[Review] J DILLA - "THE DIARY"

There is only one more album that needed release from the late great James Yancey and we are finally getting it in all its intended glory. I'm talking about "The Diary", originally known as "Pay Jay". Egon of Stones Throw told a story of Dilla told him when he was real sick that he wanted the complete "Ruff Draft" out there (which by then was out-of-print for a long time), he wanted his shelved MCA album that he put a lot of work into to finally get a proper release and of course he entrusted Karriem Riggins (who already was a huge part of the original sessions) to complete the final 15-25% of "The Shining" for BBE. "Ruff Draft", the expanded edition, was released almost immediatly, and so was "The Shining". But the MCA album, "The Diary", which was originally recorded between late 2000 and very early 2002 has taken until 2016 to finally see a release. The reason for this is because it wasn't entirely complete (maybe 90%), and since Yancey had choosed to work with so many different producers on this one, there was a lot of publishing paperworks that had to be sorted out - not to mention getting the rights from MCA. Luckily Dilla had somewhat carte blanche when recording it and as per usual recorded pre-production in his basement and tracked the real joints at Studio, Dearborn, MI with Todd Fairall as his engineer. It has taken it's time, but thanks to a joint venture between Egon's and Madlib's Rappcats imprint and Nas' Mass Appeal label we finally gets the physical copy of the final album that the bear the artists decision of what it should sound like not to be have been yet released and as such this is definitely the final Dilla project I'm purchasing - as any true fan of Yancey's music ought to do. 

If you don't know the story about the album before, Dilla got signed to MCA on the strength of his production work and praise from artists like Busta Rhymes, Common, The Roots, Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson, The Pharcyde and so on. But Jay Dee having just left Slum Village wanted this album to focus on his MC ability, rather than his production skills something that didn't sit too well with the execs at the time. He did craft a few beats for the project, but also invited some of his current favorites such as Madlib, Hi-Tek, Karriem Riggins and his Soulquarian's broherhood, Wajeed, Pete Rock, Supa Dave West, Kanye West, House Shoes, Nottz and Bink! He had received some flack for his rhyming on Slum Village projects ("Fantastic" 1+2) which to me is absurd. Yancey was never a lyricist but with his incredible sense of rhythm he could ride a beat incredibly well, and his voice was outstanding. At least to my ears!

So on to the album.. Is it perfect? No it is not. I'm a fan of Dilla for his production mainly, though he got some nice MC tricks up his sleeve as well. The thing is that most of the time that when Dilla produces one of these songs it often end up being one of its best, and as proven before he is quite limited in the topics he choose to rhyme about. But is it a weak album. No, it is not, not by any means. It is much better than the majority of these B.S. posthumous releases we has gotten from the Dilla estate - this is actually a real Jay Dee album, just as much as "The Shining" or "Welcome 2 Detroit". And there's plenty of gems here. The most obvious being the self-produced "Fuck The Police", built around a very simple breakbeat and a flute sample but with extremely powerful hook and verses. I've seen Frank-N-Dank, Guilty Simpson and other "D" cats perform this one live in tribute and whether or not the crowd knows the song beforehand they always LOVE IT and sing along to the hook. Brilliant, and one of Dilla's finest solo songs - if not the finest bar none actually. 
Another song I really liked which was close to the opening on the album on the leaked copies (2008) called "We F'd Up", a driving, pulsating, club track with an underground sensibility that featured Jay Dee trading bars with Frank-N-Dank over an early KanYe West production. Strangely enough this version has been replaced by a remix by the main artist called "The Anthem" - it's most certainly is a remix and not the original version as it doesn't have the original flow of the lyrics on especially the hook. The question then begs why was this included instead - was this Dilla's vision. It's been a long known fact that Kanye West contributed this song to the project at the request of the artist and he has many time been on record praising the shit out of him. Could it be that he didn't give them permission to use his version anymore? If so, FUCK HIM! It is hurting the album a bit, since "The Anthem" is a pretty good joint but doesn't come close to the version I'm accustomed to by West (strangely enough all versions of that song has been deleted from YouTube and Soundcloud). I uploaded it myself so y'all can judge for yourself.

Then there's the absolutely brilliant two parter "The Shining" ("Diamonds") and ("Ice") which explores the same topic but from a male and female perspective [*title thaught about long before the 2006 album]. "Diamonds" is one of the best songs on the album, produced by Nottz who always does a fine job, who lays down a sunny foundation as Dilla goes in on how Diamonds are a girls best friend. The second part is a short one and half minute excursion celebration of the ice he himself love to rock, and is a funy outing by Madlib which appeared as the B-side to a Jaylib 12" once MCA shelved this album. It's interesting that I always used to add "Ice" to my homemade tracklist of what this album probably coud have been long before I know this, but it has that sound - more so than a Jaylib sound. Another long time fan favorite amongst Dilla enthusiast is of course "Trucks", where Dilla playfully reimagines Gary Numan's 1979 hit "Cars" into a playful Hip Hop excursion. It was never one of my personal favorites, but it is kind of dope once you get used to it. And more than that, it shows that Dilla was never afraid to experiment and in some ways it's a precursor to "Electric Circus" a long with the Karriem Riggins/Soulquarian's collaboration "Drive Me Wild" which almost sound like a crazy Boom Bap take on the original Batman theme. As you can hear this is a well-rounded album to say the least.

Among the tracks that has never been leaked before (though one of them has appeared quite recently is on one of those Rappcats EP) are some real heat. You got the excellent title track, produced by House Shoes and Dilla, that captures that Detroit sound very well - almost like a remnant from "Welcome 2 Detroit" with its mix of Ghettotech and boom bap. The minimalistic, dark, hard bouncing and almost hypnotic backdrop has all the hallmarks of two hip-hop cats growing up in the city that pretty much invented techno but always loved that boom bap shit. It is an effective opener but I can't help to think that had Dilla lived there's no question in my mind that the real intro to this album is the title track ("The Diary") which instead closes out the album here and also did so on the 2008 unmastered MCA leak (which was most likely an assembled work-in-assembly either way). That is a short track by Bink (which would later give it to GZA for "Animal Planet" when the LP was shelved), but it features Dilla talking about his trials and tribulations growing up in the D, giving listeners a brief overview of the themes you are about to hear on the album before closing it out by saying "Sit down I got a story to tell.. This is the diary of J Dilla"!). The album is thematic in that it's formed as an aural diary in rap form and you don't write a diary by putting the last page first. My advice is to put on "The Diary", press repeat all and then let it go back to "The Introduction" after that. Either way a blazing "new cut" is Dilla's remix of Supa Dave West's "The Doe" (available on EP through RappCats but also as a digital bonus track on iTunes for the abum) - although West's excellent "So Far To Go" made the album). Dilla's remix is a lot harder, true hardcore hip-hop with a lot of hilarious quotables over a chest thumping beat and retitled "Give 'Em What They Want"... Or as he himself put it in the intro GRIZZLY!!!

This is already a long review and I'm not going to go through every song, but there are two more joints we need to touch on. The first is "The Ex", produced by Jay Dee's musical hereo (in Hip Hop at least) - Pete Rock - and featuring the wonderful voice of Bilal. This is a very smooth joint were Dilla and Bilal talks about past relationships and how it can leave a mark on both parties. This joint has been in constant rotation for me about a year ago when I was in a similiar situation. The 2008 leak had a J Dilla remix of the same track which is not included on the album, I'ma post it up later for those who might not have heard it. The second track is "Gangsta Boogie", one of the tracks that had never been leaked before hand, and this was mentioned in a very old interview with either Egon or Peanut Butter Wolf. It's a Hi-Tek production featuring Snoop Dogg and Kokane, and it was one of the songs that never was completed in time when the album was shelved and abandoned. Jay Dee's parts were completely done, the beat was finished and possibly Kokane's parts as well - the problem was that Dilla is passing the microphone to Snoop Dogg who had agreed to partake but never got around to it in time. So the Snoop Dogg verse is new but it's all pretty seamless and it's a nice joint on a varied record.
 
All in all, "The Diary" (along with "48 Hours" by Frank-N-Dank) is the missing link(s) between "Welcome 2 Detroit" and "Ruff Draft" and the executive producers has made an absolute wonderful job in doing their very best to keep everything as it would have sounded. Had Dilla been able to complete it (it's only the Kanye West thing that bugs me - how the fuck is he not gonna let them use it for free considering how many times he said Dilla was his hero), but maybe the intention was all around that Dilla wasn't happy with West's contribution and was supposed to remix it into "The Anthem" all along. Perhaps "The Anthem" was supposed to be the first single and Kanye's version was the intended B-side. But this is just speculation.... The iTunes version includes a couple of bonus tracks not intended for the original album so I leave those be and strongly recommend this to any true Jay Dee fans - it's not perfect but it is without a doubt the most interesting and necessary J Dilla album since "The Shining" although if we're talking strictly music I must admit I prefer "Jay $tay Paid". So pick this one up, it comes highly recommended but can we please let Dilla rest in peace now?

Purchase Physical Copy @ Rappcats 
Purchase Digital @ iTunes (including Bonus Tracks: "The Siccness" + "The Doe")

J DILLA ft. NAS - "The Sickness" / "Gangsta Boogie"

As a huge J Dilla fan tomorrow is the date (April 15) that I hope will close the J Dilla posthumous saga once and for all, and doing so at a high note. This was the last album Dilla worked his ass off to really get the way he wanted to during his lifetime, and though MCA shelved it he and his then current Stones Throw family and especially Egon had discussions about releasing "Ruff Draft", "The Diary" (more often known as "Pay Jay" or just the MCA album) and of course "The Shining". The reason it has taken this long time to gather an album that a lot of people already have heard most material from (due to an unathorized, unmastered and real shitty sounding leak) and the 12 EP:s that was neccesary to finance the project the way it needed to be financed to put it out there as it should have been. It's fourteen tracks of Dilla rhyming over his own beats as well as tracks by some of his personal favorites and musical comrades - Madlib, Pete Rock, Nottz, Hi-Tek, Karriem Riggins, Pete Rock, BinK! and Wajeed. I can't wait to hear this fully mixed and mastered, definite buy for me and i will also be the last Dilla project I ever purchase.

The album, "The Diary", is a joint venture between Egon's Rappcats label and Nas' Mass Appeal imprint so naturally Nas wanted to get the chance to rhyme on an unfinished joint. But don't worry it doens't hurt the original concept in the least as "The Sickness", as this Madlib produced banger is called, is simply a bonus treat for the heads. It was premiered live a while back but here's the real studio version. Enjoy the realness and pre-order the full length album @ iTunes for digital or head over to RappCats for your physical fix -"The Diary" @ Rappcats . Also check out the final piece of the puzzle that made things possible to release as Dilla intended it - the Hi-Tek produced "Gangsta Boogie" featuring Snoop Dogg and throw your cash up tomorrow. I know I will!

[Comp/Article] THE LIFE & TIMES OF PHIFE DAWG

With the tragic passing of one of hip-hop's legendary punchline kings and rhyming sports enthusiasts music fans all over the world has been grieving since the news of Malik Taylor's passing hit the internet last week. Taylor was a man of many names, but to most people he was known as Phife Dawg from the group that perhaps was THE epitome of '90s Hip Hop, A Tribe Called Quest. I can't think of any other MC that elevated himself from a rather mediocre spitter (in my honest opinon) on "People's Instinctive Travels..." to a quick, witted, well flowing, and unique wordsmith in just a little over a year. But that is exactly what Phife did in time for "The Low End Theory" (1991) where he played a significant role and would be the beginning of Tribe including stand-out tracks featuring Phife as the sole emcee (these include one of my all time favorite songs in "8 Million Stories"). For a jazz fanatic such myself I'd have to say that A Tribe Called Quest probably came closer than any other hip-hop group or artist (including other worthy players such as GURU, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, Digable Planets and Buckshot LeFonque) in actually chanelling the esthetics and spirits of jazz and seemingly effortlessly transcribing it into a Hip Hop language. Phife and Q-Tip often used their distinct voices in the same way an alto sax player like Cannonball and a tenor player like 'Trane either built tension in "dueling" each other or built on each other solos/verses. Not to mention the call-and-response nature of so many of their classic hooks, a main staple of american black music dating all the way back to the plantation field and becoming an important part of both jazz and blues ... And that's just in speaking about the vocal part of the group's legacy. Tribe truly introduced the power of the low end to Hip Hop, with their heavy use of the acoustic bass (or stand up bass if you will) to fantastic effect... not to mention their heavy reliance on the Fender Rhodes electric piano which instantly recognizable sound had helped define jazz since the late '60s and been especially important in soul jazz and early jazz fusion - two subgenres that would become extremely important as sample sources in Hip Hop over the coming years. But it was Tribe (and a few others like Showbiz and DJ Premier) who really started that trend. Hell they even got Ron Carter to play on "The Low End Theory"!

While some people unflinchingly give too much, sometimes all, credit to Q-Tip alone for Tribe's success story I would go as far as call that straight up blasphemous. I don't buy that for a second. Q-Tip was of course the defacto leader but his claim that he produced all of those records solely by himself I feel are strongly revisionist history - check out a track like "La Schmoove" by Fu Schnickens or the amazing remixes for BDP's "We In There" and that Ice Cube joint that Ali Shaheed produced all by himself. Or why not go back to the HHC interview with the whole group that ran around the time of "Midnight Mauraders" where both Ali and Tip was asked and answered the question what they used when producing their music. And it's a safe bet that up and until "Beats, Rhymes & Life", Phife had suggestions for additions to the music as well - that's just how it works within a group. The whole thing about Tribe could never have come from any single man of the crew, but was the result of thee great, yet different minds came together. In their 10 years as a functioning, working unit this powerhouse trio released five albums - four of them being extremely good, while their last album showed a group struggling to keep it together which is not to say that it doesn't have it's selection of bangers. Although it probably never would have happened either way it is now certain that that final Tribe reunion album will definitely never happen now, and that is a sad confirmation.

But I do hope that Phife recorded enough material and was close enough to finalizing his sophomore solo album which he constantly mentioned in interviews over the last years. The first single, the DJ Rasta Root produced "Dear Dilla" was both a heartfelt dedication to a fallen comrade and an incredibly dope track that spoke to any true hip hop conniseours. As most fans are likely to have whipped out their Tribe albums during the past week, I have a feeling people are still sleeping on Phife's original 1999 debut "Ventilation: Da LP". Released in the same year as Q-Tip's "Amplified", it's easy to see why Tribe didnt have a chance of continuinig post "The Love Movement" at the same time as the differences between the albums sheds light on why the latter album lacked a coherrent sound. While Q-Tip was obviously interested in going a more commercial route, with a stripped down sound without the lush Fender Rhodes sounds and sample heavy jazz esthetic mentioned above, Phife kept it as real as his love for The Knicks for his project. Interestingly enough Jay Dee played a major role in the production of both LP:s (creating four songs for "Ventilation" and its singles) but Phife would complement his work with slamming cuts by Pete Rock (including the criminally overlooked "Melody Adonis", a boom bap manifesto which also featured a Beatminer on the turntables), Hi-Tek, Supa Dave West, Fred Wreck and least succesfully Rick Rock. While it's not a perfect album by far, it is still well worth several listens and was ample proof that Phife could do it on his own although it in a way did show that he sounded best in a grou setting. The same can be said about Q-Tip and "Amplified", and Shaheed's subsequent Lucy Pearl LP the following year. What all three projects truly proved was that each member of A Tribe Called Quest were dope on their own but when they came together as a unit that they truly made miracles happen. Don't forget that!

Though Phife Dawg was quiet the last few years, barely even making guest appearnces (save for some excellent contributions to Slum Village's last two albums and a banger for producer Oh No), he had already left his mark on hip-hop as a culture, on hip-hop as a music form, and on hip-hop as an art form. I hope more people will start to realize how integreal he truly was to A Tribe Called Quest, a group that is often held in the highest of high esteem and often top countdowns of the genre's greatest groups of all time. So while we continue to bump Phife Dawg's music over the coming weeks, let us bump "Ventilation: Da LP" and its B-sides, let us bump Tribe's "People's Instinctive Travels...", "Low End Theory", "Midnight Mauraders", "Beats, Rhymes & Life" and let us bump "The Love Movement". But why should we stop there?!

For your listneing pleasure and in honor of Malik Taylor, also known as The Funky Diabetic and The 5 Foot Assassin, I have put together a compilation of some of his work not appearing on either of the albums mentioned above. It also excludes remixes unless it feature a unique verse by Tha Dawg, such as on the "Stressed Out" single version. Included are tracks ranging from his breakout year, 1991, and up until his final single - the previously mentioned "Dear Dilla", which takes on another dimension of sadness now thaat he himself faced a somewhat similiar fate at a way too early age. Included are production work and additional vocals by musicians such as Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Q-Tip, Consequence, Chi-Ali, Black Sheep, De La Soul, Diamond D, Pete Rock, Chip Fu, Whitey Don, Oh No, J Dilla and Slum Village but there's no question that this is Phife's show all the way. Included are also most of the rare underground 12" EP:s he released throughout the years. YOU'RE ON POINT PHIFE!! REST IN POWER!!

01. "Ya Heard Me"? [prod. by Dilla] [1998]
02. "If Men Are Dogs" (1997)
03. "Brooklyn / Queens AllStars" (1997)
04. "Pains & Strife" (w. Diamond D & Pete Rock) [1997]
05. "Scheming" (w. Slum Village & Posdnous) [prod. Dilla] (2010)
06. "Push It Along" (w. Slum Village) [prod. by Dilla] (2013)
07. "Miscallenous" [DJ Hi-Tek's Luv Boat Mix] (1999)
08. "La Schmoove" (w. Phife & Ali Shaheed) [1992]
09. "Let The Horns Blow" (w. Chi-Ali, Black Sheep & Dove)
10. "Artical" [Original Posse Mix] (w. Whitey Don & Chip-Fu) [1992]
11. "Game Day" (Ft. Rodney Hampton) [prod. by Dilla] (1996]
12. "Diggy Diaect" (w. Hawkeye) [prod. by DJ Rasta Root] [2003]
13. "U Know U Want It" (w. Charlie & Rose) [prod. DJ Rasta Root] (2003]
14. "Who Got The Funk" (w. Scientists Of Sound) [prod. by Q-Tip] (1995)
15. "Dues N Don'ts" (w. Jesse James) [prod. by Oh No] [2008]
16. "Thought U Wuz Nice" [prod. by J Dilla] [1996]
17. "Dear Dilla" (The Closing Statement) [prod. Rasta Root] [2012]

BONUS TRACK
18. "Stressed Out" [Baby Phife's Version] [prod. by The Ummah] [1996]

PHIFE DAWG - "CELEBRATING THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MALIK TAYLOR" 
[mirror link]

[Stream] J DILLA - "DILLATRONIC"

This one right here is one that I've been really fiending to hear since it was first announced last month. While I've been delving deep into all those leaked Dilla beat tapes and CD:s that's been passed around over the years much of the music on those discs are too dope not to get an official release. The stuff that was released through the ridiciously expensive "King Of Beats" box set last year focused on beats that Jay Dee crafted during the second half of the '90s and presented joints lifted from tapes such as "What Up Doe! Sessions", "Steroid Boosters" (a.k.a. "Another Batch") and other, to fans, yet unavailable sources. "Dillatronic" instead zooms in on the latter part of Dilla's esteemed career while offering up a selection of his more stripped down, electronics flavoured "48 Hours"/Jaylib-esque work.

While many of these have already been cherished by hardcore fans via leaks like the five volumes of "2002 Batches" and "Da 1st Installment" they are here presented for the first time in any official capacity... and they sonically sound much better than we have heard them before! In my opinion you can't really go wrong with 41 selections of astro-nomica-nomica-nomical Dilla beats to break your neck to so this is a very welcome release. Stream the full thing via Pitchfork below while you head over to the Dillatronic Webstore and support for the cause. Undoubtedly a stronger release than either the dissapointing "Rebirth Of Detroit" or the aforementioned "The King Of Beats" set ... TURN IT UP!! A LITTLE LOUDER!!

"DILLATRONIC" @ PITCHFORK

J DILLA remixes SHAKKAZOMBIE - "Camoflauge" (2001)

I have decided to share one of my illest Dilla finds with y'all, which is a rare remix of Shakkazombie's "Camoflauge" which I have never ever seen mentioned in any discography of Jay Dee. I don't call this blog The Lost Tapes for nothing. Shakkazombie is a Japanese rap trio consisting of the emcees MC Osumi, Tsutchie and MC Hide-Bowie who has been releasing records in their home country since 1995. In 2001 the group dropped the mini-album "Get On Da Track" on the Cutting Edge label which featured two versions of the song "カモフラ" (translated: "Camoflauge"). One of these versions is labeled as the Barak Remix; Barak of course being the Detroit label that's behind releases by Slum Village, Phat Kat, Young RJ and B.R. Gunna. Looking closer at the credits the remix is credited to Jay Dee while the music is credited to Slum Village and Young RJ. The song itself finds Jay Dee in the middle of his transition from the dreamy, Rhodes infected jazz grooves of "Fantastic Vol. 2" to the bass heavy, minimalist thump inspired by Detroit's techno scene that was heard on Dilla's contribution to "Trinity" as well as Frank-N-Dank's "48 Hours". Shit goes HARD!

SHAKKAZOMBIE - "CAMOFLAUGE" [Barak Remix]

SPACEK Ft. BLACK THOUGHT, BAHAMADIA & SV - "Countdown"

I've been on the hunt for this rare B-side for the longest, and finally came across it a while back. Spacek is a british group lead by singer/producer Steve Spacek that has produced several underground classics that defies genre categorizing. Some call it just electronic music, but labels like neo-soul, broken beat and trip hop has all been part of journalists describing the progressive trio. The band has been around since 1999 but it was with their release of the excellent "Curvatia" LP that they truly had found their sound. The first single from that album, "Eve" was released in 2000, and is a true gem in every sense of the word - especially if you're big on the Detroit and Philadelphia hip hop scenes.

The A-side features the excellent "Jay Dee Remix" which not only features a banging Dilla beat constructed right around the time that he was leaving behind the lush, Rhodes infected grooves of his UMMAH and Slum Village productions for something more influenced by Motown's legendary techno and house scene. It also features the debut on wax by long-time friends Frank-N-Dank, whose "48 Hours" is an absolutely incredible album no matter what version of it you get your hands on. While we're at it, in 2005 Dilla gave another real banger to Spacek which was made into "Dollar" and if you haven't heard that one yet before be sure to dig it out - pure masterpiee...  But I'm getting off track here, the joint I want to talk about today is the B-side to the "Eve" single called "Countdown"; produced by Steve Spacek and Jeff Mann. It definitely has that Dilla influenced perfection-sloppiness and soulful filteres however and what makes it really interesting is that it's a posse cut between Philly's Black Thought and Bahamadia and Detroit's Baatin and T3. Check it out below... I also threw in a 320 kbps version of the "Eve" remix (could only get the other in 192 but it works) so ENJOY now!

SPACEK - "EVE" [JAY DEE REMIX] 
SPACEK / SV / BLACK THOUGHT / BAHAMADIA - "Countdown"

NORMAN BROWN - "Angel" [prod. by DILLA]

As big a Dilla head that I am, every now and then there still pops up a previously unknown production from the man that was neglected for inclusion on the Official Discography that Stones Throw compiled. And while I did like the new Slum Village LP I'd much rather listen to obscure tracks that Mr. Yancey actually had a hand in during his lifetime than any of these posthumously put together shit (post-"Jay Stay Paid" there really haven't been anything worthwhile released if you ask me). One such cut is "Angel", a mesmerizingly beautiful collaboration between smooth jazz guitarist and singer Norman Brown and producers J Dilla, James Poyser and Malik Pendelton. The song appeared on Brown's 2004 album "West Coast Coolin'". Another great track to add to the list of Jay Dee's many brilliant soul compositions and probably one of the last collaborations between Poyser and himself.

 NORMAN BROWN - "ANGEL"

[Review] SLUM VILLAGE - "Yes!"

By 2015 there's been a lot of posthumous releases celebrating the music of the late great J Dilla. The early projects like "The Shining", "Dillagence" and "Jay Stay Paid" were done with a lot of respect for the artist and stood on their own pretty much as well as any other official Jay Dee releases, However projects like "Return Of The Detroit", "The Lost Scrolls" EP and Yancey Boys' "Sunset Blvd." felt thrown together and really uninspired, using throwaway beats that I doubt Dilla would never have approved of being released, and I was beginning to feel that I really didn't want any more posthumous Dilla releases beside the still unreleased albums like the MCA 2002 vocal LP. Therefore I was extremely positively suprised by Slum Village's latest album "YES!". The bulk of the album features original production by Jay Dee dating back to the mid-'90s, which has then been built on and mixed by Young RJ to make them sound a little more current. Young RJ studied under Jay Dee since the early Slum days, and they have a few tracks they produced together, so as he said in an interview he felt he knew exactly what Dilla wanted with the beats they had. Being that many of the beats come from old cassettes the album has a real grimey feel, though with RJ's touch up it never sounds weird or like they had to make a compromise in any way - just like they set out to do a real grimey, throwback joint.

Production is absolutely excellent throughout, creating a real nostalgic album as SV hasn't released an album as close to in sound to the "Fan-Tas-Tic" volumes (which still stands as SV's illest projects). It also has loads of verses by Baatin which is very welcome as him and T3 always had a cool chemistry together. Now, don't get me wrong "YES!" is far from only being some nostalgic thrown together mixtape type of album. It's an album for the fans that according to interviews with T3 and Young RJ might be the final album in the Slum catalouge and as such it's a marvelous way to come full circle and close the chapter. There's not a single weak song here, there's no beats that I'm at all familiar with since before and the Jay Dee beats used are actually tracks he created with SV in mind - a song like "Yes Yes" was something they all worked together on for "Fantastic Vol. 2" but they couldn't come up with a hook at the time so they scrapped it. Baatin and T3 does a great job riding the thumping, heavily filtered soul bangers here and the guests like Jon Connor, Dwele, Illa J, De La Soul, Phife Dawg and the verses from Young RJ are all in the family which is definitely a great thing. 

There's a minimum of songs on here that doesn't stand among straight up incredible headnodders, if any. "Windows" "Push it Along" with Phife, "Right Back" with De La Soul, "Tear It Down", "Love is.../Fantastic", and the bonus track "Just Like A Test" are all stand outs though this is definitely an album that should be played from front-to-back, and it's clocking in at only 40 minutes at that. Jay Dee's trademark sound is all over this, the somewhat unsyncopated drum programming, the beautiful bass melodies, heavy filters, and melodic Rhodes and acoustic piano melodies, and so on. The only thing that feels like it's missing and would have improved the LP is if the group could have patched things up with eLzhi to at least get a couple of verse from him at least. For me, with every SV release from "Trinity" to "Villa Manifesto" his verses has always been what I've looked forward to the most hearing the most. Still with an LP that is so well put together I have to say that it works really well either way and like I put in earlier it really puts any previous posthumous J Dilla release post-2009 to shame. 

The only track not produced by Jay Dee and Young RJ are "We On" laced by Black Milk which still bangs very hard and works well in the context given the amount of material Black Milk has produced for the group throughout the years. The song was actually originally solo song by Baatin that was never finished before 'Tin's untimely passing, which has been completed with added verses by Slum Village for the LP. It's an interesting idea that is well executed, as what T3 and Young RJ has set out to do is bring together the sound of the Slum Village from then til' now. This is an interesting way to make a posthumous release which only would work in this context - a group that all worked together many times in life and making a last album together for a group that has gone through so many changes really takes things full circle. The LP is full of moments like this, songs sounding like they were actually created in the studio together by all involved rather than two deceased artists and two livign ones piezing together a full-length for 2015. An interesting tidbit is that the cover used was originally the decided cover to use for "Fantastic Vol. 2" until they decided to change it a the last minute. Compared to dissapointments like "Evolution" this album is pure classic Slum Village sound and if they decide to close it out on this joint, they are definitely closing out at the top of their game. To be honest, I'd definitely rank this amongst the quartet's finest releases ever. Be sure to don't sleep on this gem! Matter of fact be sure to head over to UGHH and order the album in your choice of LP or CD.

[Demo] SLUM VILLAGE - "The EPHCY Sessions"

 Browsing some SV stuff on YouTube the other day I came across a complete four minutes version of "Hoc N Pucky", one of the many short but powerful bangers on "Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1". The uploader claimed it was taken from something called "The EPHCY Sessions". Jay Dee fans will recognize EPHCY as the name of his early publishing management often listed in credits. Naturally I had to found out what this was about and to my suprise there's pretty much no info at all on where this project came from. My first thought was that it was one of those limited edition vinyl EP:s of old demos that often circulates these days but I can't find no one selling this which is why I'm posting it up for all of you to check it out for yourself.

However this is definitely the real deal, Slum Village demos from 1993 or 1994 featuring Jay Dee, Baatin and T3. The sound quality is poor but it is listenable and should without a doubt be heard at least once by any fan of this legendary group. A lot of the songs are actually dope though they only really stand on Jay Dee's beats as none of the members have really come into their own as emcees yet on here. There's a lot of clowning around and experimenting which makes me think that some of these songs were just three young guys having fun, getting used to being in the studio and trying out some ideas. Stuff like these early demos with its off-key singing in the middle of verses obviously helped the group develop the percussive vocal style they had fine tuned on "Fan-Tas-Tic Vol. 1". The real highlight of the set is easily "Hoc N Pucky" which is also the track that's most fully realized as a complete song. Be sure to check this one out and big shouts to Respecta.net who I borrowed the link from!

Also I want to take this moment to really strongly recommend Slum Village's latest album called "YES!", easily one of the best albums of the year. It's a very different way to create an album too as they have used old demos and previously unreleased instrumentals produced by Jay Dee with the group in mind back in the '90s which have then been completed and added on to by Young RJ. Add to that loads of previously unreleased verses by Baatin, with new stuff by T3, Young RJ, and guests Illa J, De La Soul, Phife, Black Milk, etc. Perhaps it shouldn't work but it really does and I think it would be a perfect way to close the Slum Village chapter on - with a celebration of the past and the present. The cover is even the original artwork for "Fantastic Vol. 2" which was changed at the very last minute! Pick up a copy if you haven't already, it's available from UGHH now.

01. "And I Got..."

02. "Roxanne"

03. "Dance With Me"

04. "Dance With Me" (Instrumental)

05. "Hoc N Pucky" (Original)

06. "Mountaintop"
07. "Tell Me What You Want"

08. "And I Got"

09. "Roxanne 2"

10. "Roxanne 3"

11. "The One For Me" (incomplete)

SLUM VILLAGE - "EPHCY SESSIONS" 

via Respecta

J DILLA Interview on Giles Peterson Worldwide Radio 2001

I've been heavy on my Dilla and SV shit the last couple of weeks, digging up all sorts of goodies so I thought I'd share some of them with y'all. First out is one of Jay Dee's rare interviews, as we all know the guy wasn't big on giving interviews so the few he did give always provide for an interesting look into the creation of some of his many classic records. On February 15th 2001 J Dilla appeared for a 30 minute show on Giles Peterson's Worldwide Radio on BBC Radio 1 promoting his then upcoming "Welcome 2 Detroit" LP. Listen as Jay Dee tells stories about the making of records with Erykah Badu, Slum Village, Pharcyde, D'Angelo, Q-Tip and more... Good stuff!

An interesting little side note for us real Dilla nerds is that all songs played on the show are Jay Dee productions, yet the first song they use for the intro happens to be A Tribe Called Quest's "The Love". A personal favorite from "The Love Movement" the song are not usually credited to Jay Dee as he has no writing credit on the song but perhaps he had more input on those other songs than the writing credits lets on.

[Review] SLUM VILLAGE - "Yes!"

When I first posted the free album stream of the new Slum Village album I was a little stand-offish against it. Their last album "Evolution" was really weak to me and din't pack the SV sound at all, "Villa Manifesto" was good but it seemed to lack something and I've heard several singles "produced" by Jay Dee that I wouldn't imagine he wouldn't want to have released during his lifetime. Then there's the constant changing of the line-up of the group. So needless to say then, I want into SV's new album with a lot of precautions. That's really the best way to enter any album, because then you can only be pleasantly suprised. And that is exactly what I became with Slum Village's new "Yeeeah". In my opinion this is the most Slum Village sounding album the group has released in year, which is something of an oxymoron considering that they have embraced several styles during their long careers and member changes. But what I mean it is the closest they have come to the style that made me fall in love with their music from the jump, the "Fantastic Vol. 1" and "Fantastic Vol. 2" series. Sonically it's filled with that filtered basslines, smacking Dilla type drums, and sampled guitar and Rhodes samples. This is what I want to hear from Slum Village, and not suprisingly the album uses no less than 10 Jay Dee instrumentals that at least I never heard before. And the mistake many albums that uses posthumous lost-and-found beats for their albums, these have been co-produced by Young RJ in several cases making sure that they sound as complete songs presentable in 2015 - which is a great way to keep Dilla's musical legacy alive. I'm really fed up with the practice beats some artists, who never even worked with Yancey in his lifetime, get a hold of and boosts about having a Dilla beat on their album. But these aren't just any ol' Dilla beats either, they actually are in the same vein as the "Fantastic" stuff for the most part, really bringing back memories of when SV was the kings of Detroit.

And just like "Fantastic Vol. II", the current members of Slum Village, which still includes their leader T3 who does a great job rhyming throughout, the members aims several joints at the girls over smooth instrumentals. A true stadout is the Young RJ produced "Push it Along", that uses a familiar breakbeat coupled with an infecitious piano melody and a brilliant bassline while Phife Dawg makes a welcome guest apperance. Then you got the triumphant "Windows", filled with strings and smacking drums giving it a cinematic feeling that's perfect for the songs themes of how we all see small parts of other persons life through "windows" just like on a screen. This is one of the beats Jay Dee begun and Young RJ completed, and this is when it works best. The same can be said about their collaboration on "Right Back at You" which features the legendary De La Soul which got that classic posse cut feeling with nothing but excellent verses from everyone involved over an infectious piano sample, hardcore drums courtesy of Dilla and slick cuts. Same goes for the Black Milk produced "We On The Go" which features Frank Nitty and a verse from Black Milk himself going head to head with the SV trio over an addictive banger with a lot of shit happening in the beat that together forms a unified whole. The only real misstep on a really good album is the halfbaked Jay Dee left-over beat that for some reason was released as a single and is even the title track. It got a disco influence and a horrible singing hook and doesn't even sound finished. Why Young RJ didn't go into this one and shape it up is beyond me because it just don't work, but I guess some people like it so whatever.  

Lyrically the album doesn't say much, but SV really never did speak on very important topics, they got cool voices and just like on the "Fantastic" albums this one got a laid back feel with a lot of joints aimed at the ladies (like the beautiful "Too Much") when they are not making Detroit anthems ("Where We Come From") or going full throttle with the posse cuts. After roughly forty minutes, the album closes on track 12 with the excellent Jay Dee production "What We Have" featuring Illa J (I actually thought he was a member by now, but guess not) and Kam Corvet. A fantastic way to close the album, an experimental Jay Dee beat taking some notes from his love for jazz with Rhodes, percussion, trumpet and female vocals floating in and out over the heavy filtered bass line while T3 sends out his love to a woman he sees a future with but his homies don't see what's the big deal with. Something I guess many of us can relate to. As the album fades out, there's no question that you have listened to a new Slum Village album, unlike some of their more recent releases. And for once I'm actually glad they used leftover Dilla beats because they found a way to really make it work without sounding forced. When Baatin and Dilla died  I counted out SV, but then when I realized what a dope emcee eLzhi is I noticed that they could still make some dope shit but since he left the group I have had zero interest in a new SV album. I'm glad they proved me wrong because they still got it! Motown stand up!

PURCHASE "YES!" @ UGHH 

[Compilation] RON ESTILL - "Made in Detroit"

To those who know me it is certainly no secret that next to New York, the Motor City Detroit is my favorite place when it comes to knocking out slamming music. Of course J Dilla continues to be one of my all time favorites as his many sounds simply were out of this world, but even after his tragic passing the hp-hop scene has continued thriving with countless superb producers and spitters. Many of the city's finest was given a platform to evolve through Jay Dee and has continued growing following his passing over to the other side. I'm talking cats like T3, eLzhi and the Slum Village crew, mega talented soul singer Dwéle, rough voiced hardcore spitter Guilty Simpson, my man Phat Kat, Taa'rach, Beej, the always underrated Karieem Riggins, Frank Nitty and his partner Dankery Harv, Finale, Big Tone and many others. Then you got the producers who keeps the sound of Motown hip-hop alive and proving that the sound of the city are iller than most. Black Milk especially, but you also got NameTag, Apollo Brown and Bronze Nazareth from the Michigan area that's all definitely doing their thing. With all of these talented cats repping the "D" it's not at all a stretch to say that Jay Dee definitely were the true Godfather of Detroit hip-hop.

Of course, there were also local musicians that inspired James Yancey a great deal - most importantly his mentor and teacher, Amp Fiddler, the talented multi-instrumentalist/singer who used to play with George Clinton and Funkadelic. Another important person in Jay Dee's career that mostly figured in the shadows were Ronald "Ron E." Estill, a Detroit resident who was an early manager of Slum Village as well as for Yancey's close friend Dwele. Estill is also a producer, specializing in deep soul remixes with a hip-hop touch and listening to his music there's no question that he was heavily influencced by Jay Dee's production style - it's very possible that they both inspired each other. They at times appeared with one remix of their own each on the same 12" (such as Lucy Pearl's "Without You") and a few songs that have been credited to Dilla in the internet age are actually Estill's work (LSK's "Hate Or Love" and Jamiroquai's "Black Capricorn Day" especially). An interesting fact is that Ron "E" Estill was the first producer to have an original James Yancey verse on his beat, with his remix of Tami Heart's "If It Wasn't For You". So while Estill is far from prolific when it comes to releasing music, the few remixes and songs he has released are pretty much all interesting stuff that should be heard by every fan of that true Detroit soul/hip-hop sound. Much of the songs found here are co-productions between Estill and Dwele, while the final cut by T-Love is actually something he did together with Dilla himself. As far as I know this is about every production released under the name Ronald "Ron E." Estill (he did drop a 12" or two under the name Soulfingerz in the early '90s, but those were more in the vein of house music). If you're into the more soulful late '90s excursions of James Yancey and Dwele I think you will be pleasantly suprised by how terrific these tracks are, so press play, kick off your shoes and lay back but don't forget to TURN IT UP!!!

01. Bahamadia - "One-4-Teen"
02. New Sector Movements - "The Sun" [Dwele's Motor City Remix]
03. Luct Pearl - "Without You" [Aphrodisiac Mix] (Ft. Phat Kat)
04. T-Love - "Swing Mandidly"
05. Tami Heart - "If It Wasn't For You" [Detroit Demolition Mix] (Ft. Slum Village)
06. Dwele - "Money Don't Mean A Thing"
07. Bahamadia - "Pep Talk"
08. New Sector Movements - "The Sun" [Dwelogy Remix]
09. Jamiroquai - "Black Capricorn Day" [Slum Village Remix]
10. LSK - "Hate Or Love" [Caffe Latte remix] (Ft. Slum Village)
11. T-Love - "Long Way Back" [co-produced by Jay Dee]

RON ESTILL - "MADE IN DETROIT"

SLUM VILLAGE - "We On" [prod. Jay Dee]

SV digs up another previously unreleased joint of Jay Dee for their new single "We On" from their upcoming "Vintage" EP. The extended play will work as a prequel to Slum Village's next album which is called "YES" which should be out this fall. Maybe even more interesting than the single is the "Vintage" mixtape, put together by Young RJ and DJ TJ The King, and said to include SV and Jay Dee rarities. Peep the mixtape below or click here.

J DILLA - "Filth"

It's just amazing how much music the late, great James Yancey recorded before his untimely passing but considering how brilliant this man was it's a great thing (for the most part, there's definitely been some shady releases). The latest installment in Dilla's posthumous catalouge is supervised by Ma Dukes Yancey and is a box set featuring 40 unreleased Jay Dee tracks and instrumentals (!). Titled "The King Of Beats (Ma Duke's Yancey Collection)", the box set also includes four 10" vinyl records, a large booklet with interviews with peers and colleagues and a 3" floppy disk. Included are the previously unreleased "Filth", premiered by Rolling Stone so thanks to them.

[Rare Jay Dee] THA KATZ - "Happy Dayz" / "Funny"

A week or two ago I posted a super rare Jay Dee production from 1993 that is not in any official discography I've ever seen, and throughout the years I probably researched Dilla about as extensively as Jordan Fergusson for his book on "Donuts" . That cut was a banging Detroit soul joint produced by James Yancey and Adé and only released as a white label 12", and titled "T.H.I.Q.U.E.". Now that was news to me and I'm sure a lot of other heads; what I got for you is just slightly less obscure and although I've known about it for quite some time I have never posted it on here. 

The Katz was an all-female group from Detroit that released their one and only EP around the same time that 5-Ela and Slum Village was starting to make moves in the city. I used to have a good article on this but unfortunately I can't find it anymore, but it was from a local Detroit newspaper, about one and a half page talking about the growing hip-hop movement in the D and how important produer Jay Dee was in all this as he produced for all of these groups respective demos/debuts. If I come across it again, I will update this post to include it as well. While I don't remember too much of the specifcs of the article, it mentioned that The Katz was an all-female MC group who had just released (this was in 1996) their EP called "Come Fly With Me" on small indie label Fertile Records. I of course looked it up and tried my best to get my hands on a copy (which most likely would be a digital copy since it seems very obscure). It turns out that off the eight tracks featured on the cassette Jay Dee produced three, while fellow "D" representative DJ Dez produced the majority of the others. I have made no luck in tracking down this EP in full, however, thanks to YouTube users ugrap001 and WGFproductions we can actually listen to two more full early Jay Dee productions (out of three from this EP). To read more on this release and confirm the credits for yourself (even if these credits are bogus, remember I read an article from local Detroit press stating that Yancey indeed produced for this group on this release), check out The Discogs Page. 

The sounds on these two tracks, "Happy Dayz" and "Funny", are vintage mid-'90s JD, heavy on the bottom, the unmistakable drum programming and the filtered keyboard samples. The emcees might not be the strongest, but this is obviously a must hear for Dilla fans and a lot more interesting than much of the stuff reelased posthumously. Since they are both ripped from old cassettes the quality ain't all that, whicfh made me take the liberty to compress them from YouTube to Mp3 since I'm guessing most of y'all want to have these in your digital collection. If you rather check the YT (click here and here) (also photo up top borrowed from the great HipHopisRead). A LITTLE LOUDER!!

THE KATZ - "FUNNY"

KATZ - "HAPPY DAYZ"

[1993] T.H.I.Q.U.E. - "Sweet One" [JAY DEE Beat]

Since Dilla's tragic passing in 2006 the market has been flooded with some incredible posthumous albums and singles/EP:s ("Jay Stay Paid"; "The Shining" though I really count that as an official Dilla album) and plenty of not so impressive releases ("Rebirth of Detroit", "Lost Tapes Reels", etc.). What is much rarer is to actually stumble across some super obscure Jay Dee production(s) that was actually released at the very beginning of his career; despite not being mentioned even in his official discography @ Stones Throw. There are a few of them out there, and this truly banging soul joint by Detroit soul singer T.H.I.Q.U.E. called "Sweet One" is perhaps the most interesting. You got a ruff draft of what would became Dilla's mid-'90s trademark sound (especially when it came to his classic soul remixes) and while T.H.I.Q.U.E. is no Anthony Hamilton or D'Angelo he can definitely hold his own over production as great as this. 

The "Sweet One" EP was released on small Detroit imprint Super Sonic in '93 and features three different mixes of the title track (the main version heard above, a rap version, and a jazzy sax mix) a long with the exclusive songs "The Last Dance" and "Back to Love". What's really interesting is that the entire EP is said to be produced by James Yancey and Adé, and a few things makes me strongly believe that Jay Dee is the main producer (or at least programmer) while Adé was more of a co-producer. Reason #1 being the sound esthetics of it, and especially the drum programming, but also that Adé was a local R&B singer himself with only one other production credit to his name - a remix of his single "Reach Out Your Love" which once again was produced with another beatmaker who went by Jeckyl. Check out the Discogs page for T.H.I.Q.U.E.'s "Sweet One" EP, which also includes clear pictures clearly stating it was produced by James Yancey and Adé and  is a Detroit production. If anyone happen to have a rip of the other joints from this EP, please hook me up, because it would be incredibly apreciated - also much props goes out to YouTube uploader NoMoreTime10. TURN IT UP!!

J DILLA - "The Doe"

I've really been up on my DiLLA shit again lately, catching some inspiration from Jordan Ferguson's page-turning meditation on "Donuts" for the 33 1/3 series, and I can't wait to hear his still unreleased MCA album from 2002 in all of it's original glory. Rappcats and Pay Jay Records have so far released three vinyl EP:s with tracks from the original sessions - including the Supa Dave West produced "The Doe" which is available on the "Give 'Em What They Want" 12".

BUSTA RHYMES x BIGGIE x DILLA - "Modern Day Gangstas"

Now this right here is a real underground GEM if I ever heard one! "Modern Day Gangstas" is an unreleased track that first made it's presence known to the public as "Dangerous MC's" via Notorious B.I.G.'s first real posthumous album, '99's "Born Again". That remix was produced by Nottz and Dominic Lambert and added additional vocals from Snoop Dogg and Mark Curry, and differed immensely from the original song it was built around - a track produed in 1996 by none other than the now legendary Jay Dee/J Dilla/James Yancey. This is prime example of why I so strongly disliked that album; B.I.G. recorded several slamming non-album cuts before his passing, but when it came time for Pappa Diddy Pop to turn these sessions into a 1999 album he tried to make it sound like it was recorded yesterday and therefore destroyed the original cuts by enlisting more popular producers and guest vocalists to fill out the spaces between the BIG verses. If a remix is not at all improving on the original it loses it's purpose, and in cases where the artist have passed away it's damn near sacreligious to mess with their unreleased music. The best examples of this on "Born Again" is the Eminem remix of "Dead Wrong", an original joint BIG cut with long-time friend and musical partner Easy Mo Bee, which albeit ruff in its original incarnation is a straight up slamming jam. Even more interesting is the aforementioned Jay Dee production "Dangerous MC's" (originally titled "Modern Day Gangstaz" and sometimes labeled as "The Ugliest"), originally recorded as a Busta Rhymes song in sessions for his '96 solo debut "The Coming". 

The story goes that this beat was one of several tracks Bus' picked from Jay Dee's beat CD for what would become "The Coming" (the others being "Still Shining" and "Keep It Movin'"). Somehow Puff Daddy and The Notorious B.I.G. heard Busta's version of "Modern Day Gangstas" and was blown away. With its heavy umph, low Rhodes melody and heavily filtered bassline, it was vintage Jay Dee during his The Ummah period and very similiar to the other stuff Busta used for the LP. From what I have heard what happened was that The Notorious ended up dropping a verse on the track as a cameo; as you hear BIG kicks off the song. If you listen closely to that verse you'll realize that it includes one of Biggie's most subtle, yet most agressive disses against 2Pac ever: "Missed you by inches, you're talk is senseless/ Actor needs chiropractor for cracked jaw/ Yes, I rocked your chatterbox, dangerous you're not/ I get down, twist your body 'Round & Round', upside down...". The story goes that Busta didn't want to be caught up in that whole East Coast/West Coast beef (remember the fuss after LL Cool J put Prodigy on the "I Shot Ya" remix) that was creeping towards it's tragic peak, and instead gave the song to Bad Boy Entertainment for inclusion on "Life After Death". This would explain how Puff Daddy owned the masters and had the rights to put it out on a BIG album in '99. The third emcee on the track, Labba, is a little known artist with ties to Busta Rhymes and The Flipmode Squad (appearing on Busta's "We Could Take It Outside" amongst others) but was replaced by Snoop and Mark Curry on the oficially released remix.

If you haven't heard this track before you are in for a real treat. Both Busta Rhymes and Notorious B.I.G. were pretty much at their respective peaks here in my humble opinion, and as far as I know this is the only track these two musical giants ever collaborated on. Add to that that they are doing so over a lost Jay Dee beat, one that has all the trademarks and signifcance of the type of music Yancey was into during his early days with The Ummah collective - deep basslines, a love for filtering the groove and a heavy umph on the beat. There's even a video clip shot of Jay Dee in a wheelchair during his last trip overseas where the legendary beat master discusses the making of the song with Frank-N-Dank. This video was taken circa 2005 and appears on the Frank-N-Dank DVD "European Vacation". Here Dilla also reveals that in addition to Bus' and BIG, an additional legendary emcee was originally supposed to appear on the track as well (hey, maybe that Snoop Dogg verse really was made then haha). For some reason the YouTube clip of said video won't let me embed - instead you'll have to click here to watch. Below you find "Modern Day Gangstas" in all of it's original glory and man, what a track it is. I think it would've sounded marvelous on "The Coming". TURN IT UP!!

BUSTA RHYMES / BIG / LABBA - "Modern Day Gangstaz"

DE LA SOUL / DILLA - "Smell The D.A.I.S.Y." vinyl EP

Barely two weeks ago De La Soul released their free mixtape "Smell The D.A.I.S.Y.", an eleven track set made up of Plug One to Three getting busy over nothing but J Dilla beats. Not only was it a fantastic idea on paper, but as it turned out it was actually one of the most exciting releases 2014 has yet had to offer. A vinyl release of this is an obvious purchase so you can imagine how happy the news of the EP actually seeing a liimited 12" release made me. 

Now as dope as that sounds, for some reason they have gone with the decision to release it as an instrumental version only. There are so many posthumous Jay Dee releases (both vocal and instrumentals) out there by now that I have a hard time seeing the logic. Especially considering that Dave's and Pos' performances on these beats were simply mindblowing. The reason for the decision is stated in the press release as follows: "We decided to release an all instrumental version of 'Smell The D.A.I.S.Y.' to give people the eperience of a J Dilla beat tape that we were so lucky to receive. These beat tapes were the spring board that generated creation and inspiration for us". Fair enough, but considering that similiar things have already been attempted I must say I think it's a dissapointing route considering how fantastic the vocal version are. Oh well, the wax is limited to 1000 copies so go to WeAreDeLaSoul.com for more information.

JAY DEE - "Give 'Em What They Want"

Between "Welcome 2 Detroit" and "Champion Sound", Jay Dee was hard at work on his second solo album under the working title "Pay Jay" for MCA Records. The LP was a bit different from previous Yancey projects as it showcased his talents as a microphone maste while the beats were supplied by some of Dilla's inspirations - KanYe West, Pete Rock, ?uestlove, Karriem Riggins, Supa Dave. Biml amd a bunch of oters. The MCA deal also included the signing and release of a ful-length by local unknowns Frank-N-Dank, "48 HRS", entirely produced by James Yancey. Unfortunately both projets were ultimately shelved, but not long ago the FND album was released on CD and 2xLP (along with the instrumentals) on Yancey Media Group That leaves Yancey's MCA solo the only release left that the late Detroit legend actually woked on and had full creative control over.

Back in 2011 a rough rip of the album was leaked as "Pay Jay" and featuring 10 songs and an alternative mix. The closing track on that bootleg was a joint called "The Diary" and listening to the lyrics and overall vibe of the track - it was quite easy to see that this was actually the intro to the album, so it comes as no suprise that "The Diary". Now finally Pay Jay Records, the label run by the Dilla estate, is releasing the full album in all its glory and as far as I am concerned this is by far the most interesting Jay Dee release since 2006:s "The Shining". Two 12" singles have been released previously visa Rappcats, ("Trucks" B/W " "; "Diamonds" B/W "Ice") and now a third and final EP is being made available before the actual alnum is unleashed,

"Give 'Em What They Want" is produced by Dilla himself, while the B-side "The Doe" features another vocal performance oof the same lyrics set over a completely different Supa Dave West track. Last but not least, the EP is rounded out with another Supa Dave West produced cut called "So Far", which I believe is the same as "No One Knows" on rhe original bootleg. The EP of courss also ncludes instrumenals to both the A and Bösude. The EP is released on May 5 and can be picked up from Rappcats.com.                                                                                                                                   .