Ruff Draft

Infobox Album
Name = Ruff Draft
Type = EP
Artist = J Dilla


Released = February 2003 (Original)
March 20, 2007 (Re-issue)
Recorded =
Genre = Hip hop
Length =
Label = Mummy Records / Stones Throw Records
Producer = J Dilla
Reviews =
* Allmusic rating|4|5 [http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=10:0x6ftvo9kl5x link]
* HigherGroundOnline.com rating|3.5|4 [http://www.highergroundonline.com/album_reviews/jaydee.htm link]
* No Ripcord rating|8|10 [http://www.noripcord.com/?q=node/574 link]
* RapReviews.com (8.0/10) [http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2007_04_ruffdraft.html link]
* Pitchfork Media (6.8/10) [http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/41910-ruff-draft link]
*HipHopDX.com rating|4|5 [http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/reviews/id.770/title.j-dilla-ruff-draft link]
*ThisIsRealMusic.com rating|4.5|5 [http://www.thisisrealmusic.com/albumreviews/jdilla/ruffdraft.htm link]
Last album = ""
(2003)
This album = "Ruff Draft"
(Original 2003)
(Complete 2007)
Next album = "Champion Sound"
(2003)

Misc = Extra album cover 2
Upper caption = Reissue album jacket
Type = EP

---

Lower caption = The front cover of the Stones Throw re-release

"Ruff Draft" is the third solo album by the late former Slum Village member Jay Dee (also known as J Dilla). It was originally released in February 2003 as an EP, by his then-newly founded label, Mummy Records, and distributed by Groove Attack, a German record label. In 2007, "Ruff Draft" was remastered and re-released as the third official solo album by Stones Throw Records. The re-release sold 8,049 copies in its first week, J Dilla's largest first-week sales as a solo artist. [ [http://www.urbanconnects.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=371 UC - Top Album Sales ANALYSIS - 03/28/2007 ] ]

Overview

The original vinyl release of "Ruff Draft" is now out-of-print. Although the album is one of Jay Dee's lesser known works, it includes some of his most abstract and experimental work, all self-produced, and recorded in under a week.

As stated in the introduction of the album, it's a noncommercial sounding lo-fi hip hop album, which sees the producer playfully toying with different styles, such as on "Nothing Like This," where his vocals are distorted and skewered over an equally eccentric production featuring a sample played backwards. The result mirrors the more off-center moments on Common's "Electric Circus", which Dilla also worked on.

Stones Throw Records re-issued the album on CD and vinyl on March 20, 2007. The re-release is remastered from the original master tapes, with sound engineers taking steps to maintain the original release's integrity, along with additional songs, as well as an instrumental CD.

Notes

* "Ruff Draft" was released after the artist began using the name J Dilla but the cover still lists 'Jay Dee'.
* It is also the first release to bear the name 'Jaylib' (in the liner notes); J Dilla and Madlib's group which would not debut until a few months after the release of "Ruff Draft".
* Jaylib's "Ice" contains lyrics heard in the final seconds of the "Ruff Draft" track "Make'em NV".
* J Dilla went on a short promotional tour in 2003, performing DJ sets with Dank of Frank-N-Dank following the release of "Ruff Draft":
** Jan. 15th — Helsinki FIN at Kerma Club
** Jan. 17th — Eindhoven, NL at Effenaar
** Jan. 18th — Bienne, SWI at La Coupole
** Jan. 19th — Paris, FR at Divan du Monde
** Jan. 24th — Gothenburg, SWD
** Jan. 25th — Malmo, SWD at Inkonst Quality
** Jan. 26th — Stockholm, SWD at Mosebacke Est.

Track listing

Original 2003 EP Release

# "Intro"
# "Let's Take It Back"
# "Reckless Driving"
# "Nothing Like This"
# "The $"
# "Interlude"
# "Make'em NV"
# "Interlude"
# "Crushin' (Yeeeeaah!)"
# "Shouts"

Reissue (2007)

Disc 1

Disc 2

amples Used

*"Lets Take It Back" contains interpolated lyrics from "Verses From the Abstract" by A Tribe Called Quest and samples of "Pause" by Jay Dee (featuring Frank-N-Dank)
*"Reckless Driving" contains interpolated lyrics from "What?" by A Tribe Called Quest and samples of "Pause" by Jay Dee
*"The $" contains interpolated lyrics from "Paid In Full" by Eric B & Rakim
*"The $" contains samples of "Dooinit" by Common
*"Make 'Em NV" contains samples of "Ante Up" by M.O.P.
*"Wild" contains samples of "Cum On Feel the Noize" by Neil Innes & Son

References

External links

* [http://stonesthrow.com/news/ruffdraft/ Ruff Draft reissued]