J Dilla being honored w/ live events (Just Blaze playing one in NYC); The Roots playing a second Prince tribute

February 8, 2013

by Andrew Sacher

J Dilla

Hip hop production great J Dilla would have turned 39 yesterday (2/7) and there’s much going on in honor of him. A collection of unreleased material, The Lost Scrolls, Vol. 1 EP, was released this week, and you can stream the opening track, “Dewitt To Do It,” below. Dilla collaborator Karriem Riggins also filmed a Yours Truly session playing “J Dilla the Greatest,” and talking about the producer. You can watch that video below too. And also below, is a video of Dilla’s mom, Maureen Yance, and DJ Butter speaking about him in a conference filmed ahead of Detroit’s Dilla Days, which goe down this Saturday (2/9) and Sunday (2/10).

For those in NYC, you’ll get your own chance to celebrate his life this month with the annual Donuts Are Forever tribute, which Questlove headlined in 2010 and Prince Paul headlined last year. This year, it’s being headlined by Just Blaze and happens on February 17 at SRB Brooklyn (117 2nd Ave), two days after Just Blaze plays Webster Hall on his tour with Baauer. Tickets for Donuts Are Forever, which also includes Shawn Dub, Tara, Center, Parler, Stylus, and host Fresh Daily, are on sale now. The DJs are reportedly playing Dilla tunes all night, and all proceeds go to Donuts
are Forever scholarship fund, where high school kids in the Groundwork for
Success Program run by Good Shepherd Services, take DJ or Production
courses at Scratch Academy. They’ve been doing this scholarship for three years
now and will have sent about 40 kids to Scratch to take classes by this
summer.

As mentioned, Just Blaze and Baauer are not only touring together, but also collaborating. Since we last spoke, they revealed their first cut together, “Higher,” a futuristic hip hop club banger which features a Jay-Z vocal clip. You can stream that track below.

And speaking of Questlove, he would have been spinning all Dilla beats at his weekly Bowl Train at Brooklyn Bowl yesterday (2/7), but he couldn’t make it to the venue, and Q-Tip filled in. Meanwhile, his band The Roots have a lot coming up, including a Prince Tribute at Carnegie Hall, which they will “rehearse” for with a live show at City Winery on March 6. Tickets (ranging from $45 to $65) for the City Winery show are on sale now.

All streams below…

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J Dilla – “Dewitt To Do It”