Jay Dee is by far one of my all time favorite producers (probably top three), but his posthumous catalouge has been very uneven. I loved "Jay Stay Paid" which had some fantastic music on it, and DJ Pete Rock did a great job with it, i don't count "The Shining" really since it was very close to being completed when he passed away. On the other hand "Dillatroit" really felt like a cash in, "Lost Tapes + Reels" was even worse and that last Yancey Boys album was pretty forgettable. (On a side note, I strongly recommend the live album version of "Suite For Ma Dukes", as well as the other Mochilla "Timeless" live album by Mulatu Astkatke).
However, similiar to the recent "SP1200 Project" by Lord Finesse, this new box set called "The King Of Beats" seems pretty damn official. Overseen by Ma Dukes, the box set includes four 10" vinyl records each (i believe) featuring ten instrumentals that've been mastered, engineered and mixed to sound up to date. Also included are a cassette tape featuring five previously unreleased Jay Dee vocal tracks, a floppy 3" disc featuring one Dilla instrumental and last a huge booklet with interviews with friends of the producer as well as music scholars.
"This project came about by a lot of soul searching and meditation as to what can I do now that my son has so many bootleg projects out by unknown artists without my approval," Yancey tells Rolling Stone. "Now that I'm out of mourning and full of insight and feeling my son's energy radiate around me, I wanted to do something different but iconic; Something that people would preserve and relish for a lifetime that spoke quality."
This sounds really interesting, and the one track that has been released so far, "Filth", (from the 'Cassette Tape') was premiered by Rolling Stones and is real funky, classic early JD.
"One of those tracks, "Filth," is available to hear below. "First take. I just wrote this shit," says Dilla, foreshadowing the track's spontaneous chaos. As Dilla flips James Brown grunts and grimy drum patterns, you can hear the producer/MC working out his rhymes and stifling laughter at his own lyrics. It's a raw look into the creative process of the producer and for Yancey, showcases Dilla's playful side.
"'Filth' is definitely a track that Dilla had fun with and his lyrics would put smiles on his fan's faces," says Yancey. "To hear him have fun doing his craft so well when he was healthy and not under any pressure is golden."
https://soundcloud.com/youngrj313/jay-dee-aka-j-dilla-filth
