Even though he’s been gone for over a decade now, the wealth of new material from J Dilla seems inexhaustible. On April 21, the world will get to hear even more new tracks from the Detroit mega producer in the form of a compilation album titled Motor City. The new album is a total labor of love, having been assembled and sequenced by Dilla’s own mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey.
For Dilla fans, the contents of Motor City are more than enough to get you excited. The album is filled out by 19, previously unheard instrumentals. Even more enticing, it comes with a mix of the album put together by Dilla’s friend and Beat Junkies founder J Rocc, who created unique blends with the new tracks. You can check out his song “Motor City J. Rocc Blend #1” which marries the Notorious B.I.G.’s vocal on “Juicy” with a fresh Dilla beat above.
Motor City is more than just an album, it’s a beautifully curated note from a mother to her son. In that spirit, the cover art resembles a piece of postage with full mailing address for both Dilla and Ma Dukes. The CD and vinyl copies of the album actually come with a handwritten note from Ma Dukes inside as well.
Motor City is available to pre-order now on Dilla’s official website.
