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Avg: 4.5 (67 ratings)
- Date Released: March 20, 2007
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Style: Hip-Hop
- Label: Stones Throw
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We Say...
Stones Throw continues its J Dilla memorial project by releasing this, a previously little-known vinyl-only album that Dilla put out in 2003 on his own label. On it, you can begin to hear the blossoming of the sound that would make up both Champion Sound (his collaboration with Jaylib) and 2006’s Donuts: a ruffer, more grab-bag approach to production. Before, Dilla had catered to rappers that flowed over his work (including hip-hop luminaries such as A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul); Ruff Draft is Dilla finally making something for himself. As such, we get a variety of treasures, including (but not limited to) subaquatic hair metal (“Nothing Like This”), Dr. Who keyboards (“Interlude”) and incidental music for ‘70s cop shows (“Take Notice”).
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They Say...
While Dilla awaited the fate of a solo album set to be released by MCA -- which, due to corporate upheaval, wound up being thrown into indefinite unreleased limbo -- he knocked out Ruff Draft, a ten-track EP released in 2003 on he and Frank-N-Dank's short-lived Mummy label. Distributed only in Germany, the 12" was aimed at Dilla's "real niggas only." Unsurprisingly, physical copies reached the hands of his keenest followers and few others. It wasn't necessarily scarce; it was pretty much unknown, a low-key import release from a stealth producer. Over three years since its initial issue, and a little over a year since Dilla's passing, Stones Throw steps in with an expanded reissue, adding four tracks to the original sequence with a second disc containing the instrumentals. When compared to Welcome 2 Detroit, it's measurably more scattered, with stray ideas adding up to a less than cohesive whole that nonetheless engages entirely. Here, he makes moves further away from his past in the Ummah and, apart from a couple brief interludes and sampled interjections, it's all his show, with his vocals on each cut -- including "Nothing Like This," where he sings with an effective flatness. If you've never cared for Dilla as an MC, it's unlikely that you will be won over by these rhymes, since they entail his usual circuit of smacking down haters, getting money, and getting laid. Those who come for the productions and nothing else have plenty to lap up. Even the relatively straightforward beats ("Reckless Driving," "Make'em NV") take a few listens to fully appreciate, with subtle layers hovering and swirling in the background. The two key, previously unreleased tracks are "Wild" and "Take Notice." On the former, drums and handclaps stumble over one another as Dilla is accompanied by an ambitious, young English kid doing a spirited cover of Slade's "Cum on Feel the Noize." On the latter, the slow-motion sci-fi theme from the original release's "Interlude" is extended and bolstered by a hot assist from Guilty Simpson. Nothing is likely to duke it out with Dilla's most known tracks, but the release is necessary for anyone with the slightest degree of interest.
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You Say...
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| 01. |
Intro |
0:17 |  |
|
| 02. |  |
Let's Take It Back |
2:10 | |
| 03. | |
Reckless Driving |
2:41 | |
| 04. | |
Nothing Like This |
2:33 | |
| 05. | |
The $ |
2:43 | |
| 06. | |
Interlude |
0:49 | |
| 07. | |
Make'em NV |
2:25 | |
| 08. |
Interlude |
0:45 | |
|
| 09. | |
Crushin' (Yeeeeaah!) |
3:43 | |
| 10. | |
Shouts |
0:51 | |
| 11. | |
Intro (Alt) |
0:48 | |
| 12. | |
Wild |
2:19 | |
| 13. | |
Take Notice |
4:25 | |
| 14. | |
Shouts (Alt) |
1:47 | |
Find a problem with a track? Please let us know.
14 Total Tracks, 28:16 Total Length
We will send an email to with the tracking ID for this issue.
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| 01. | |
Let's Take It Back - Inst. |
2:06 | |
| 02. | |
Reckless Drving - Inst. |
2:41 | |
| 03. | |
Nothing Like This - Inst. |
2:33 | |
| 04. | |
The $ - Inst. |
2:45 | |
| 05. | |
Make'em NV - Inst. |
2:24 | |
| 06. | |
Crushin' - Inst. |
3:41 | |
| 07. | |
Intro - Inst. (Alt) |
0:46 | |
| 08. | |
Wild - Inst. |
2:21 | |
| 09. | |
Take Notice - Inst. |
4:26 | |
| 10. | |
Shouts - Inst. (Alt) |
1:47 | |
Find a problem with a track? Please let us know.
10 Total Tracks, 25:30 Total Length
We will send an email to with the tracking ID for this issue.
Before reporting defective tracks, please note that you can re-download all of your tracks without losing credits. Please try to re-download your tracks in case a temporary issue caused your problem. If, after re-downloading your tracks, you are still experiencing issues, report them below.
Note: This form is for reporting defective tracks only.
For all other issues (billing, trouble downloading, etc),
contact Customer Support.
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Credits
- Peanut Butter Wolf - Executive Producer // Dave Cooley - Mastering // Dave Cooley - Mixing // Jeff Jank - Creative Director // Egon - Reissue Coordination // Kelly Hibbert - Mastering // Kelly Hibbert - Mixing // Dank - Vocals // Ronnie Reese - Liner Notes
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