Ruff Draft
When he was known as Jay Dee in the late 1990s and early 2000s, James D. Yancey was busy crafting loping, laid-back, soulful beats for progressive hip-hoppers such as A Tribe Called Quest, Common, De La Soul, and the Pharcyde--and becoming a highly prized rap and neo-soul producer. In 2002 and 2003, following a stint with his Detroit high-school buddies in Slum Village and a stillborn solo career with MCA, Yancey entered a major transitional phase. He began referring to himself as J Dilla, moved to southern California, embraced the indie scene, and started to take a more experimental approach to his productions. The decidedly lo-fiRuff Draftsignaled the beginning of this new period (even though it was the last album released under the Jay Dee name). Layering creepy and bizarre effects atop his hypnotic grooves, Dilla expanded the sonic parameters of his craft, texturing the music with eerie synthesizer bleeps, distorted samples, and lurching rhythms. Dilla tossed off this quick project for his own listening pleasure, but the obscure, forward-looking EP--released on 12" vinyl by German label Groove Attack in February of 2003--became something of a collector's item. The 2007 Stones Throw reissue adds a few bonus tracks and a second all-instrumental CD to this pivotal work by the late hip-hop innovator.--Marc Greilsamer