Steve 'Flash' JuonIf you don’t know Vincent E. Williams b/k/a DJ Spinna, I get it. Even his own Wikipedia bio (which currently has a note begging for “additional citations”) notes that he has “remained strictly an underground artist despite his astonishing talent.” Can’t argue with that. Even I forget to bring his name up when talking about the great producers of the last 30 years, but he deserves his flowers both now and long after he’s gone. He’s been incredibly loyal to the subterranean layers of rap, rarely ever touching the surface while producing high quality beats for the substrata that stand the test of time.
“Heavy Beats Volume 1” may be as close to mainstream as Spinna ever got. It’s true that Rawkus Records was an independent label, but thanks to the deep pockets of the Murdoch family, they were a small but mighty influencer who brought the likes of Mos Def, El-P, Mr. Eon and Talib Kweli to the masses for the first time. It’s hardly a coincidence that you hear Talib on “Time Zone” alongside the underrated Apani B Fly Emcee. This is exactly the kind of one-two punch Rawkus was known for at the height of their popularity, and before Marshall Mathers was a household name you could find him flipping bars with Thirstin Howl III on “Watch Dees.” The samples on this track as as eerie as they are dope and it’s a fun reminder Eminem used to be an underground rapper too.
It’s not all collaborations with the top rap cats of the day though. Songs like “A Grooveamungus” are just DJ Spinna having fun digging in the crates while manipulating the greats. In my mind’s eye I can picture him standing by a pair of 1200s, pulling out record after record, cuing those bad boys up and then letting the next funky lick rip. He really is in a groove here. It’s a head nodding, toe tapping, b-boy bopping instrumental that is simply impossible to skip no matter how bad you want to hear more raps.
Despite how influential he was then and continued to be for many years to come, “Heavy Beats Volume 1” is a surprisingly light album at only eight tracks long. I can’t imagine there was any agenda on Rawkus’ part given they made frequent use of him and clearly thought enough of him to give him the spotlight with this release. He also packs a heavy 42 minutes into that eight, so there’s a “less is more” vibe to this release along with an undeniable celebration of the underground. I can bop “Who U Be” featuring Al’ Tariq (f/k/a Kool Fashion from The Beatnuts), Missin Linx, Blackattack and Problemz any day at any time. Everybody on the song is having the maximum amount of fun legally allowed!
By the time you reach the “Conclusion” at the end you’ve already gleaned that there really is none for Mr. Williams. He may never have reached the levels of recognition that DJ Premier, Pete Rock or Large Professor but he’s kept true to his own steelo and never faked the funk for commercial appeal. That’s so rare that it has to be celebrated — it was rare back then and even more so today.