RJD2 is a producer from Columbus that exploded onto the scene back in the early ‘00s, with the brilliant one-two punch of Deadringer and Since We Last Spoke. Since that time, he’s given us a wide variety of projects, collaborating with artists such as Aceyalone and Aaron Livingston, and developing side projects live The Insane Warrior. His last album as RJD2, Dame Fortune, came in 2016. Now he returns with one of his strongest projects in years, The Fun Ones.

It doesn’t take long in listening to The Fun Ones to get a sense that RJD2 really got into the zone and had fun making this album. While RJD2 hasn’t given us a lot of bad material over the years, there have been multiple albums where it felt like he was experimenting and trying to figure out a new direction to go, leading to some uneven listening experiences. With The Fun Ones, it just feels like he said, “Fuck it!” and just decided to make some killer funk, soul, and hip hop. The album opens with “No Helmet Up Indianola,” “Indoor S’mores,” and “20 Grand Palace,” which is just such classic ‘70s funk, you might think I just handed you a killer re-issue compilation from Ubiquity or Now and Again. We transition into hip hop on “One of a Kind,” where we get our first guest emcee, Homeboy Sandman. This then leads into the biggest banger of the album, “High Street Will Never Die,” which is just so big and builds anticipation so well with the drum and horn hits, it makes me really sad that the NBA is shut down right now, because this would kill in a pregame hype video. STS & Khari Mateen bring the soul/hip hop party with “Pull Up On Love,” making me wish I had a wedding reception to deejay so I could bring people together on the dance floor and have a good time. He maintains this level throughout the rest of the album, cooling things down for a few tracks, but then ramps thing back up with Aceyalone showing up on “A Genuine Gentleman.” Ace makes it feel like a breeze as he gets everyone moving like the veteran emcee that he is.

The whole album just feels like a good time, and you can feel the joy that RJD2 had making it. No one is overthinking anything, they’re just bring that soul, funk, and hip hop to the table, rocking the party, and peacing out. We might not to be able to enjoy this album the way it was meant right now, but throw this own and have your own private dance party and forget about the world for a while.