J Dilla’s Mother, Pete Rock To Release Posthumous Dilla Album

Author: Salima Koroma

Before renowned Hip Hop producer J Dilla passed away in 2006 due to complications from the Lupus, he had already recorded a number of unreleased tracks, including music he produced during his stay in the hospital. More than three years after his death, Dilla's mother Maureen Yancey, who is better known as “Ma Dukes,” along with Dilla's idol and respected Hip Hop producer Pete Rock are planning to release a posthumous project of Dilla’s unreleased beats and samples, called Jay Stay Paid [J$P], late this spring.

Executive produced by Ma Dukes, J$P will feature music pulled off of Dilla's old floppy disks and DATs, as well as later tracks laid down during Dilla’s time spent in the hospital. Ms. Yancey assures that the project was not rushed, nor was it done haphazardly.

“This album combines what he did in the beginning of his career, [and] what he did in some of our early hospital stays, which was very deep,” she explains. “This is like the missing links to Dilla's legacy.”

The format of the album plays like a radio show with Pete Rock acting as a radio DJ. While largely instrumental, J$P also features guest vocals from artists Black Thought of The Roots, MF DOOM, and M.O.P. All are artists that Dilla worked with or admired.

“Dude was amazing,” said Pete Rock, who shared that he and Dilla held a mutual respect and high level of regard for one another. “He just kinda came out of nowhere and the more you heard his beats the better they got. He may not be with us, but it’s all good we’re going to keep his music alive and well.”

Jay Stay Paid will be released on June 2 via Nature Sounds.
hiphopdx.com