Pitchfork

When an artist dies, the hyperbole begins, and James "Jay Dee /J Dilla" Yancey's case has been no exception. For every "J Dilla Changed My Life" t-shirt, (the proceeds from which go to the Yancey family), there's something like Common's recent statement in XXL: "When we think of John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Stevie Wonder, and Marvin Gaye, J Dilla will be going down along that history line of greatness," which does little more than create unreasonable expectations for potential new fans, in addition to making us wonder about Common's command of the language.

Fortunately, the exaggeration has been tempered by the promise of new music. The Shining, which is the first of two completed J Dilla albums rumored to be released later this year, has finally received an official release date, and there is a tracklist as well. According to a press release, the album was "over 90% done" when Dilla passed away in February, and it was completed by Karriem Riggins ("longtime associate" of Dilla's). It has now been scheduled for an August 22 release on BBE Records.

Dilla's previous collaborators included everyone from A Tribe Called Quest and De La Soul to Ghostface Killah, and The Shining is no exception in the guest department. But the real treat is that The Shining features "Dilla himself as MC and-- for the first time ever-- singer."

The Shining:

01 Geek Down (feat. Busta Rhymes)
02 E=MC² (feat. Common)
03 Love Jones
04 Love (feat. Pharoahe Monch)
05 Baby (feat. Madlib and Guilty Simpson)
06 So Far to Go (feat. Common and D'Angelo)
07 Jungle Love (feat. MED & Guilty Simpson)
08 Over the Breaks
09 Body Movin' (feat. J. Rocc and Karriem Riggins)
10 Dime Piece (feat. Dwele) (Remix)
11 Love Movin' (feat. Black Thought)
12 Won't Do

According to BBE's website, the other J Dilla release potentially scheduled for 2006 is titled Jay Love Japan and is scheduled to come out on Operation Unknown, but there is no set release date for the album as of yet.

Finally, one of the other good things to come after Dilla's death has been the J Dilla Foundation, started by Dilla's mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey. According to the foundation's website, its mission is "to continue lupus research and provide quality arts training for underprivileged children." More information about lupus and upcoming foundation events can be found at www.jdilla.org.