It's incredible how much material Dilla had produced on his all-to- brief stay on this planet. There have already been a couple full albums of beats put together since his untimely passing in 2006 (The Shining, Ruff Draft), but this one is special in that it was lovingly put together by his mother "Ma Dukes" Yancey and arranged and mixed by one of Dilla's main influences - Pete Rock. The love definitely shines through on here as Jay Stay Paid collects the best DAT scraps and beat sketches from his entire career. From the early 90's boom bap loops of his Ummah era, to the looser, more raw beat tape style of Donuts - unreleased tracks flow together in a loose radio show style mix complete with DJ shout outs and drops from Dilla himself. A no-brainer for Dilla fans, but here's some highlights anyway - "King," "I Told Ya'll," "Lazer Gunne Funke," "Expensive Whip," "Glammous Sho75," "Big City." Though mostly instrumental, the album does have a few guest verses dropped by Black Thought on "Reality TV," DOOM on "Fire Wood Drumstix" and Havoc & Raekwon on "24K Rap." 28 tracks total, plus bonus 7" featuring two instrumental cuts. Recommended.

• music label: Nature Sound 2009 / 2013

reviewed by snackmaster 09/2009