Plugged Up

As of today, the voting is open for the ’07 PLUG Music Awards, the indie market’s version of the Grammy’s, or, uh, not really. PLUG’s pretty tight though, giving ups to artists that wouldn’t otherwise ever see an award or trophy. And it’s all based on internet voting, so it’s a bit more populist than the Grammy’s. This year I’ve got to lobby though – wherever possible, vote J Dilla across the board. J Dilla, aka Jay Dee, aka James Yancey passed away earlier this year after a bout with lupus (since his passing, his mom has set up the J Dilla Foundation to promote lupus research and fund arts programs for underprivileged youth). J Dilla made his name producing and remixing for acts like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, the Pharcyde, and Busta Rhymes, but unfortunately his greatest accomplishment was the posthumously released Donuts, which he recorded while his health was declining. Anyway, ’nuff said, go vote for Dilla and your other favorite indie joints.