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The Estate of James Yancey revived J Dilla's PayJay Productions as a functioning imprint and announced its release of Dilla's long lost vocal album, The Diary, with the first Pay Jay single "Anthem" b/w "Trucks." Response to the start of this landmark project was enthusiastic, to say the least. Pitchfork said "Ever since J Dilla's death in 2006, a steady stream of posthumous material has been released, with varying degrees of legitimacy. But this one is particularly huge, and totally legit: The Diary is a lost vocal album Dilla completed in the early 2000s."
Pay Jay now announces the second single from The Diary with what might be the two best known tracks from the album, as both were issued in bootleg and promotional forms over the years. But these versions - both final and alternate mixes - come straight from mixed-down masters that Dilla himself created.
"The Shining Pt. 1," better known as "Diamonds" was produced by Virginia's Nottz. "The Shining Pt. 2," better known as "Ice" was produced by Dilla's Jaylib collaborator Madlib. This section deserves particular note, as the album version and "Ruff Draft" version are so markedly different - and show the musical direction that Dilla would embark upon after he shelved The Diary in 2002.
Rounding out this 12" is a Madlib instrumental that was never turned into the final song, titled "The D," that Dilla had hoped to create. We've included this beat as a hint of what could have been.
The first press of this 12" features clear vinyl atop an original Jeff Jank sleeve with art by B+ and Shepard Fairey and placed in a thick, fold-over plastic sleeve. Subsequent runs will not have the clear vinyl or the fold-over plastic sleeve. |
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