Nas Announces New J Dilla Album ‘The Diary,’ Releases ‘The Introduction’

It’s been ten years since hip-hop lost its great maestro J Dilla, but thankfully, his musical legacy continues to thrive among fans and artists alike. If you are yearning for new Dilla music we have good news for you.

On Thursday (Feb. 18), Nas appeared on Zane Lowe’s Beats 1 radio program to announced that his record label, Mass Appeal, will release J Dilla’s lost recording, The Diary. The 2002 project is a real treat for Dilla fans as it features rare instrumentals and lyrics from the Detroit producer, himself. Bits and pieces of the album have leaked on the internet but now the full album will finally arrive in stores.

According to Mass Appeal, the Estate of James Yancey has revived J Dilla’s longstanding company PayJay as a functioning imprint to release Dilla’s long lost vocal album, The Diary, on April 15.

Reassembled from original mixes found in a Detroit storage unit, the 13-track collection features J Dilla spitting rhymes with guest appearances from Snoop Dogg, Kokane, Bilal, Frank & Dank and many others. Production assists are from Malib, Pete Rock, Hi-Tek, House Shoes, Supa Dave West, Bink!, Karriem Riggins and more.

To kick off the album, Nas released "The Introduction," to give fans a taste of what's to come. The Queens rhymer has always been an admirer of J Dilla's productions. In 2014, he rapped over Dilla's "Gobstopper" instrumental called "The Season."

In the meantime, you can pre-order The Diary via iTunes. Check out the track list below:

The Diary Track List

1. "The Introduction"
2. "The Anthem" feat. Frank & Dank
3. "Fight Club" feat. Nottz & Boogie
4. "The Shining Pt. 1 (Diamonds)" feat. Kenny Wray
5. "The Shining Pt. 2 (Ice)"
6. "Trucks"
7. "Gangsta Boogie" feat. Snoop Dogg & Kokane
8. "Drive Me Wild"
9. "Give Them What They Want"
10. "The Creep (The O)"
11. "The Ex" feat. Bilal
12. "So Far"
13. "F--- The Police
14. "The Diary"
15. Bonus Track 1 [iTunes Exclusive]
16. Bonus Track 2 [iTunes Exclusive]