J.Period Presents "Dilla Soul" (EP Stream)

A Dilla Day exclusive! J.Period Presents… Dilla Soul [Remixes], a re-imagining of De La Soul classics over re-mastered J Dilla gems, featuring Native Tongue icons: De La Soul, J Dilla, Jungle Brothers, A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep, Common, MF DOOM and more!! Of course, the exclusive artwork is once again handled by the talented Dan Lish. Rest In Peace, J Dilla; a nice way to honor J Dilla on his Born Day. Also, Rest In Peace to Trugoy the Dove of De La Soul, Phife Dawg of A Tribe Called Quest, and MF DOOM. Enjoy Dilla Soul, the 7-track Remix EP from J.Period + hit the tags for more...

J Dilla "The Shining" (August 22, 2006)

In life J Dilla, aka Jay Dee, who died of cardiac arrest last February at 32, was a bit of a ghostly presence. His hip hop and neo-soul productions wafted in and out at odd angles -- like shadowy light in a film noir tableau. Occasionally, his bass lines straightened into a rugged bounce or rumble, and his tracks appeared in colorful relief, like a morning sunburst (Common's 2000 "The Light") or a neon glint (De La Soul's 1996 "Stakes Is High") or a glittery flash (Q-Tip's 1999 "Vivrant Thing"). But after those vivid, arresting moments, he'd return to his drifting soft-focus keyboards and gritty, wobbly beats. While some producers like to make it look easy, Dilla was often content with mystery. So The Shining, Dilla's final studio work, is an unexpected blessing. His scattered styles are woven together seamlessly. From the buoyant hip hop soul of "Love" (with a firm Pharoahe Monch presiding) to the mesmerizing swoon of "Baby" to the punchy swagger of "Body Movin'," Shining brims with clear-cut and fully resolved ideas. It's a stirring example of how an artist can successfully imprint all sides of his personality -- from brash to sentimental -- onto his music and create something lasting, true, and whole. - Spin (October, 2006). A promotional sticker from BBE added, "On August 22, 2006 J Dilla's The Shining will serve as a testament to the fact that legends never die. "One of the most important musicians of our time. When we think of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gate, J Dilla will be going down along that history line of greatness," said Common in XXL. "The Shining" features Common, D'Angelo, Pharoahe Monch, Busta Rhymes, Madlib, Guilty Simpson, Dwele, Karriem Riggins, J. Rocc and Black Thought. Below is the advance copy of The Shining with dialog samples from Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining" mixed into certain songs on the album. These samples aren't on the commercial release. Hear the promo below...

Rest In Peace, James Dewitt Yancey aka J Dilla...

Slum Village "Fantastic Vol.II" (June 13, 2000)

Imagine performing a big Los Angeles gig and realizing that so many people in the audience know your lyrics because they've bought bootlegs of your unreleased tracks. Such was the bittersweet epiphany for Detroit's Slum Village at a recent House of Blues gig. Rapper T3 recalls his mixed feelings. To know so many people appreciated his music was nice, but to know that record label struggles were keeping him from a wider audience and, of course, personal profit, was not. The buzz around the decade-old group first began in the mid-90s, when member Jay Dee passed Q-Tip a tape of his tracks backstage at a show. This led to work on A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes & Life, and brought together Q-Tip, Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Dee as The Ummah production team. Dee's resume filled out with De La Soul's "Stakes Is High," Busta Rhymes's "Woo-Hah" and several tracks by Common. "Jay Dee goes through phases," says T3. "He doesn't do one style. The Common joint is funk and soul. The Q-Tip joint is like techno. Different producers have one set style--with Jay Dee, you don't know." The thread that joins all of Dee's work, including his Slum Village production, is an appreciation of realistic, stripped drum patterns that may sound simple, but are complex in texture and process. The trio signed with A&M in '98 just before the subsidiary label was phased out during the Universal merger. In the meantime, the influence of Baatin and T3's unorthodox delivery--bouncy cadences that often stutter-step and defy traditional rhythms--was cropping up in the throats of their peers, including Tip and Common. How does it feel to hear your influence on seasoned artists when your debut hasn't been released? "We're all a big family," reasons T3. "It'd be different if he was someone we didn't know." And now that Slum Village's Fantastic Vol.II (Good Vibe-Atomic Pop-Barak/Virgin) is dropping, there's a chance for the group to be more than just a Motor City wheel in the underground machine. - CMJ New Music Monthly (July, 2000). Dig in!

Slum Village's Fantastic Vol.II is a project you can always come back to!

Dan Charnas "Dilla Time" (Book)

"Equal parts biography, musicology, and cultural history, Dilla Time chronicles the life and legacy of J Dilla, a musical genius who transformed the sound of popular music for the twenty-first century. He wasn’t known to mainstream audiences, even though he worked with renowned acts like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu and influenced the music of superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. He died at the age of thirty-two, and in his lifetime he never had a pop hit. Yet since his death, J Dilla has become a demigod: revered by jazz musicians and rap icons from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar; memorialized in symphonies and taught at universities. And at the core of this adulation is innovation: a new kind of musical time-feel that he created on a drum machine, but one that changed the way 'traditional' musicians play. In Dilla Time, Dan Charnas chronicles the life of James DeWitt Yancey, from his gifted childhood in Detroit, to his rise as a Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer, to the rare blood disease that caused his premature death; and follows the people who kept him and his ideas alive. He also rewinds the histories of American rhythms: from the birth of soul in Dilla’s own 'Motown,' to funk, techno, and disco. Here, music is a story of Black culture in America and of what happens when human and machine times are synthesized into something new. Dilla Time is a different kind of book about music, a visual experience with graphics that build those concepts step by step for fans and novices alike, teaching us to “see” and feel rhythm in a unique and enjoyable way. Dilla’s beats, startling some people with their seeming 'sloppiness,' were actually the work of a perfectionist almost spiritually devoted to his music. This is the story of the man and his machines, his family, friends, partners, and celebrity collaborators. Culled from more than 150 interviews about one of the most important and influential musical figures of the past hundred years, Dilla Time is a book as delightfully detail-oriented and unique as J Dilla’s music itself." - MCD. Pre-order Dilla Time now via Amazon. Much respect to Dan Charnas; Rest In Peace, James Yancey.

Sketchbook Radio "Dilla x DOOM" (Tribute Mix)

DJ's Kutmah and SertOne released this 2 hour mix from Sketchbook Radio... a Dilla and DOOM tribute show that features Dillavillainy (Doom x Dilla), alongside unreleased Rah Digga, Busta Rhymes, Slum Village, Madlib, Jaylib, Miguel Atwood Ferguson and lots more. To give proper credit, Kutmah handles hour one and Sertone holds it down on hour two. All in all, a very fine tribute mix for two of the late greats, who made invaluable contributions to music, and especially hip-hop culture. You can dig back to 2017 for this J Dilla Tribute that Kutmah also did on Sketchbook Radio. Enjoy the mix below...

Happy Born Day, J Dilla! (Playlist)

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, the hip-hop producer J Dilla became something of a mystic, an oracle of warm, enveloping hip-hop and soul. He was a producer of earthy hits by Common and the Pharcyde, among others, and an extended producing partner of A Tribe Called Quest. But what J Dilla (Dilla for short) was truly revered for was integrity and vibration — a Dilla beat floated in almost ineffable ways (NYT). Dilla was born on February 7, 1974; he released his opus, Donuts, in February and passed away in February, as well - so it's no surprise that February is widely considered Dilla Month. Over the course of many years, I've shared numerous mixes, tributes, Dilla projects and other pieces of content. This year and today, specifically, I thought it'd be best to share a playlist with several of my personal favorite Dilla joints. I know there's so much out there that this could never be complete, but I hope you catch a proper vibe nonetheless. Dig into the archives and when you hear producers today, know that his influence will forever be felt and his music lives on through the best of them. Rest In Peace, James Yancey. Enjoy the playlist and I HIGHLY recommend reading this informative post from Detroit's own Hex Murda about Dilla... HERE.

J​.​PERIOD Presents "The Live Mixtape" (Dilla Edition)

J.PERIOD is back with another edition of The Live Mixtape: this time he pays tribute to the late great J.Dilla. The mix was recorded live and features original remixes, edits and classic records from the Dilla catalog. You'll also hear features from Nas, Black Thought, Big Pun, Cuban Link, Q-Tip, Busta Rhymes, Mos Def, The Roots, Slum Village, Da Bush Babees, Common, Mobb Deep, J5, John Legend and more! You can stream the full mix below, or download the track-by-track version over at Bandcamp. Choose your poison, but be sure to dig into it below... Rest In Peace, James Yancey.

A Tribe Called Quest "Beats, Rhymes and Life" (July 30, 1996)

Gone on Beats, Rhymes and Life was their characteristic bottom-heavy, thick-bass, replaced by a newer, airy and soul-sample-based quality, rooted in tricks that would become Dilla's signature. This album's sample template was significantly smaller, with most songs having only one sample and a few having none at all. The album essentially showcased J Dilla's blooming talents. It took Dilla mere minutes to make some beats on the record, like the ominous and sparse "Get a Hold," the second song on the album, which features samples from William DeVaughn's "Be Thankful for What You Got" and The Cyrkle's "The Visit." According to (House)Shoes, it took him twelve minutes total -- most of the time was spent getting the drums. Once he got those, he chopped the sample and put the loop on top in three minutes. Where Tip was meticulous and microscopic in his pursuit of perfection, Dilla was immediate and haphazardly brilliant, and he provided the group with a sonic balance. - Go Ahead In The Rain (2019), an incredible book/love letter to A Tribe Called Quest. Click play, cont'd below...

Beats was reviewed in New York Magazine (9/2/96), saying, "Q-Tip and Phife give a pilgrims' progress. Beats, Rhymes, and Life is an odyssey of personal growth, a Bildungsroman with jazz samples. The record's no breakthrough for them, but it sustains some of the highest musical standards in hip-hop. Beats's triumph is that it charts an acknowledgement of hip-hop's limitations without sounding glum, scolding, or, worse yet, willfully mature. Pretty remarkable given that one of its subtle themes is a conversion to Islam. Part of this success comes from how seamlessly Tribe incorporates narratives into mesmerizing loops and percolating lyrics. Over a panoramic seventies-funk track, Q-Tip and Phife's workaday vignettes would sound faintly ridiculous. But the producer has refined a cozy, jazzy, gritty aural signature that makes them work, unfolding within a fun, sensual, even transporting record. But Beats's most lasting quality has more to do with soul and charm of its characters. In their vaudevillian trade-offs (finishing each other's lines, rhyming a girl's kiss-off in falsetto), Q-Tip and Phife remain funny and engaging enough to counsel just-say-no sentiments -- to drugs, violence, desperation, nihilism -- without sounding preachy, just seasoned. Even expressing the same dismay over current rap trends as De La Soul, Q-Tip rhymes are marvels of playful, rhythmic push-and-pull... His thoughtfulness sounds rugged, warm, and infectious. He may remind us, somewhat heretically, that his hip-hop is "only wordplay," but the pleasure in it says something else. I think of the Clash's Joe Strummer, of all people, who had his own punk quotable: 'Rock, hip-hop, whatever you call it ... the unspoken message is that it's fun to be alive. It's a hell of a lot better than being dead.' You don't always have to shout to send it." I still have mixed feelings about the album, but I do love "Stressed Out," "1nce Again" & "The Hop", unconditionally. Thoughts?

J.Rocc "Jaylib vs. J.Rocc" (Mixtape, 2003)

The year was 2003. J Dilla and Madlib had just wrapped up their album Champion Sound, recording as Jaylib, with Dilla then still in Detroit and Madlib doing all his work from his bomb shelter studio in Los Angeles. J Rocc - who would later become the third member of Jaylib, on the turntables for each of the shows the guys did together - put together this mixtape of Dilla, Madlib and Jaylib songs, as well as some of their sources, essentially telling the story of this group. We had some promo copies of this CD floating around for a while that year, then took the Jaylib section and pressed it on a 45, which was released as the bonus 45 with Champion Sound. Both the CD and 45 are long out of stock. The photos were taken by B+ of Madlib in his studio in L.A. and Dilla in his in Detroit, and also came up with the concept for this packaging: a cutout photo sleeve with a second sleeve inside, juxtaposing the photos of Madlib and Dilla. - Stones Throw. R.I.P., J Dilla... Listen below...

Benny The Butcher & J Dilla "Butcherin' Donuts" (Mixtape)

In 2020, one of the most exciting MCs of late is Benny The Butcher. One-third of the Griselda group, the Buffalo, New Yorker goes full speed ahead at being one of most prolific high-quality feature MCs in quite some time. Out of relative obscurity over years in the game, Benny is among the best in the business, now in his mid-thirties. Benny’s career was molded in the streets of Buffalo at the same time Dilla was lacing Common, Q-Tip, and working with his Stones Throw Records family. The Butcher never got a batch of donuts from the Detroit, Michigan producer. However, the Altered Crates crew continue their penchant for surgical mash-ups with Butcherin’ Donuts. The nine-track effort fuses Dilla beats with Benny raps, including guest shots from Black Thought, Westside Gunn, Styles P, Conway The Machine, and 38 Spesh. As always, Altered Crates looks far and wide for sources that fit together nicely. The 9 songs show the range in both artists. - AFH

DJ Matman "Jay Dee The MC" (Mixtape, 2016)

Jay Dee The MC is Dilla's greatest verses mixed by DJ Matman. Much has been said about J Dilla aka Jay Dee's incredible production skills, and as one of hip hop's G.O.A.T.s in that field, his talent as an MC has often been overlooked as a result. The innate sense of rhythm that is so evident in his music also shines brightly in his vocal performances, and while his lyrical content was often limited to a fairly narrow range of topics, his cutting delivery, flow and musical nuance made him a beast on the mic. This mix focuses on some (but far from all) of DJ Matman's favorite Jay Dee verses: both well-known and obscure, cut up and mixed in his usual style and featuring interview snippets from the "J Dilla: Still Shining" documentary. J Dilla passed away on this day in 2006. RIP. Matman's mix was originally released a few years ago, but dig into it below, and continue to celebrate Dilla Month.

J Dilla "Next" Feature in Vibe Magazine (June/July, 1996)

"I met Tip backstage at Lollapalooza in '94," says the humble Detroit native. "I had a group that John Salley was managing -- so I gave Tip a tape, and the same day he called back. He was, like, 'Yo, who did these beats?' After that, shit just took off." Q-Tip hooked Jay Dee up with the Pharcyde, and Jay ended up producing the hit singles "Runnin'" and "Drop" for Labcabincalifornia. Then he created some of the best moments on Busta Rhymes's recent The Coming. With a strong ear for vibrant jazz melodies, Jay Dee's work slips snugly into the low-end-y creative slot vacated in the wake of Tribe's 1993 Midnight Marauders. Fittingly, Jay Dee, Q-Tip, and Ali Shaheed Muhammad recently formed a production alliance called the Ummah (Arabic for "brotherhood"), and they share track duties on Tribe's forthcoming Beats, Rhymes and Life. "We had a brotherhood from when we picked up," Jay Dee explains in an easy midwestern drawl. He has reached quite an esteemed place -- especially for a self-described nerd who once aspired to be an Air Force pilot. Today, Jay Dee is charting the trajectory of his rising career. Plans include securing a deal for his Motor City crew, Slum Village (for which he produces and rhymes) as well as imminent collaborations with De La Soul, Junior M.A.F.I.A.'s Lil Kim, Common, and Pete Rock. But while getting such props can make living up to your rep difficult, Jay Dee doesn't think so. "I'm steppin' back and lookin' at everything," he says evenly. "I'm tryin' to stay on some new shit. 'Cause people fall off every day." He pauses, "And I ain't the one." - Next, Vibe Magazine (June/July, 1996). Always loved Jay Dee's energy. R.I.P. J Dilla.

Abstract Orchestra & Slum Village "Fantastic 2020" (Album Stream)

Live jazzy orchestral interpretations of the Jay Dee aka J Dilla produced Slum Village classic Fantastic Vol 2! The contributions of the late Detroit producer James DeWitt Yancey - better known to the world as J Dilla - to the world of hip-hop can't be overstated, and nowhere is his legacy more apparent than his work as a member of Slum Village. A founding member of the trio, (alongside rappers T3 and Baatin) Dilla provided the group's distinctly esoteric, free-wheeling sound, built around winding basslines, quirky drumbeats, subtle low-end frequencies, and classic jazz and soul samples. Against the backdrop of Dilla's rich production, T3 and Baatin's free-flowing style of rhyming would also earn wide critical praise, leading to comparisons as the successors to A Tribe Called Quest. All these elements would come together in a truly prodigious fashion in the early 00s, when Dilla and Slum Village would release their second studio album Fan-Tas-Tic Volume 2. The group had already made critically acclaimed waves with Volume 1, but few could have predicted at the time of its release that Dilla's production, which combined portions of alternative, gangsta, and soul hip-hop, meshed with T3 and Baatin's deft lyrical flows, would become such a far-reaching influence. Enter the Abstract Orchestra. Helmed by composer and saxophonist Rob Mitchell, this 18-piece ensemble has become renowned for their distinct sound, which reinterprets some of the most famous hip-hop productions of all time (right on down to the sample material) into a unique blend of big band jazz and live hip-hop. They previously have released orchestral versions of revered hip-hop record Madvillian and a tribute to Dilla to critical acclaim as well. Abstract Orchestra are proud to pay tribute to this highly innovative hip-hop classic. The big band applies their own jazzy spin to Dilla's classic productions, with occasional assistance from the surviving members of Slum Village themselves. The end result is Fantastic 2020, a hybrid blend of smooth, funky brass rhythms with boom-bap sensibilities that is just the kind of tribute that an often unsung, but highly influential group like Slum Village deserves, and is a more than welcome addition to any Dilla completist's library.

J Dilla "Ruff Draft" (Reckless Driving Citation, 2007)

Originally released in 2003, J. Dilla’s Ruff Draft was a limited edition vinyl release for UK based imprint, Mummy Records. Selling out almost overnight, this lost chapter in the Yancey legacy was unheard by most of his fans - not only because of its limited edition nature, but also because of its vinyl only status. Now, in honor of the 1-year anniversary of his death, Stones Throw gives Ruff Draft an official release, with all new bells and whistles. Ruff Draft was a turning point in the production of J. Dilla, as it was the first project to show a side of the producer that would eventually come to fruition on Donuts. His Beat Generation entry, Welcome To Detroit, offered a mere glimpse of his true dirty district style, but Ruff Draft went full speed ahead with it. “Sound like it’s straight from the mu’fuckin’ cassette” hollers Dilla at the beginning of the album. Just like Donuts, upon first listen, it’s hard to understand what the fuss is about, as Dilla’s style here is so grimy that one can barely grab a hold of it. It’s on the consecutive listens that the hypnotic backwards daze of “Nothing Like This” sinks into your consciousness... Dilla’s production is so dope, that even the “Intro” and “Shouts” - which would be typically skipped by listeners - keep the head-nodding all night long. The addition of a second instrumental disc in Stones Throw’s new treatment of Ruff Draft makes this package even more appealing. Much of the time is spent more on the vocal side of things, as Dilla “keeps it ghetto with the plastic cups”, flexing his skills as both vocalist and producer... Several references are made to A Tribe Called Quest all over the record which is fitting, since they helped introduce Dilla into the game on the Beats Rhymes and Life LP. Or perhaps this is Dilla’s answer to The Low End Theory, another record that defied expectation and changed the way hip-hop music was made. Either way, whether you are hearing this record for the first time after his death, or are revisiting it, Ruff Draft is another fine example of what a marvel J. Dilla was, not to mention what a tremendous loss that hip-hop faced with his death. - HipHopSite 

Stones Throw ran a bunch of L.A. parking ticket lookalikes and ticketed people outside Ruff Draft listening parties in Spring 2007. They were a citation for "Reckless Driving" and boasted a Warning: "Bumping this in your ride may subject motor vehicle to seizure." I believe they were later included in the Turn It Up box sets with other promotional items. You can check it out below. R.I.P. J Dilla.

DJ Agile "Toronto Loves Jay" (Mixtape, 2009)

In 2009, Agile released the mixtape Toronto Love Jay, which was dedicated to the late producer J Dilla. It won the award for Mixtape of the Year at the 2009 Stylus DJ Awards. The tracks included in the mix are by, or inspired by, James Yancey aka Jay Dee aka J Dilla. "DJ Agile blends some of his lesser-known joints and tracks he obviously influenced with a curiously refreshing short attention span and vocal drops from Toronto musicians describing the influence of J. Dilla on their music." Rest In Peace, Dilla. Tracks featuring Q-Tip, Skyzoo, Slum Village, DJ Spinna, Phonte of Little Brother, Dwele, Black Spade, Daru Jones, Black Milk, and lots more. Do yourself a favor and dig in below...

Jaguar Skills "College Donuts" (Mini-Mix)

Jaguar Skills brings us this short tribute mix to Kanye West and J Dilla entitled College Donuts. The 12-minute mix features Kanye West's vocals over various Dilla instrumentals and other beats from the late great, James Yancey. If you've been around the music scene, the name Jaguar Skills should already be familiar to you, but with countless mixes and genre-bending influences, he's definitely a DJ I respect and check for, so dig into another of his creative mixes and enjoy the sounds below...

J Dilla 'Production Credit' Interview in XXL

I love this quote: "I say it all the time -- that I want a classic, so it's like a dream ... Hopefully the sound that I'm trying to get out there surfaces instead of being under the radar. 'Cause people thought I was out the game, but I haven't even reached my peak yet. So, I'm definitely back at it." His sentiments equally inspire and sadden me. That drive and hunger ... to be heard, to impact a culture; for success and for listeners to hear what you hear in your own head; that's an inspiring message. It saddens me because what we know today is that he passed away probably never feeling like he reached his peak and a lot of people didn't give him his flowers while he could smell them. It took a man's life, literally, to inspire a culture but then outsiders tried to turn his legacy into a t-shirt. It irks me that we neither appreciate the geniuses and the forward-thinkers of our culture in their time, nor do we know how to properly honor their legacies. Rest In Peace, J Dilla. 

J Dilla "Ruff Draft: Dilla's Mix" (Album Stream)

J Dilla's own mixes – recently rediscovered – of his seminal EP, presented in the original issued and alternate sequence. Contains a 2nd instrumental disc. Extensive liner notes and unpublished photos. When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop – technically and creatively. This version of the album takes Dilla’s recently discovered mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project. “Straight from the mothafuckin’ cassette,” as he phrased the sound he was going for on the EP’s intro. The CD issue is buttressed by unreleased tracks and includes the music from the EP as it was originally released, the alternate version that Dilla had for the project and complete instrumentals. Author Ronnie Reese expands upon his original liner notes to further tell Dilla’s story, in a booklet complete with never before published photographs from the Ruff Draft photo session. Ruff Draft, like The Diary, sees release on the Pay Jay, the official imprint of the Estate of James Yancey, founded on behalf of “Ma Dukes”, “Illa J”, Monica and Ty-monae Whitlow, Joylette Hunter and Ja’mya Yancey.

J. Dilla x Michael Jackson "Share My Bed" (Mixed by J.Rocc)

J.Rocc continues to represent and pay tribute to J. Dilla (R.I.P.) with this latest mash-up mix of Dilla instrumentals and Michael Jackson vocals. According to J.Rocc, "J Dilla once said he was gong to make an album of him singing. The cover was a picture of him like Michael Jackson on Thriller. The title of the LP was going to be Share My Bed." This was a project that J.Rocc started many years back, as I do remember another track released around 2009 via Stones Throw, but he never quite finished it, so he's finally offering these completed tracks. Rest In Peace, James Yancey aka J Dilla, and thanks to the Funky President for this dope mix! (Updated: the album is now a subscriber exclusive).

DJ Soul "Assorted Donuts" (Tribute To J Dilla Mix, 2007)

DJ Soul teamed up with ?uestlove’s website Okayplayer in 2007 to drop a tribute mix to the late great J Dilla aka Jay Dee. Originally DJ Soul was remixing tracks off of Donuts but when Kweli gave him his freestyle over an unreleased Dilla track and mysteriously received a Notorious B.I.G. remix that Dilla had personally done, it turned into a bigger project. The rest is history. Enjoy a tribute to a legend, and celebrate the life of James Yancey - R.I.P., J Dilla. Listen to Assorted Donuts below...