{$Jay Dee} made a name for himself as one-third of {$A Tribe Called Quest}'s beat-making faction ({$the Ummah}). Thanks to his work on {$Common}'s critically acclaimed {^Like Water for Chocolate} and {$Q-Tip}'s post-{$Quest} endeavor {^Amplified}, {$Dee} has also established himself as a {\hip-hop} super-producer. While {$Dee}'s stock continues to rise (working with {$Janet Jackson}, {$Erykah Badu}, and {$Macy Gray}), his underground projects have been less fruitful. Reason being, when it comes to enlisting new MCs to collaborate with, {$Dee} has yet to locate a lyricist capable of augmenting his sublime production. This fact became apparent during {$Dee}'s short-lived stint as a member of {$Slum Village}, and the trend continues with his first solo outing, {^Welcome 2 Detroit}. Here, {$Dee} continues to showcase a diverse assortment of sensuous melodies and booming {\funk} samples. The Detroit-bred MCs who {$Dee} chooses to highlight -- {$Phat Kat} on {&"Rico Suave Bossa Nova"} and {$Beej} on {&"Beej-N-Dem, Pt. 2"} prove to be very mediocre lyricists. Yet {$Dee} did manage to round up a few hometown prospects, as {$Frank N Dank} liven up {&"Pause"} and {$Elzhi} rips a few furious verses on {&"Come Get It."} Though {$Dee} flips a few clumsy bars as well, {^Welcome 2 Detroit} really takes off when he sticks solely to an instrumental script, retouching trumpeter {$Donald Byrd}'s {&"Think Twice"} and transforming {$Kraftwerk}'s indelible {&"Trans-Europe Express"} into the strippers'-anthem-in-waiting {&"B.B.E. (Big Booty Express)."} ~ Matt Conaway, All Music Guide