This production prodigy from the Definitive Jux camp (El-P, Mr. Lif, Aesop Rock) sees things not for what they are but for what they could be, and on his debut album he cribs melodies, rhythms, and other sonic conceits from so many different eras and genres that the juxtapositions he creates don’t seem to belong to any era or anyone in particular. "Let the Good Times Roll (Part 2)" transports the swampy blues of a Dr. John vocal into an old-school Apollo Theater R&B jam with the help of big horns and even bigger beats. The results have earned RJD2 deserved comparisons with DJ Shadow, particularly because of the way he stitches robust, hammering drum patterns to dark, sweeping minor-key melodies, sometimes layering grinding organs ("June") or whiskey-soaked guitar licks ("11") over an instrumental foundation. He revels in the muck of dingy sample tones and disheveled segues — distorted vocal samples, the dusty crackles of an old LP. The result gives his stellar compositions a tone and style all their own.