Nas took to Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio show to debut the 1st cut from the upcoming J Dilla album called The Diary, which is a lost album from 2002 featuring beats (and for the first time, vocals) from the legendary producer. Other collaborations on the album include Pete Rock, Madlib, Hi-Tek, Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Kokane and more. The following statement was released by Nas and his Mass Appeal label:
The Estate of James Yancey has revived J Dilla’s longstanding company PayJay as a functioning imprint to release Dilla’s long lost vocal album, The Diary on April 15th, in conjunction with Mass Appeal Records. Initially intended for release in 2002, The Diary is the final batch of unissued material that Dilla had assembled for release during his lifetime, lending crucial insight into the producer’s prowess and thought process in the period leading up to his break with the major label system and the extremely fertile period that followed (which encompassed the making of the canonical classics Ruff Draft, Jaylib, and Donuts). The Diary features vocal performances by J Dilla, Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Kokane, Frank and Dank, Nottz and Boogie, over production by Dilla, Madlib, Pete Rock, Hi-tek, Nottz, House Shoes, Supa Dave West, Bink! and Karriem Riggins.
“The Introduction” – produced by House Shoes with additional production by J Dilla
