"Crazy, chopped-up, unadulterated… There are so many words to describe Dilla… that we can’t even put them in the dictionary, because they’re just new words that you create… like astronomical-nomical-nomical. ... That’s J Dilla."
—J Dilla feat. Diz Gibran, "Make It Fast Mega Mix (Unadulterated Mix)," Jay Stay Paid, 2009.

"Dilla, Dilla, still the best/"
—Ibid. DOOM, "Fire Wood Drumstix."

Nothing more could be asked for: A Dilla album, mixed by Pete Rock, and executive produced by Ms. Yancey (Dilla’s mother).

A fan’s fantasy.

Enlisting Hip-Hop luminaries including Black Thought, DJ Premier, Lil’ Fame (M.O.P.), Havoc, Raekwon, and DOOM, Jay Stay Paid is yet another validation of J Dilla’s greatness. The album is classic status. Without a doubt. With 28 tracks of melodic steel, Dilla easily confirms what many have long concluded—that even death can’t stop his gift: Musical Infinitism.

Above all other qualities, Dilla is most known for his eclecticism. When others relied on the mercies of ‘70s and ‘80s soul hits, Dilla always turned the other cheek, choosing instead to find creative ways to elevate the production quality of Hip-Hop.

Hip-Hop owes Dilla a huge debt, and it’s about time to pay Jay.

Jay Stay Paid is a great start.

On "Big City," Preemo commands: "Drop one of those neck-breaking Dilla beats now!" Well, this brave posthumous release does nothing but fracture the listener’s deep cervical fascia.

On "Dilla Bot Vs The Hybrid," who else but Danny Brown, the budding Detroit star, could lace up such heart-stopping (to say the least!) rhymes like: "Touch Mikes Like Macaulay Culkin/… Just Saved My Life, Just Like Dilla Did/."

But perhaps no other song best puts to bed cynics, than "Reality Check," on which The Root’s Black Thought, the ever clever Philadelphia musical marauder, raps two minutes straight, unstopped, over a Dilla gem:

"Yo, I’m having trouble at the crib/ I’m going at it with my babymother where I live/ While the soldiers bleed, the economy recede/ And all she wanna watch is reality TV/… My head so spinnin’, I’m so through with women/ Who watch re-runs of The Real World with dinner/ And Kim Kardashian moms and Bruce Jenner/ And Three-Six Mafia show and Jerry Springer/."

Throughout Jay Stay Paid, Dilla’s ability to take any sound, length be damned!, and flip it into a memorable composition, shines forth. Tracks like "In The Night (Owl N Out) – While you slept (I crept)," "9th Caller," and "Make It Fast Mega Mix (Unadulterated Mix)," confirm this contention effortlessly.

Dilla wasn’t just a remarkable producer for the beats he made; he is also renowned for the humility maintained, in the face of international fame and acclaim. Dilla fans stop at no length to confirm his genuine love for music, which clearly sustained his warrior spirit, even on death’s bed.

As Pete Rock, Dilla’s idol, notes: "Dude was amazing. He just kind of came out of nowhere, and the more you heard his beats, the better they got. He may not be here with us, but it’s all good. We’re going to keep his music alive and well."

It takes a legend to know a legend, and none other than Pete Rock, arguably New York’s greatest beat mind, is more qualified to describe J Dilla as “amazing.” His timelessness, and the cultic sentiments it conjures in fans, shares similarities with another late Hip-Hop legend—Tupac. Only wishful thinking can tell what Tupac would have sounded on a Dilla track, but it certainly would have been a time-freezing collaboration.

J Dilla is a rare producer; one whose style is so unique as to fit the taste of any MC. Very few producers can claim to have produced for A Tribe Called Quest and Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes and Erykah Badu.

Indeed, very few—especially in an age when many High school band players think themselves music producers, when everyone owns a Pro Tools and MPC set, when so-called producers boast of making beats in five minutes—can stay as relevant as Dilla did for nearly two decades. Very few!

And even from the grave, Dilla never ceases to amaze the listener. J Dilla, live forever!