J Dilla

When this beloved producer passed away, attention focused on a pair of rare releases that desperately needed to be reissued: Ruff Draft and Jay Love Japan. Being on a smaller label might not help its cause but Jay Love Japan is actually superior to Ruff Draft, as far as Dilla’s beats go, with a more polished synth sound over banging handclaps galore making this record flow much smoother. Joints such as "Believe in God” showcase the ability Dilla had to make modern love songs and since his death, is just one of the many sequences that will get you emotionally choked up. With the many, many tribute mixes that have surfaced, many of these jams have made the cut, so those who have been listening to Dilla twice as much due to the posthumous exposure will click in nicely on Jay Love Japan. The only shame is that this release is only seven cuts in total, with instrumental "Say It” tacked on the end, so you can’t help wanting more when time runs out. However, every jam is fire and you can’t go wrong dropping them in your mix. It’s a shame that these reissues and the overall love for Dilla had to come after his passing but it’s never too late to support his family and his incredible legacy. (Operation Unknown)