Name: Ruff Draft: Dilla’s Mix
Brand: J Dilla

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

PJ017LP

Colour

Black

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2024-07-05

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Cargo

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

706091001710

Total Cap

9999

Black LPx2

PJ017CLP

Clear

Clear Splatter

Extended format: Yes

2024-02-23

706091205491

Clear LP

Artist

J Dilla

Genre GB

Hip Hop

Label GB

Pay Jay

James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla or Jay Dee, was an American hip hop DJ and producer. He emerged from the underground hip-hop scene in Detroit during the mid-1990s. Throughout his career, he collaborated with artists such as Common, A Tribe Called Quest, and Madlib. He was a member of the group Slum Village and the production team trio The Ummah. J Dilla's work had a major influence on his peers and played a defining role in the rise of neo-soul music. Despite battling health issues, he continued to create music until his untimely death at the age of 32.

J Dilla started his career under the name Jay Dee but later adopted the name J Dilla. In 2002, he formed the group Jaylib with Madlib and released their album "Champion Sound" in 2003. After relocating to Los Angeles due to health reasons, they toured together as Jaylib in 2004.

J Dilla suffered from TTP, a rare blood disease, and Lupus which affected his immune system. Despite his declining health, he remained highly regarded within his core audience. His last album released during his lifetime was "Donuts" on February 7th, 2006 - coinciding with his 32nd birthday - before passing away three days later from cardiac arrest.

When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop - technically and creatively. “At the top of his game,” says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavour on his own label, entirely on his own terms. The significance of such an autonomous success often gets overlooked, and partly accounts for why Ruff Draft is one of the lesser-referenced entries in Dilla’s oeuvre. “It’s a mysterious little project,” says his mother, Maureen Yancey. “But out of his entire career, that was the happiest time.”

Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his MC-ing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry. The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006’s Donuts.

The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dilla's involvement. This version of the album takes Dilla's 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.

Ruff Draft: Dilla’s Mix

Music GB