J Dilla Ensemble to perform with De La Soul

The Brooklyn Bodega and Berklee College of Music are teaming up to bring a focus to Bodega's 2010 Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, one that will feature Berklee's J Dilla Ensemble. The group will perform at the fest, participating in an Education Initiative. The ensemble's faculty advisor is Raydar Ellis, an emcee, producer and deejay who is also a graduate from Berklee.

Ellis will also add his academic take on Dilla's production style and his work during to the Education Initiative panel. The group will perform with De La Soul as they close the festival out on July 10.

The J Dilla Ensemble deconstructs and plays much of J Dilla's work, studying it in an academic light and participation in the ensemble is a part of the academic curricula. It includes a nine-piece group with a violinist, saxophonists and emcees.

President of the Brooklyn Bodega and the executive director of the Brooklyn Hip Hop Festival, Wes Jackson spoke on why we must move beyond the entertainment aspect of Hip Hop.

"Hip-Hop is over thirty years old. It is time to create a comprehensive intellectual archive of all that our culture has produced and given to the world. Hip-Hop is a multi-billion dollar industry; we must move beyond just the entertainment aspect. We are excited to be launching the Education Initiative at this year's Festival. Joining forces with an esteemed institution such as Berklee, along with its faculty and students, makes our endeavor even more potent."