[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]

[DJ Mix] J. ROCC x J DILLA - "DiLLAtronic Mix"

Whenever J. Rocc are in charge of a DJ mix you know it's going to be potent as hell and his "Thank You Jay Dee" series still holds up as perhaps the best tribute mixes to the late, great producer that has yet been produced. Just like he did with Pete Rock's instrumental 2015 banger "PeteStrumentals II" the legendary Beat Junkie has cooked down the excellent instrumental posthumous Dilla compilation "Dillatronic" that was released last fall into a seamless 30 minutes mix of his favorite moments from the original 40 tracks selection. While I did thoroughly enjoy the official compilation some of the beats were definitely drawn out for quite a bit too long so this is a good alternative experience of that same music which Dilla mostly recorded between early 2001 and late 2003 (covering unreleased beats from the period that brought us gems like "48 HRS", "Champion Sound", "Ruff Draft" and his work on projects like Slum Village's "Trinity" and Talib Kweli's "Quality"). Matter of fact given the short running time of both I would imagine playing J. Rocc's sets of this and the Pete Rock one back to back should be a great way to spend an hour of the best instrumental hip-hop avalable at the moment. TURN IT UP!!

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]

[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"

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"

[New 52] MIDAZ THE BEAST - "King"

For the thirteenth installment of MidaZ The Beast's stupid fresh New 52 series, MidaZ uses the opportunity to bang it out to one of those Dilla gems we all love. The track is from an old Jay Dee beat tape but was officially released on the Pete Rock helmed "Jay Stay Paid". Sounding good!

[Mixtape] DE LA SOUL - "Smell The D.A.I.S.Y."

Hell yeah, this is something I've been wanting to hear for years! Considering that pretty much every Jay Dee track the Soul ever jumped on could be called classics in my book it's not suprising to see that Pos, Dave and Mase turned to their DILLA batch for their latest release "Smell The D.A.I.S.Y. (Da Inner Sound of Yancey)". Featuring a blend of old Jay Dee favorites and previously unreleased beats, De La sounds as inspired as ever while the 30 minutes of music just flies right by. 2014 is looking to be the year of The Plug's as this is only the first of three planned releases - "The Soul On The Rocks" EP will see the trio team up with DJ Premier and Pete Rock for while their first official retail album is set to drop later this year. TURN IT UP!!

DE LA SOUL - "SMELL THE D.A.I.S.Y."

SLUM VILLAGE - "Yes Yes"

Slum Village brings out an unreleased Jay Dee beat for their new single "Yes Yes", accompanied by a video directed by Ryan Lightbourn. The group (which now consists of T3, Young RJ, and Illa J) is planning two releases this year - the appetizer EP "Vintage" which will be followed this summer by the official full-length "YES". Production on the latter will be handled by Young RJ, Dilla and Black Milk with guest vocals coming from peeps like Jon Connor, De La Soul, Phife and Bilal. "Yes Yes" is out now @ iTunes.

DE LA SOUL x DILLA - "Vocabularily Spills"

The De La crew is going HARD this year, on March 26 next week they are releasning "Smell The Daisy (Da Inner Soul of Yancey)". A brand new mixtape with nothing but new De La verses over Dilla beats (judging from the two singles at least I despite the huge Jay Dee fanatic I am have never before heard). I always loved De La over Dilla and has been thinking about a compilation for the longest, but the fact is that there's only 9-10 tracks found on their various retail releases. So this is a real blessing, and if that wasn't enough, this will be followed up by an EP exclusively produced by DJ Premier and Pete Rock which will then make way for the Soul's seventh official album "You're Welcome". It's a DAISY age all over!

DE LA SOUL - "Dilla Plugged In"

This was released a couple of days ago, but i wanted our album compilation "The UpRising" stay on top for at least two and a half days. But this one's real interesting, and you know that De La Soul is one of my favorites - the way they have managed to move with the times without ever selling out is just unbelivable and since this year marks the 25:th anniversary of their classic debut there's a lot of De La coming your way. Out of several releases and mixtapes to be soon released are a mixtape with De La going in over mostly unreleased Dilla beats which really got me hyped - I love listening to all of the De La/Dilla collaborations from the past as a little mini album because these guys had such mad chemistry. The mixtape is called "Smell The D.A.I.S.Y." and will be entirely made up of the trio of De La going in over Jay Dee bangers, and now you can hear the first single which is called "Dilla Plugged In" and sounds real good. The second mixtape they got coming is one produced exclusively by Pete Rock and DJ Premier (!) and is called "Premium Soul On The Rocks". Once these two have been released we will finally get the first official De La album in 10 years - enitled "You're Welcome". Can't wait!

Damu The Fudgemunk - "Spirit Of Ummah"

Yesterday I posted Damu's "Coffe Run", which will land as side B of an exclusive 45 given away as a bonus item with the release of The Fudgemunk's new LP "Spare Overtime Re-Inspired". Tonight I got the A-side of that 7" for y'all, a smooth remix of the instrumental "Randi" - recorded in late 2011 in the spirit of Jay Dee's, Q-Tip's and Ali Shaheed's mid-'90s sound. "Spirit Of Ummah" courtesy of 2DBZ, thanks!

YANCEY BOYS Talk "Sunset Blvd", Dilla, etc.

Back in October Frank Nitty and Illa J rounded up a batch of previously unreleased Dilla grooves and released "Sunset Blvd." on Delicious Vinyl. The Yancey Boys had a close, personal relationship with the late legendary super producer, something they speak freely about amongst other things (including, of course, their new LP) during this 90 minutes sit down with Out Da Box Radio. A must listen for fans of the Yancey legacy! For the record you can stream the complete album @ DJBooth, and pick up the CD or LP from UGHH.

[DJ Mix] HOUSE SHOES - "King James Version" (Tribute to Dilla)

I missed the original release of DJ House Shoe's much praised DJ mix "The King James Version" the first go around when it was released in '06 or '07, so this is some fantastic news right here for all you Dilla / House Shoes / Detroit hip-hop heads. For those of you not in the know on this one following James Yancey tragic passing, one of his closest friends and one of the first people to believe in the great producer/emcee's talents, DJ House Shoes wanted to a tribute mix to his fallen comrade. However, at the time of Dilla's passing, "best of-" and "rare- and unreleased" mixtapes were being released from left to right, so Shoes went to go in another, much more interesting direction if you're like me and own a large chunk of everything Dilla ever produced on either wax or CD. 

Being close to the family Shoes had access to Jay Dee's record collection, so for "The King James" version he created a 75 minutes mix of the samples the legendary producer used to create many of his classics as well as some of the more obscure joints - and from Dilla's own record collection nontheless, meaning the original source for this is the ACTUAL records that were used in creating albums like "Donus", "Champion Sound", "Welcome 2 Detroit", "Fantastic", etc, as well as records for Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip ...  When this first dropped it was a very limited CD only, now House Shoes and joined forces the always trustworthy quality label Redefinition Records (click to order), and on 2xLP nontheless - but hurry up and buy, cuz it's a limited release. If you're little light in your pockets at the moment, Redef even threw up the full thing on their Soundcloud page, not only for streaming but also as a free download, so be sure to check it out... A must hear for any Dilla connioisseur, and will definitely give you even more appreciation of how this genus worked! TURN IT UP!!!

[Album] YANCEY BOYS - "Sunset Blvd"

A lot of dope releases coming out today, and one of the most exciting to me is the new Yancey Boys project "Sunset Blvd.". Entirely composed of Frank Nitty and Illa J rhyming over previously unreleased Jay Dee beats, this is definitely a nice addition to this years selection of dope music from the 'D'. Now DJBooth has put up the entire project for free streaming so all you have to do is press play and get your head nodding. I just started listening, but I've been digging the previous singles so this should be an ill listen - especially with guest features from the likes of Common, Posdnous, Guilty Simpson, Talib Kweli, Dank, T3 and SlimKid3. "Sunset Blvd." is now available from iTunes, while Delicious Vinyl will start shipping the CD and LP editions this November 5. TURN IT UP!!

01. "Dilltro" (Ft. Dank)

02. "Fisherman" (Ft. Vibe, J Rocc & Detroit Serious)

03. "Lovin' U" (Ft. Eric Roberson)

04. "Go And Ask The DJ" (Ft. Guilty Simpson & J Rocc)

05. "Jeep Volume" (Ft. T3 & C-Minus)

06. "Flowers" (Ft. Talib Kweli, Niko Gray & DJ Rhettmatic)

07. "Honk Ya Horn" (Ft. J Pinder)

08. "Slippin'" (Ft. Early Mac)

09. "Without Wings"

10. "Beautiful" (Ft. Posdnous & Bonita Applebum)

11. "Quicksand" (Ft. Common & Dezi Page)

12. "Rock My World" (Ft. SlimKid3 & Niko Gray)

13. "The Throwaway"

14. "This Evening"

YANCEY BOYS - "SUNSET BLVD"

Yancey Boys - "Jeep Volume" (Ft. T3)

As we're getting closer to the first album from the new incarnation of Yancey Boys, which features Frank Nitty and Illa J rhyming over vintage Jay Dee productions courtesy of Delicious Vinyl, we are treated to the fourth single from the project. So far everything has been sounding great, and the new "Jeep Volume" is no exception, even featuring a guest verse from T3 as well as C-Minus.

[Tracklist] YANCEY BOYS - "Sunset Blvd."

As I'm sure you haven't missed out on, The Yancey Boys are back in town and preparing their second album release on Delicious Vinyl for this year. The first album that was released a few years back featured Dilla's little bro Illa J rhyming over unreleased Jay Dee beats from the '95-'97 era, and to be honest I was never a huge fan of that project. However, the second album, which is called "Sunset Blvd.", is a little different as it's not a solo project by Illa J but rather a collaborative effort between Frank Nitty and Illa; again rocking over previously unheard beats from the Dilla vaults. Judging by the three singles that have been released so far this album, production, lyrics, guests, mixing sounds like a worthy addition to Jay Dee's posthumous catalouge. And the large amount of talented guests that the tracklist below reveals is not exactly hurting things either... If you have missed any of the singles, just click on the titles containing links below, and get ready for the October 29 release on Delicious Vinyl (and I'm glad to announce that the album will be available on both wax and compact disc; with the latter also include a bonus disc of all the instrumentals). Pre-order it in your format of choice @ UGHH!

01. "Dilltro" (Ft. Dank)
02. "Fisherman" (Ft. Vice, J. Rocc & Detroit Serious)
03. "Lovin’ U" (Ft. Eric Roberson)
04. "Go And Ask The DJ" (Ft. Guilty Simpson & J. Rocc)
05. "Jeep Volume" (Ft. T3 & C-Minus)
06. "Flowers" (Ft. Talib Kweli, Niko Gray & Rhettmatic)
07. "Honk Ya Horn" (Ft. J. Pinder)
08. "Slippin’" (Ft. Early Mac)
09. "Without Wings"
10. "Beautiful" (Ft. Posdnuos & Botni Applebum)
11. "Quicksand" (Ft. Common & Dezi Page)
12. "Rock My World" (Ft. SlimKid3 & Niko Gray)
13. "The Throwaway"
14. "This Evening"

[Throwback] FRANK-N-DANK - "All Seasons" [OG Mix]

As you might very well have figured, Jay Dee A.k:A. J Dilla, is one of them producers I just can't get enough. My collection carries every Yancey released album, and some 12":s , including both albums that he produced at least 85% percent on, as well as albums that the man produced at least a 1/3 of. Add to that an extensive digital library, and I love putting together compilations of the man's material. Frank-N-Dank's "48 HRS", recored in late 2002, entirely produced by Jay Dee, The album was semi-officially bootlegged in 2003, mastered and all, but no retail album was ever released... Until 2013 that is, when Delicious Vinyl finally released "48 Hours"  on wax, CD and digital.

As is well known, the album went through several transformations before it went ultimately shelved by MCA Records along with Dilla's "Pay Jay" LP. The original version focused heavily on samples, vintage Jay Dee style, and when this version wasn't to MCA's liking, the trio rerecorded the entire project, utilizing a heavily digitized sound, with little to no samples, keyboards and synths, and live drums alterating with heavy drum programming. Needless to say, both versions got shelved indefinitely, and when the 2013 vinyl reiusse came along it was the non - sample version that was presented.

Hopefully, one day the originally sample based recordigs will be fully mastered and released, especially since the concept of using unforgettable samples previously utilized in hip-hop classics but with a twist. Original samples included Mtume's "Juicy Fruit" (BIG's "Juicy"), Labi Siffre's "I Got the Blues" (Jay-Z's "Street is Watching +´Eminem's "My Name is)" and more. If you missed out on it before, make sure to check out one of my personal Lost Tapes compilation ("48 HRS" (c7 Revisit"). On there I premiered the original version of "All Seasons". taken from a House Shoes podcast. This is also the track that samples Labi Siffre´s song which you will mostly recognize from Jigga's Ski produce classic "Streets is Watching". So if you have yet to have heard that compilation I put together, this is a real treat, and I have lost time on how many times I have listened to it.

FRANK-N-DANK - "ALL SEASOS" [OG]

BUSTA RHYMES + JAY DEE - "Genesis: Outtakes"

If you missed the incredible Busta Rhymes / J Dilla compilation here at The Lost Tapes a couple of years back ("Turn It Up!!"), you missed out on the premier of the still unreleased Jay Dee produced Busta joint "Keep It Poppin'". A true classic Busta/Dilla collaboration filled with JD's impeccable drum programmig, an addictive and agressive electric guitar sample, and a pounding bass line that is another great proof of how fantastic Dilla and Busta sounded through their 20 some collaborations.

"Keep It Poppin'" has never, ever been released beside a rare House Shoes digital radio show, playing the full track. It's a track from 2001, and is one of half of the tracks that Busta Rhymes originally recorded for Busta's very dope "Genesis" album. In an interview prior to the release of the album, Dilla said that he were gonna have eight songs on the album, but once when the retail LP hit stores, only two Jay Dee tracks were left - and two fantastic contributions at that with the laid back title track and the crash your whip banger "What Up"!  While four of those eight songs are still under wraps (I think, one or two might be available at "Dillagence" but that's kind of hard to corraborate), with this rip of "Keep It Poppin'" and the "Dillagence" track "How We Roll" (where Busta shouts out the year 2001, as well as reusing a beat that Jay Dee released on one of the "Vintage" series under the title "Busta"). 

Both of these tracks, together with the two joints that made the album, would easily benefit from replacing two of the lesser tracks found on "Genesis" which I find overbloated at times. And if the other four Dilla productions were in the same vein, and they had kept i this could very  well mean this would be one of the best Busta albums in a long time (and I'm a fan of "Genesis" at that). So if you haven't heard this year, get preapred for some real heat and a long lost collaboration by two of the greatest as far as chemistry goes ever since they first started working around '98 on Tribe's last album.

BUSTA RHYMES - "KEEP IT POPPIN'" (2001)

BUSTA RHYMES - "HOW WE ROLL" (2001)

[comp] PROOF + DILLA as "FUNKY COWBOYS"

Big Proof... Dilla Dawg... Two musical giants straight out of Motown that sadly never really released anything official. Despite that, they  did record a lot of material, and as you may now even recorded a demo in the early '90s under the name Funky Cowboys. So, this compilation goes out to the memories of MC Proof and Jay Dee, it don't get much better than this fellas... Funkier than a pair of cowboy boots steeped in shit - TURN IT UP!

Note - This is merely an effort to collect every collaboration every available song featuring Proof and Jay Dee together, including demo recordings and tracks with Proof's group 5-Ela which also features Mudd and Thyme. Many of the tracks are straight cassette rips and have been floating around the net for a while so don't expect too much from the quality, although it's definitely enjoyable. Thanks to all the original uploaders!

 

01. "Vibe Session (Part One)"

02. "Sun Flower" (w. 5-Ela)

03. "Searching"

04. "Ain't No Love" (w. 5-Ela)

05. "Lois Lane"

06. "Rockshows" (w. 5-Ela)

07. "Party Groove" (w. 5-Ela)

08. "E.G.O." (w. 5-Ela)

09. "The Fizzo" (w. T3)

10. "Keep It On The Low"

11. "Feedback" (w. 5-Ela)

12. "Whutwchuwant" (w. 5-Ela)

13. "Janet Jacme" (w. 5-Ela)

14. "Da Science"

15. "You Ain't Fresh"

16. "Life"

*Bonus Tracks*

17. "Scenario 2004" (w. 5-Ela, Slum Village & Frank-N-Dank)

18. "Bring it 2 Me" 

JD/PROOF - "FUNKY BOOTS" [Mirror #1]

JD/PROOF - "FUNKY BOOTS" [Mirror #2]

JAY DEE - "Diamonds (The Shining Pt. 1)"

I've written it before, but an official release of Jay Dee's long lost vocal album for MCA circa 2002 has long been high on my wish list. 2013 it's finally time for that as was previously reported with the release of the first 12", "The Anthem" / "Trucks", two tracks that were previously both found on the unauthorized leak around 2010 including ten songs recorded for the project (the focused listener noticed that "The Anthem" was in reality a different version of the Kanye West produced "We F'd Up"). While there's still no official release date for the full album, it's evident that we are getting closer to finally getting the final album fully produced, arranged and sequenced by Dilla that we will ever get to hear, as the second single from the project is now ready for release. 

Titled "Diamonds & Ice" this forthcoming EP features two Dilla vocal cuts in two alternate mixes each, including instrumentals and a bonus beat. Check the facts; long before "The Shining", Dilla gave the subtitle The Shining Pt. 1 and Pt. 2 to two tracks from "The Diary" (a.k.a. "Pay Jay"); the Nottz produced "Diamonds", and the Madlib produced "Ice" as both cuts saw the Detroit maestro reflect on the expensive, shinier things in life. "Diamonds" was included on the aforementioned leak, while "Ice" was released as a bonus track on certain issues of Jaylib's "Champion Sound" and as a promo 12". What's really funny is that I've been tacking on just "Ice" as the outro to the "Pay Jay" leak for my iPod tracklist for at least a year since I felt it really fit the vibe of the LP, as well as the incomplete leak missing a Madlib production. Additionally, the EP also features a bonus beat called "The D", another Madlib beat that Jay Dee secured for the MCA record yet never recorded vocals over. All music on this Pay Jay record comes straight from the mixed and completed masters created by Dilla himself. Pre-order "Diamonds & Ice" @ Rappcats, and turn the volume up LOUD on the mastered version of "Diamonds (The Shining Pt. 1)" below... So chunky!