Nothing Feels Right... in Cars: J Dilla - "Trucks" (Lost MCA Album, 2001-02)
Pay Jay, quite arguably the "Holy Grail" of unreleased J Dilla material, briefly leaked online a few years ago; The infamous MCA-commissioned vocal album that Dilla recorded with friends-producers ?uestlove & Karriem Riggins, Nottz, Kanye, Pete Rock, Supa Dave West, Hi-Tek, and Bink! [Dawg]. From what I can remember, it featured a pre-"Takeover" Doors ("Five to One") sample flip, a Funky Vanity 6 "Drive Me Wild" cover, and just one previously released track - "Fuck The Police." Thankfully, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey recently re-gained the rights to a storage locker full of old DAT and 2-inch tape masters, which were obviously used to re-mix/master the 11+ tracks. Pay Jay Productions plans to release The Diary sometime during 2013-14 and it's material represents the unknown period in-between J Dilla's self-produced Rap albums, Welcome 2 Detroit and Ruff Draft EP (2001-02).
Standout track "Trucks" is essentially a downright DIRTY, head-nodding Hip-Hop take on Gary Numan's 1979 New Wave hit single, "Cars." Seasoned LA-based mastering engineer, Dave Cooley went back in a slightly re-tweaked "Anthem/Trucks" for a 12" release, with assistance from close friends and family Egon, J.Rocc, House Shoes, Jeff Jank, Ma Dukes, and Illa J. "Trucks" (Dilla's Original Mix) was most likely unearthed from that aforementioned Jeff Bubeck discovered Detroit storage locker, complete with alternate rhymes and an extra [third] verse. The roughly 7-8,000 Dilla-owned records housed inside have since been returned to J Dilla's estate and are slowly being auctioned off on eBay with a bulk of the proceeds going to the J Dilla Foundation.