion and combination similar to what you would hear in East Coast rap songs from the 1990s. The song has a mellow vibe with a sense of an upbeat tempo from those exquisite J Dilla produced beats. P-Gruv and J Dilla programmed the drums while Amp Fiddler played the bass line on “You Can’t Use My Pen”. You can hear J Dilla’s early sound on this rugged instrumental with his classic snare knock and original basslines. You Can’t Use My Pen sampled Pharcyde – 4 Better or 4 Worse.
Throw Ya Hands In Da’ Air Jazzy airy mellow number produced by J Dilla. The keyboards are not watered, filtered, or diluted in any way. P-Gruv produced 25% of the beats.
J Dilla produced the famous “Now” track which gave him fame through Detroit and the underground. You can hear J Dilla’s early sound on this rugged instrumental with his classic snare knock and original basslines. You can hear the beginnings of Dilla’s unorthodox drum pattern style. The “Now” track sounds very similar to Brand Nubian and early 2000s Madlib. J Dilla produced the famous “Now” track on had a SP1200 and a 3000. Now was recorded during a freestyle session which is why the track is labeled as a “Freestyle Session”.
I rate this single 5/5*****!!
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