Nyligen firades och uppmärksammades den legendariska producenten James Yancey, mer känd som Jay Dee eller J Dilla. Efter hans död 2006 har ett antal postuma projekt släpps, senast i oktober månad med skivan “Dillatronic”.

Under eftermiddagen avslöjade Nas i Zane Lowe’s Beats 1-radioprogram att hans Mass Appeal Records senare i år kommer släppa det tidigare osläppta J-Dilla albumet med titeln “The Diary”. Skivan var avsedd att släppas redan 2002 via skivbolaget MCA men såg aldrig dagens ljus. Skivan gästas av Snoop Dogg, Madlib​, Bilal, Pete Rock, Hi-Tek, Nottz, Karriem Riggins med flera. Nas delade även med sig av nya låten “The Introduction” (lyssna nedan).

I en intervju med Rolling Stone förklarar Stones Throw-ägaren Eothen “Egon” Alapatt bakgrunden till att skivan slutligen kommer att släppas. Albumet “The Diary” fastnade hos skivbolaget i en period när majorbolagen droppade artister i parti och minut. Egon beskriver:

“He was in a really difficult place when he was dropped from MCA. Largely because he had taken such a risk in assembling and producing this record the way that he had. He did the entire record on his own, almost exclusively in Detroit, at studios of his choosing, with no involvement from anybody, with the exception of, what I can tell, Wendy Goldstein, who signed him. … It was probably pretty heartbreaking for him to see this record shelved and it was completely out of his control. He was dropped. When majors drop artists, they largely do so unceremoniously and there’s usually a lot of blood on the floor. But with Dilla it became really obvious that it had to been at least a bit of a trauma to him, because his reaction to it was, of course, the Ruff Draft record, Jaylib and ultimately a move to California, where he attempted to recalibrate his career. And actually, many would argue he did with the release of Donuts.”

“The Diary” är även färdigställd under insyn av Maureen “Madukes” Yancey, hans broder John “Illa J” Yancey  och döttrarna  Ja’Mya Yancey and Ty-monae Whitlow.

Skivan släpps 15:e april via PayJay Records/Mass Appeal Records.

 

Låtlista:

1. The Introduction
2. The Anthem feat. Frank & Dank
3. Fight Club feat. Nottz & Boogie
4. The Shining Pt. 1 (Diamonds) feat. Kenny Wray
5. The Shining Pt. 2 (Ice)
6. Trucks
7. Gangsta Boogie feat. Snoop Dogg & Kokane
8. Drive Me Wild
9. Give Them What They Want
10. The Creep (The O)
11. The Ex feat. Bilal
12. So Far
13. Fuck The Police
14. The Diary

Nas har även tidigare släppt en låt där han gick in över Dillas “Gobstoppers”-instrumental:

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