Spotted@ RappersIKnow.com

From J-Dilla.com

j-dilla.com January 24, 2010

The family of late music producer James “J Dilla” Yancey is extremely pleased to announce the appointment of West Coast probate attorney Alex Borden as administrator of Yancey’s estate, and also to announce the establishment of the official J Dilla Foundation. The developments mark a new chapter in preserving and enhancing the legacy of the legendary artist and secure a means of future prosperity for his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, daughters Ja’Mya Yancey and Ty-Monae Whitlow, and brother, John “Illa J” Yancey.

“I’m so excited because it’s like one big organization,” says Maureen Yancey, who has worked tirelessly to ensure that the well-being of her family remains a priority for all involved and her son’s accomplishments are held in a positive and productive light. “We’ve got cutting-edge people all over the country waiting to work and be a part of it. Everybody’s on one accord it seems like the universe is working with us.”

READ MORE HERE

Well Happy Birthday Dilla Dawg! You know we have some things planned for the man here at Nodfactor but we’re going to start it off with an assist from the folks at Stonesthrow Records.

The audio you’re going to hear was recorded at the Henry Fonda Theater, April 4, 2004, on the first night of the Madvillain/Jaylib tour for Madvillainy. Madlib & J. Rocc had performed Jaylib songs live, but this was the first show with J. Dilla, who had just moved to Los Angeles and joined the tour without being announced on the flyers. Another unannounced guest late into the set was Common. The voices you hear are B+ & Melo-D, who recorded this set. For photos and to download the audio go to the Stonesthrow website.

[See post to listen to audio]

When Jay Dee passed away from complications relating to lupus in February 2006, he left behind an extraordinary legacy of production work, including hits for Common, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes. One mother lode of previously untouched beats dates from his time working on the Pharcyde’s sophomore LP, Labcabincalifornia (Delicious Vinyl, 1995). As Delicious Vinyl owner and founder Michael “Mike Floss” Ross explains: “From ’95 through ’98 Jay Dee was my go-to guy for hot beats and remixes. He was always making beats, always. So there was a select amount of tracks that he composed for me during that time, only they never got used. When I finally met Illa J last year, I gave him a CD containing those unreleased beats.”

It was a case of pure serendipity, since 21 year old Illa J had just relocated to Los Angeles and constructed a studio built around Jay Dee’s own recording equipment, dubbing it Yancey Boys Studios in tribute to their fraternal bond. “Dilla was twelve years older than me,” Illa J says. “So back in the day in Detroit I was just a little kid, sitting on the stairs in our house, watching him make those first beats for Slum Village. So I always felt my brother’s tracks and had an instinct for what I wanted to do over them.

When Illa J set to work in early ’08 on recording the album, the project flowed quickly as he entered the proverbial can’t-miss zone. As Illa J says: “One of the things I learned from my brother is that you don’t get that much time, so make the most of it. That’s why I’ve decided to dedicate my life to doing what I love: music. To work with Mike Floss and Delicious Vinyl, the label that released those hits my brother made with The Pharcyde ["Runnin'" and "Drop"] is really special.”

As Michael Ross says: “Illa J can write, sing, play and rap. Not just a little bit of each – he’s really the complete package! And anyone who loves Jay Dee’s music is going to flip out when they hear what his younger brother’s been laying down. For over a decade these beats have been waiting in the vault for this moment. It’s like Jay Dee made these tracks with an extrasensory purpose, so that Illa J could make this album. There is no question that this is exactly what they were meant for. These beats belong to Illa J, they’re his birthright, and I really believe Jay Dee would be proud of what his brother is doing.”

In an effort to bring some order to the handling of his work, his estate has hired one of his former managers, Jonathan Dworkin. Dworkin recently sent a letter out to friends, fans and associates of Dilla in an attempt to clear up misconceptions about the Billboard advertisement. This is a copy of the letter unedited. The contents do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Nodfactor.com and is presented for information purposes only.

To the friends and fans of the late J Dilla:

Before I get into this, I just want to say that I am speaking only on my own behalf, not on behalf of the executor or attorney for J Dilla’s estate.

There has been a lot of chatter about the ad taken out by J Dilla’s estate in Billboard a couple of weeks ago- quite a bit of speculation about what the motivation was. I just wanted to say simply- this is about one thing, protecting J Dilla’s legacy for his children. I was brought on as manager for the remaining assets of the estate a couple of months ago (I had managed Dilla for several years while he was alive) and I was shocked, sickened even, to see what’s gone on over the last couple of years.

Now, there are a number of people who have somehow been involved with Dilla’s legacy that had the best of intentions. In fact, I’ve found that most people I’ve spoken to have had nothing but good intentions. They did a deal, released an album, put out some merch in partnership with somebody who claimed to represent the estate. Most of these people only wanted to know that Dilla’s family was benefiting from doing these kinds of things. The message to these people is- reach out to the representatives of the estate, if we can find a way to work things out amicably, we will do everything we can to do so. Ask anyone that has talked to us so far if we have been unreasonable, shady, or wrongly intentioned. As the ad said, the only person who can authorize anything on Dilla’s behalf is Arty Erk, executor for the estate. (Because of a very unfortunate typo, Arty’s email address was incorrectly listed in the ad, it should be DillaEstate@wecnyc.com). IF YOU HAVE A PIECE OF PAPER AND IT’S NOT SIGNED BY DILLA OR ARTY, YOU ARE NOT TALKING TO THE RIGHT PEOPLE.

Then, there is a whole other class of people, who, if you are among them, you know who you are:
These are people that put out records with Dilla’s name and POCKETED THE MONEY.
These are people who threw events in cities all over the world claiming to benefit Dilla’s estate and POCKETED THE MONEY.
These are people who put Dilla’s name or likeness on a t-shirt and never thought once about his family.
These are people who continue to keep material that Dilla gave them in their basement waiting for their chance to exploit it and make a buck.

Then there is the gray area. People who couldn’t resist. People who couldn’t resist putting Dilla’s unreleased beat tapes on every music blog they could because they wanted to share the music with the world. I get it- but really, do you think that’s right?

I’ll say this simply. I’m sure all of this speculation will continue. So, I want to be very clear. The estate is acting for a single purpose- to make sure that proceeds from Dilla’s work benefit the people Dilla wanted it to benefit. I’m not trying to shut anyone down, kill anyone’s record or party, or assassinate anyone’s character. I’m not flexing my ego or fighting with anyone. I’m only trying to carry out Dilla’s wishes.

So, if you really care about Dilla and his legacy, help DILLA’s ESTATE. Stop swapping files of his beat tapes. Stop releasing illegal product. STOP POCKETING MONEY IN HIS NAME. Tell the people that are doing this to stop. When you do this, and this is not an exaggeration or a joke, you are stealing from children. Come on. You may think you know the REAL story, but I’m telling you, this is the REAL STORY.

Jonathan Dworkin
DillaEstate@room1009.com