Happy 35th Anniversary to Def Jef’s debut album Just A Poet With Soul, originally released November 14, 1989.
During the late ’80s, rappers wanted to be kings, rulers, prophets, politicians, players, and gangsters. A rare few aspired to be poets, to stimulate the audience’s mind with their own love of language. Jeffrey “Def Jef” Fortson was one of these select few.
Def Jef was an early signee to Delicious Vinyl Records, the label best known as the home to popular artists like Tone Lōc and Young MC. But while the talented Young MC and Tone Lōc were more flashy and audience friendly, Jef was the consummate craftsman of the label, weaving together complex lines and rhyme styles. Born in Manhattan, raised in Brooklyn, and eventually a Los Angeles transplant, he delivered his potent rhymes on his debut album Just a Poet With Soul, released 35 years ago.
Jef produced much of the album on his own, which wasn’t that common for a solo artist back in the late ’80s. He had a solid ear for beats, making use of samples from Ultimate Beats and Breaks records and digging in the crates as well. He is occasionally assisted by the Dust Brothers, who had done a lot of work for Delicious Vinyl Records, and were fresh off of producing the entirety of the Beastie Boys’ Paul’s Boutique (1989).
Jef arguably first became known through the single and video for “Give It Here,” which doesn’t fit in on the album overall. It’s a jam about chasing members of the opposite sex that just reeks of “the record label wants a hit for the radio!” and Jef does the best he can, but you really wish he could cut loose on such a dope track, co-produced by the Dust Brothers.
Much more representative of the album’s overall feel were the singles released before and after “Give It Here.” “Droppin’ Rhymes On Drums,” the leadoff track for Just A Poet is an underrated, uptempo, extremely funky jam. Jef cuts loose over a loop of the Soul Searchers’ “Blow Your Whistle,” bolstered by rattling percussion and hand-claps, dispersing knowledge and enlightening those who “heard ‘Give It Here’ and had no idea I get dumb.” He later raps, “I ain’t scared, I’m prepared / Within my realm no souls are spared / Don’t try to read me, you’ll be baffled / Before you test me you best be careful.”
One of the most notable things about the track is that it features vocals from the late Etta James. As in, “At Last” Etta James, who is one of the people that I would least expect to turn up on a hip-hop track during the late ’80s. Still, her voice was just as powerful at the time.
“On the Real Tip,” the album’s first single, continues to demonstrate what Jef was most comfortable in creating. Jef prided himself as a serious lyricist, and the song is some pure hip-hop shit, with him flowing smoothly over a sample of Cheryl Lynn’s “Got To Be Real” and the slowed down drum break from Gaz’s “Sing Sing.” The single version of the song ran nearly five-and-a-half minutes in length and featured four verses by Jef, but he still manages to say a lot in the three verses on the album version. “I give you more not less 'cause you deserve the rest,” he raps. “I perturb the best and serve the rest.”
Listen to the Album:
This groove of high-powered braggadocio raps is where Jef seems the most comfortable. Jef rides the rolling soul on “Givin’ ’Em Rhythm,” rapping over JB’s-like guitar grooves and occasional scratches. Showing little patience for wackness, he rhymes, “I can’t wait no more for the dumb shit yo, you gotta come with some lyric / But not that garbage 'cause I don’t wanna hear it / Rhythm is a trait and an element / Relevant to giving your rhymes some weight and development.”
The album’s best song is the six-and-a-half minute “Do It Baby,” another Dust Brothers produced track. Here they keep the music simple, letting Jef piece together complicated flows over an early usage of Chocolate Milk’s “Action Speak Louder Than Words.” Through the use of alliteration and interlocking rhymes, and acting as a “souped superior subsidiary of soul,” Jef winds his way through three verses, flexing his verbal muscles and creating a commanding lyrical performance.
“Do It Baby” features sultry singing from N’Dea Davenport, who was about a year away from releasing music as the lead crooner for The Brand New Heavies. In the meantime, she was at the time somewhat of an in-house vocalist for Delicious Vinyl, who had already featured her on Tone Lōc and Young MC’s albums. Here she gets some extended time to spotlight her vocals, riffing throughout the song’s three-minute back half.
Jef also prided himself on delivering a positive message through his music, which he achieves on “Black To The Future,” the album’s fourth single. Here Jef focuses on uplifting the Black population in the United States, encouraging unity and hoping to inspire action against the country’s racist power structure. On “Downtown,” Jef paints a gritty picture of ghettos throughout the country, describing the abject poverty experienced by so many inner-city residents. But again, Jef doesn’t paint a picture of despair, encouraging residents to build a stronger community through togetherness.
Just A Poet With Soul has a pair of title tracks, “Poet With Soul” and the album-closing “Just A Poet.” The latter is one of the album’s most musically and lyrically rich songs, produced by the Dust Brothers and label-president Michael Ross. It’s a mellow and aptly soulful endeavor, as Jef rhymes over the percussion and drums from Bo Diddley’s “Hit Or Miss,” and muted horns and shimmering tones. Over the length of four verses, Jef strikes an introspective note as he reflects on his gift for poetry, resolving to use his talents to help others and “to entertain or explain, perform or inform / To prove, groove, soothe or warm.” He channels the power of the music, detailing how “My heart beats the beat that I rap to and the rhymes that I rap you clap to.”
Jef would go on to release Soul Food (1991), his second album, almost two years later, which turned out to be even more overlooked than Just A Poet. He pretty much retired as a solo artist afterwards, deciding to get into the production side of music. In the early ’90s, he produced songs for Detroit gangsta rapper Boss and was instrumental in getting the rapping career of NBA Superstar Shaquille O’Neal off the ground. Since then he’s also crafted tracks for artists like Snoop Dogg, Krayzie Bone, and posthumous tracks by 2Pac.
Jef has also prospered working behind the scenes in the realm of television. He wrote a few notable sitcom theme songs, including those for Living Single, That’s So Raven, and The Game. He also served as the music supervisor for the short-lived MTV variety show Lyricist Lounge.
I have no idea if Def Jef ever feels the desire to rhyme these days. He hasn’t appeared on an album in at least eight years, when he contributed a guest verse to Ed O.G.’s Face In the Crowd (2011). But I do know that hip-hop can always use more rappers with the soul of a poet, and I hope that one day he’ll feel the need to share his gifts once again.
LISTEN:
Editor's note: this anniversary tribute was originally published in 2019 and has since been edited for accuracy and timeliness.