Label: Pay Jay
Released 2003
When Ruff Draft saw its initial release in 2003, J Dilla possessed production skills on par with anyone in hip-hop – technically and creatively. “At the top of his game,” says longtime friend and collaborator, Karriem Riggins. After years of building while modestly deferring to others of both greater and lesser notoriety, Dilla finally completed the first solo endeavor on his own label, entirely on his own terms. The significance of such an autonomous success often gets overlooked, and partly accounts for why Ruff Draft is one of the lesser-referenced entries in Dilla’s oeuvre.
Track listing:
- Intro
- Let's Take It Back
- Reckless Driving
- Nothing Like This
- The $
- Interlude (Feat. Dank)
- Make'em NV
- Interlude
- Crushin' (Yeeeeah!)
- Shouts
- Intro
- Wild
- Reckless Driving
- Nothing Like This
- The $
- Take Notice (Feat. Guilty Simpson)
- Make'em NV
- Interlude
- Crushin' (Yeeeeah!)
- Rock on