10 Essential J Dilla Tributes
Last month, Questlove among others, performed at a Red Bull Music Academy-hosted Boiler Room in NYC and tipped his hat to Dilla. Questo’s entire hour-long, J Dilla-influenced set is available for your listening pleasure courtesy of Red Bull Music Academy!
Extended member of the Okayplayer family and Brooklyn resident DJ Soul had his Assorted Donuts mixtape nominated for The 2007 Vibe Magazine x VH-1 Mixtape Of The Year Award. To date the mix has received over 100,000 downloads making it one of the most successful online mixtapes ever.
DOWNLOAD DJ Soul – Assorted Donuts
Tracklist:
01. Intro
02. Talib Kweli “Freestyle”
03. Notorious BIG “Kick In The Door” (J Dilla Remix)
04. Nas “Hope” (DIlla Blend)
05. Ghostface “Whip Me With A Strap”
06. Jay-Z & The Escorts “Song Cry” (DIlla Blend)
07. Smokey Robinson & The Miracles “A Legend In It’s Own Time”
08. Jadakiss “Why” (Dilla Blend)
09. Redman “The Saga Continues” (Dilla Blend)
10. Big L “Put It On” (Dilla Blend)
11. M.O.P. “Pounds Up” (Dilla Blend)
12. Black Thought & Peedi Crack “Freestyle”
13. Black Thought Interlude
14. Kanye West Interlude
15. Busta Rhymes, Rah Digga & Young Zee “Freestyle”
16. Mos Def “Miss Fat Booty” (Dilla Blend)
17. Ghostface “Beauty Jackson”
18. Notorious B.I.G. “Things Done Changed” (Dilla Blend)
19. The Roots “Can’t Stop This”
20. J Dilla “Won’t Do”
French DJ Just Dizle compiled and mixed probably the most extensive collection of Dilla Tracks. Stream & download for all three mixes below:
DOWNLOAD Just Dizle – Best of Dilla Pt.1
DOWNLOAD Just Dizle – Best of Dilla Pt.2
DOWNLOAD Just Dizle – Best of Dilla Pt.3
Shigeto‘s Beats 4 Dilla was curated and inspired by J Dilla’s constant integration of countless genres and relentless output. All unfinished tracks. Raw. Uncut. Mostly with his friends – made in 1 hour or less.
DJ J-Finesse put together a well rounded mix of songs & remixes inspired by J Dilla. Well worth listening to a new take on some of Dilla’s greatest hits... Here’s what J-Finesse had to say about the mix:
With February 7th being the born day of the late-great J-Dilla, I wanted to produce something to show my gratitude, love and admiration for a man who has really changed my life. Although, I encountered his music for such a short time, its lasting impact has really helped develop me musically, professional and personally.
What you are about to hear is my tribute to whom I call “The Greatest of All Time”, G.O.A.T. for short. I hope that you pull from it whatever Dilla vibes you can as I made this project with him as the sole inspiration. I really miss this man’s music and he is greatly forever going to be missed.
Long live James “J Dilla” Yancey!!!!
The Lessondary – Loud Minority is a project by Che Grand, Spec Boogie, Euclid, DonWill and Vonpea (Tanya Morgan) that never saw the light of day.
i was diggin thru my old files and came across this joint. this project is so rare that I dont even have the final version. the one ive got up for download in the link below is missing the song w/ spec and noni, i just got the instrumental as a placeholder. (…) basically we wanted to remake an entire album and decided to do this one in particular because there are no bad beats at all on it, i mean the shit is perfect as is, we just kidna wanted to give our take on it. so you are probably wondering why we abandoned it? after we put ALL the work in the WORLD into making it?
They ended up abandoning the project, because only weeks after finishing it, Dilla passed and they didnt want to look like they were trying to capitalize on his untimely death. So even though it’s not technically a tribute, it’s an amazing piece of music, that reimagines Dilla’s Welcome to Detroit album.
Download The Lessondary – Loud Minority
A dedication to the late J Dilla, mixed by J Rocc on February 13, 2006. This was released briefly as a mixtape, and as the first episode of Stones Throw’s podcast series in 2006. J Rocc planned this as a three part series. It became four, mixed and released over the course of three years.
DOWNLOAD Thank You Jay Dee Act 1
Tracklist:
1. Macy Gray – ‘I Try (Remix)’
2. Pharcyde – ‘She Said (Remix)’
3. De La Soul – ‘Peer Pressure (Remix)’
4. Cam & Cam – ‘Love Junkee (Remix)’
5. J Dilla – ‘Crushin’
6. Busta Rhymes – ‘It Ain’t Safe No More’
7. Busta Rhymes – ‘Enjoy The Ride’
8. Slum Village Interlude
9. D’Angelo – ‘Me & Those Dreamin’ Eyes Of Mine (Remix)’
10. Modd – ‘Secrets Of The Sand (Remix)’
11. Q-Tip – ‘Do It, See It, Be It’
12. Common – ‘Nag Champa’
13. Toshi Kubota – ‘Nothing But Your Love (Remix)’
14. Busta Rhymes – ‘Turn Me Up Some’
15. J Dilla – ‘Let’s Take A Ride’
16. Slum Village – ‘Untitled’
17. Janet Jackson – ‘Got Til Its Gone’
18. Lucy Pearl – ‘Without You (Remix)’
19. Slum Village – ‘Players’
20. J Dilla – ‘Reckless Driving’
21. De La Soul – ‘Stakes Is High’
22. Pharcyde – ‘Runnin’
23. Slum Village – ‘Fall In Love’
24. Slum Village – ‘We Be Dem’
25. Common – ‘Dooinit’
26. A Tribe Called Quest – ‘Find A Way’
27. Phife Dawg – ‘Bend Ova’
28. QD – ‘Supa Shit’
29. Jaylib – ‘The Red (O.G. Version)’
30. Dilla Outro
Sixteen podcasts later, J.Rocc delivered Thank You Jay Dee, Act 2. Up to this day, one of the essential Dilla tribute that need to be in your crates!
A dedication to the late J Dilla, mixed by J Rocc. This was the second of a four-part series, released over the course of three years, originally posted via the Stones Throw Podcast.
DOWNLOAD Thank You Jay Dee Act 2
Tracklist:
1. J. Rocc – Intro
2. Jaylib – ‘Official’
3. Go Diggin’ In The Autumn
4. Slum Village – ‘Fall
5. Slum Village – ‘Fall (Remix)’
6. Pharcyde – ‘Runnin’
7. Tribe
8. De La Soul – ‘Stakes Is High (Remix)’
9. Common – ‘Dooinit’
10. Frank-N-Dank – ‘Pause’
11. Dabrye – ‘Game Over’
12. Jaylib – ‘LA To D’
13. Dilla Beats
14. Busta
15. U And Ur Smile
16. Dilla Beats
17. A.G. – ‘Hip Hop Quotable’
18. Medaphoar (aka MED) – ‘Push’
19. Oh No – ‘Move 2′
20. Four Tet – ‘Serious (Remix)’
21. Bro Jack – ‘Oblighetto (Remix)’
22. Think Twice
23. Rico Suave Bossa Nova
24. Dilla Beat
25. Common – ‘Funky 4 U’
26. De La Soul – ‘Verbal Clap’
27. Stepson Of The Clapper
28. Fuck The Police
29. Slum Village – ‘Get Dis Money (Remix)’
30. Slum Village – ‘Get Dis Money’
31. Tribe Called Quest – ‘Find A Way’
32. Tribe Called Quest – ‘Get A Hold’
33. Slum Village – ‘Raise It Up’ instrumental
34. Busta Rhymes – ‘Genesis’
35. Busta Rhymes – ‘Woo Hah (Remix)’
36. Busta Rhymes – ‘Enjoy Da Ride’
37. Busta Rhymes – ‘So Hardcore’
38. Busta Rhymes – ‘You Can’t Hold The Torch’
39. Jaylib – ‘Turn It Up’
40. E=MC2 instrumental
41. Common – ‘Heat’
42. Dilla Beat
43. Ma Dukes
44. Dilla Beat
45. Jaylib – ‘No $ No Toke’
46. Outro
This was the third of a four-part series, mixed by J Rocc, released yearly from 2006-2009. This one was originally posted as episode 29 of the Stones Throw Podcast. Thank You Jay Dee Act 4 (released a year later) is meant to play continuously with Act 3, and was originally released as Stones Throw Podcast 43. Cover images for both by Jeff Jank.
DOWNLOAD Thank You Jay Dee Act 3
DOWNLOAD Thank You Jay Dee Act 4
Tracklist:
Sample for Welcome 2 Detroit Intro 0:00
“Welcome 2 Detroit Intro” 0:48
“The Other Side Instrumental” 0:51
Beat 2:35
Beat 3:48
Beat ? 5:19
“Gobstopper” 3:20
“No $ No Toke” Original/No EFX mix. 6:06
“The Oxtopuss” 7:23
Beat 8:58
“The Message 10:30
“Show Me What You Got” 12:06
“The Rhyme Slum Village Remix 13:50
“Thought U Wuz Nice Instrumental” 15:30
“Stakes Is High” 18:04
“Stakes Is High Remix f/Mos Def & Truth Enola 18:22
“His Name Is Mutty Ranks Instrumental” 19:10
“Payback Is A Grandmother Instrumental” 19:45
“It’s Goin’ Down” 20:14
“Somethin’ That Means Somethin’” 20:40
“Start It Up Instrumental” 21:00
“Word Play Instrumental” 21:12
“Find a Way Instrumental” 21:20
“1nce Again Instrumental” 21:24
“Keeping It Moving” 21:30
“That Shit” 21:49
“Conant Gardens” 22:18
“I Don’t Know” 23:03
“Beej N Dem” 23:39
“2U4U” Original Version 24:22
BLEND “2U4U” Instrumental w/ “Climax” 25:22
“Fantastic” interludes mix 26:14
“Hold Tight” OG & RMX 28:13
Beat 29:33
“Pillz” 30:11
“Reckless Driving” 30:30
Beat 31:12
Jaylib Interlude 31:22
“Make Em NV” 32:08
“Let’s Grow Instrumental” 34:19
Beat 35:50
“Signs” Full Version 36:44
Our favourite tribute is still House Shoes‘ The King James Version Vol. One – a lovingly and expertly constructed journey through the dusty vinyl grooves that Dilla sampled. From the basis of a Frank-N-Dank cult favorite, through that of a Fantastic SV moment, to Donuts’ irresistible ingredients, Shoes’ thorough work shines the light on his friend’s ear for a sneaky loop, his affection for perfectly imperfect chops and his knack for extracting the soul from a forgotten musical fragment and making it something altogether new, something his own.
DOWNLOAD House Shoes – The King James Version Vol. One
“Shoes!!! Need that mayne! Where can i buy it?” – Questlove (The Roots)
“A MUTHAFUCKIN MASTERPIECE!!!!” – Waajeed
“House Shoes just showed us how much of a genius Dilla was even more with this cd and how crazy Dilla’s record collection was… I’m just now finding some of these samples…He was light years ahead of us…” – Black Milk
“The King James Version is a must for all you hardcore Dilla fans or for Sample Heads. Shoes is the only person besides J.Rocc who can put something together like this…..listening to this will make your head crack! Don’t sleep!” – DJ Rhettmatic (Beat Junkies)
