2010, Stones Throw

VINYL FORMAT. J Dilla's rarely heard masterpiece Ruff Draft officially re-released as a deluxe 2-CD set with bonus vocal tracks, interludes and instrumentals.

In retrospect, Ruff Draft proved to mark a turning point in Dilla's career. He spent the '90s making a name for himself as an all-around, top-notch hip-hop producer. First arriving on the scene with his own group Slum Village in his native Detroit, Dilla would establish himself throughout the decade on classic tracks for A Tribe Called Quest, Common, The Pharcyde and De La Soul, eventually branching out to work with a variety of heavy-hitters in hip-hop and R&B, from Busta Rhymes and The Roots to D'Angelo and Erykah Badu.