Ten years after his untimely death, J Dilla still manages to make our heads nod thanks to an incalculable volume of unreleased tracks and beats. This year alone, we've seen the release of The Diary (a lost vocal album) and its companion The Diary Instrumentals along with the Jay Dee a.k.a. King Dilla beat tape. Not to mention his presence on Phife Dawg's final single, "Nutshell." Well, believe it or not, The King of Beats isn't done with 2016 just yet.
A few days ago, Jay Dee's Ma Dukes Collection was released with little fanfare. Not much is known about the compilation other than the folks behind its leak: Yancey Media Group LLC / Official Ma Dukes / VINTAGE VIBEZ MUSIC GROUP. Understandably, many are speculating that Ma Dukes herself (Dilla's mother, Maureen Yancey) played a major role in bringing the project to light. What we do know for sure, though, is that the 15-track set is a nonstop listening session of jazzy riffs, funky loops, boom bap beats and Dilla's signature production style.
Preview the full set below before heading to iTunes to make it a part of your music library. And if you're looking for a cool gift for the little hip hop heads in your life (or for yourself), consider The Life Story of James DeWitt Yancey, available as a paperback book or a deluxe set that includes an interactive component (courtesy of a cool audio cassette USB), which features narration by Maureen Yancey.
