Thank You Jay Dee Act 3 tracklist (mixed by J. Rocc)

In appreciation of the birth of James Yancey, celebrated this 7th of February now and forever after, there have been many world celebrations on what would have been his 39th birthday.  A handful of interesting new developments have taken place with regards to the Dilla estate, Ma Dukes attempts to conserve that estate (including Yancey' record collection and rare test pressings finally retrieved from a storage locker) through selling individual records from the collection (lacking historical  value) on Ebay with a certificate of authenticity from Maureen Yancey herself.

Likewise label Stones Throw has released a 4 track EP Lost Scrolls Vol. 1 which contains Dilla rapping on Dewitt To It.  While Donuts represents the heights of Dilla's instrumental efforts since his passing the most thoughtful representation of his ouevre has been from long-time collaborator J. Rocc and his Thank You Jay Dee Act 1-4 mixes released as Stones Throw podcasts.  J. Rocc is well known for his established place in turntablism (Beat Junkies), for being the third live touring member of JayLib (Jay Dee and Madlib's collaboration Champion of Sound) and a spirited contemporary in the world of abstract contemporary hip hop.  Originally conceived as a three act suite Rocc ultimately produced a 4th which serves as a denouement for the late career of the icon.

There seems to be some international confusion about the actual tracklist for Act 3 at the moment.  It is as follows:

Thank You Jay Dee Act 3 tracklist

"Les Mogol - Sunset In Golden Horn" (original 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 Mix (All four "Fantastic" interludes from Slum Village's "Fantastic Vol. 1" plus the intro from FV2) (26:14)
"Hold Tight" (OG & RMX) (28:13)
"Orignal beat tape version of Jaylib's "D 2 LA" (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)

        
Thank You Jay Dee Act 2 tracklist

Thank You Jay Dee Act 1 tracklist
 

Jay Dee - Thought U Wuz Nice (instrumental)

The instrumental to Phife Dawg's Thought U Wuz Nice is hallmark '99 Jay Dee production.  Likely months if not weeks after crafting this silky guitar line and parsed drum beats into some sort of signature sound he was of course well beyond it. 

Thought U Wuz Nice appeared as the B-Side to (Pharcyde member) Phife Dawg's to Bend Ova the lead single from his debut album Ventilation: Da LP. Its B-side contained the instrumental, along with Thought U Wuz Nice, which is not featured on the LP. Both tracks were produced by Jay Dee.

Thank You Jay Dee, Act 2 (tracklist, mixed J. Rocc)

 

 

Thank You, Jay Dee Act 2

00:00 J.Rocc Intro
01:02 Jaylib - The Official
04:04 sample mix
04:41 Slum Village - Fall In Love
07:16 Slum Village - Fall In Love (Remix)
08:48 The Pharcyde - Runnin'
10:50 A Tribe Called Quest - 1nce Again
12:13 De La Soul ft. Truth Enola and Mos Def - Stakes Is High (Remix)
16:13 Common - Dooinit
17:45 Frank N Dank - Pause
19:55 Dabrye ft. J Dilla and Phat Kat - Game Over
23:28 Jaylib - LA To Detroit (Instrumental)
24:20 Dilla Beat
25:36 Dilla Beat
26:20 J Dilla - Busta
27:04 J Dilla - U And Ur Smile
27:47 Dilla Beat
28:45 Dilla Beat
29:33 Dilla Beat
30:41 A.G. ft. Aloe Blacc - Hip Hop Quotable
32:00 MED - Push
33:04 Oh No ft. J Dilla and Roc C - Move Pt. 2
38:10 Four Tet ft. J Dilla and Guilty Simpson - As Serious As Your Life (Jay Dee Remix)
43:15 Brother Jack McDuff - Oblighetto (J Dilla Remix)
46:35 J Dilla ft. Dwele - Think Twice
48:13 J Dilla - Rico Suave Bossa Nova
49:30 Dilla Beat
50:42 Common - Funky For You
54:29 De La Soul - Verbal Clap
56:11 J Dilla - Stepson Of The Clapper
57:16 J Dilla - Fuck The Police
60:08 Slum Village - Get Dis Money (Remix)
61:28 Slum Village - Get Dis Money
62:12 A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
62:36 A Tribe Called Quest - Get A Hold
62:56 Slum Village - Raise It Up (Instrumental)
63:28 Busta Rhymes - Genesis
64:31 Busta Rhymes - Woo-Hah!! (Got You All In Check) (Jay Dee Bounce Remix)
65:05 Busta Rhymes - Enjoy Da Ride
65:21 Busta Rhymes - So Hardcore
66:00 Busta Rhymes ft. Q-Tip - You Can't Hold The Torch
67:17 Jaylib ft. Yesterdays New Quintet - Turn It Up
67:50 Common - E=MC2 (Instrumental)
68:24 Common ft. J Dilla - Heat
70:57 Dilla Beat
71:31 J Dilla ft. Frank N Dank - Ma Dukes
73:40 Dilla Beat
74:18 Jaylib - Blaze Up (better known as No $ No Toke)
75:10 Dilla Beat Outro

Thank You Jay Dee, Act 1 (tracklist, mixed by J.Rocc)

Thank You Jay Dee, Act 1 (soundcloud)

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

 

J Dilla Untitled/ Fantastic (Original and two Instrumentals)

Here's three decidedly different takes on a song called Untitled (Fantastic) which first appears on Slum Village's second album Fantastic Volume II.  The production is attributed to Jay Dee (born James Yancey) later J Dilla. The sweeping string sample that carries along the original is augmented and arranged by Miguel Atwood-Ferguson in a piece with a 60 piece orchestra entitled Timeless: Suite for Ma Duke- named after Yancey's mom Ma Dukes herself. In the third context Will Sessions, a soul funk hip hop group, interpolates the same theme with largely rock instrumentation at 5:10 into Take One from their recent Mix Takes LP.

                   

                 

    

Will Sessions Mix Takes (Take Two)

Will Sessions Mix Takes LP - Take Two (partial tracklist)

Rico Suave Bossa Nova - Jay Dee (on Welcome 2 Detroit) 2:11
Pressure - Black Milk (on Broken Wax EP) 3:19
Danger - Black Milk (on Broken Wax EP) 4:13
Take Notice- J Dilla featuring Guilty Simpson (on Ruff Draft) 5:14
Goatit - Black Milk featuring Phat Kat and Elzhi (on Caltroit) 7:23


Again can't pick out the opening couple of minutes but at 2:11 Shellaberger lopes into the familiar bassline of Jay Dee's Rico Suave Bossa Nova again off Welcome 2 Detroit.  Kacir on the MPC or more likely Beaubien on the keyboard chimes in the 'whistling' melody.  This is just the sort of silky groove with a live feel that's perfect for re-interpretation with an actual live feel.  Then at 3:19 they slip into the earlier work of Black Milk digging around fairly deeply in the crates to find Pressure off the Broken Wax EP of 2006. Then again at 4:13 Ryan Gimpert on guitar is coaxing Danger from the Broken Wax EP, that track originally being done with Phat Kat and T3.   At 5:14 it's enough of the pupil's work and the teacher wrests back the mantle.  Take Notice featuring Guilty Simpson is a staple from Dilla's Ruff Draft.  It's both an emblematic piece of Dilla's production but also a classic example of the unique nature of their collaborations together.  A Dilla beat for Guilty, or a Dilla beat that Guilty rapped over, well it's no longer just a Dilla beat.

Bringing the whole train back round to their frequent collaborator Black Milk, again showing their breadth of knowledge and dexterity even with a mix of live instrumentation and sequenced samples, Will Sessions launches (at 7:23) into what seems in hindsight an obvious bet: Goatit (off the Caltroit mixtape put together by Bishop Lamont and Black Milk) originally with Phat Kat and Elzhi.

Will Sessions are beasts. And men among men.

J Dilla/ Jay Dee Mythology

A popular clothing company has hatched together some thoughtful interviews from a handful of operators that worked with or became aware of the growing body of work of Jay Dee's later J Dilla.  The mythology surrounding the man born James Yancey is so substantial post-mortem it's helpful to get a relative chronological run through of his career and the level of regional and international awareness around him in respective creative periods.  This particular documentary scans over his emergence as a producer of beat tapes and then member of Slum Village with the release of their album Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1).

Where it particularly succeeds is in the thoughtful if at times ponderous (with for instance Stones Throw label founder Peanut Butter Wolf) reflections on how players first encountered Jay Dee's material and how the mythology grew rightly around him.  But that mythology didn't spring fully formed and armoured like Athena from the mind of Zeus- it built gradually and then with his death precipitously.  In the oral culture of hip hop fandom various accounts of Dilla's career are told and the nuances lean towards the story teller's vantage.  The 'truth' seems to be that in reality Dilla's frisson of greatness was vaguely and fairly narrowly felt by other hip hop producers and performers in his earliest incarnation as a producer. This particular documentary focuses, and sheds broad light,  in its second part on the nature of his (late-life of a young man) creative partnership with Madlib which would result in their mutual landmark Champion of Sound.  Likewise it places well his transit on the well travelled musical highway from Detroit to Los Angeles and his reception in the underground scene there. 

This particular doc, perhaps owing to the sponsor and also reasons of artisitic license, leaves aside for others the height of his mid-90's popularity as a producer qua producer for artists including: Pharcyde, Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Janet Jackson and De La Soul.  There is scant if any mention of his solo album Welcome 2 Detroit, and Ruff Draft is equally skated past.  Nor is his so-called championing or definitive 'neo-soul revival' sound, and perhaps fairly so as these are critical terms that suit writers rather than listeners after the fact.  For these considered oversights the weary tale lands heavily in it's third part on Yancey's dogged work, even while in the hospital wrapped in his failing mortal coil where he withered from complications of lupus and a blood disorder thrombocystosis, and completion of Donuts (which Peanut Butter Wolf attributed to a stream of beat tapes with junk food titles like Pizzaman).  Thoughtful commentary from DJ Houseshoes, Frank Nitty and in particular Donuts engineer Dave Cooley illuminates the central pillars of his mythology being genius, prodigious output, emotional depth and technical audacity.  In the truest sense of cyphers and illuminati implication is cast clearly that Yancey new Donuts would be his gravemarker in the century of sound.  Etched into its surfaces references both lyrical and in the original source material to Death's shuffling stride.   The sound a ride cymbal makes well after it's been struck.