A new J Dilla album, Jay Stay Paid, is set for release on June 2 via Nature Sounds. Unlike the many authorized and unauthorized Dilla releases that have appeared since his tragic 2007 death, this one is executive produced by his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey. Pete Rock executive produced the project. and his hero, the equally legendary Pete Rock. It features Dilla’s old collaborators (DOOM, Black Thought, Phat Kat, Frank Nitty) as well as new jacks (Blu, Diz Gibran).

Here’s more from thee press release:

Jay Stay Paid is a 25 track collection of unreleased Dilla beats mixed and arranged by Pete Rock. While mostly instrumental, “J$P” also offers a few guests vocals from artists that Dilla worked with or admired including Black Thought of The Roots, MF DOOM, and M.O.P.

Curtailing any notion of jumping on some sort of Dilla bangwagon, Jay Stay Paid was executive produced by Dilla’s mother Maureen Yancey (aka Ma Dukes) along with the musical supervision of Dilla’s only real musical idol, Pete Rock. “It wasn’t rushed and it wasn’t haphazard,” explains Ms Yancey. “This album combines what he did in the beginning of his career, what he did in some of our early hospital stays, which was very deep, and some stuff pulled from old floppy disks & DATs. Its mind blowing…this is like the missing links to Dilla’s legacy.”

The format of the album plays like a radio show with Pete Rock as the program director. With regards to Pete’s involvement, Ms. Yancey gets very excited, “Dilla wanted to pattern himself behind Pete. His dream was to become as close as possible to what Pete stood for. Pete meant everything to him. Dilla would have just been flabbergasted! ” Pete’s sentiments were the same toward Dilla, “Dude was amazing. He just kinda came outta 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.”

• 1. “KJay FM Dedication”
• 2. “King”
• 3. “I Told Y’all”
• 4. “Lazer Gunne Funke”
• 5. “In the Night (Owl N Out) – While You Slept (I Crept)”
• 6. “Smoke” (feat. Blu)
• 7. “Blood Sport” (feat. Lil Fame)
• 8. “caDILLAc”
• 9. “Expensive Whip”
• 10. “Kaklow (Jump On It)”
• 11. “Digi Dirt” (feat. Phat Kat)
• 12. “Dilla Bot vs. The Hybrid” (feat. Danny Brown & Constantine)
• 13. “Milk Money”
• 14. “Spacecowboy vs. Bobble Head”
• 15. “Reality Check” (feat. Black Thought)
• 16. “On Stilts”
• 17. “Fire Wood Drumstix” (feat. DOOM)
• 18. “Glamour Sho75 (09)”
• 19. “10,000 Watts”
• 20. “9th Caller”
• 21. “Make It Fast Megamix (Unadulterated Mix)” (feat. Diz Gibran)
• 22. “24K Rap” (feat. Havoc from Mobb Deep & Raekwon)
• 23. “Big City”
• 24. “Pay Day” (feat. Frank Nitty from Frank-N-Dank)
• 25. “See That Boy Fly” (feat. Illa J & Que D)
• 26. “Coming Back”
• 27. “Mythsysizer”
• 28. “KJay and We Out”

“Reality Check” (feat. Black Thought)

Phil the Agony is best known for his membership in several West Coast crews, including Strong Arm Steady, Likwit Crew, Blacksmith and, back in the day, Madlib Invazion. But for Think Green, the L.A. vet will go solo, albeit with help from SAS’s Krondon and Mitchy Slick, Planet Asia and Blacksmith’s Jean Grae and Talib Kweli.

Think Green drops May 5 on Nature Sounds. A digital EP version will be available on Earth Day, April 22. Cue the bio segment:

With Think Green, Agony takes a different approach in his mission, not only to fans of hip-hop, but also to eco-minded individuals. On the album titled track Think Green Phil wastes no time in explaining why it’s important to think of our surroundings as he states “ I print my album on recycled paper so you ain’t gotta cut the rainforest, for me to sing the chorus… ” The Economy rides with the environment as the silver-throat emcee creates, in his words, an “environmentally conscious hip-hop album” for 2009. Think Green’s commercial packing holds true to Phil’s vision, with a minimalist 100% recycled, eco-friendly CD sleeve. Phil has even partnered up with the National Global Releaf Program to have a tree planted for every copy of Think Green that is purchased.

• 1. “Green Skit 1″
• 2. “Intro”
• 3. “What It Is” (feat. Blaq Toven)
• 4. “Nothing Can Stop Us” (feat. Planet Asia & Krondon)
• 5. “Hunters” (feat. Krondon & Talib Kweli)
• 6. “Thousand Dollar Omelettes” (feat. Planet Asia & Krondon)
• 7. “Green Skit 2″
• 8. “Think Green” (feat. Talib Kweli)
• 9. “Time” (feat. Planet Asia & Krondon)
• 10. “Stick Together” (feat. Blaq Toven)
• 11. “Green Skit 3″
• 12. “Black History” (feat. Planet Asia & Chace Infinite)
• 13. “Everyday” (feat. Big Twin & Jean Grae)
• 14. “Turkey Bacon” (feat. Chace Infinite)
• 15. “Think Green (Remix)” (feat. Mitchy Slick & Chace Infinite)

“Think Green (Remix)” (feat. Mitchy Slick & Chace Infinite)

Here’s the track list for DJ Babu’s Duck Season 3. Set for an October 28 release on Nature Sounds, it features guest shots from DJ Babu’s group Dilated Peoples, the fast-rising Termanology, and other mixtape favorites such as MF Doom, Kardinal Offishal (thankfully without Akon in tow), Little Brother, Sean Price and Oh No. Babu produces all of the tracks.

“It started out as a mixtape that featured some of my favorite tracks,” says Babu in a press release. “Now it has fully evolved into a platform of my own production. The album is still presented in the classic Beat Junkie mixtape style, but that’s just a clever way for me to disguise my LP.”

• 1. “DS3 Intro” (feat. Dilated Peoples)
• 2. “Dearly Departed” (feat. M.O.P.)
• 3. “Fan Mail” (feat. Little Brother, Joe Scudda & Darien Brockington)
• 4. “The Unexpected” (feat. MF DOOM & Sean Price)
• 5. “Frozen” (feat. Guilty Simpson)
• 6. “East West Connection” (feat. A.G.)
• 7. “My Opinion” (feat. Bishop Lamont)
• 8. “2 Feet” (feat. Kardinal Offishall & Rakaa Iriscience)
• 9. “Black & Brown Army” (feat. Chace Infinite & Sick Jacken)
• 10. “Graveyardshiftin” (feat. Cali Agents & Roc Marciano)
• 11. “For Whatever It’s Worth” (feat. Evidence)
• 12. “It’s A New Day” (feat. M.E.D.)
• 13. “O.G.” (feat. Strong Arm Steady)
• 14. “Guns Gon’ Blow” (feat. Termanology)
• 15. “That Ain’t Gangsta” (feat. Likwit Junkies)
• 16. “Meant To Be” (feat. Roc C & Oh No)
• 17. “SBX2LAX2OX” (feat. Wildchild & Percee P)
• 18. “Ahead Of My Time” (feat. Niko)

On July 22, Boston producer/DJ Fakts One will release his debut album, Long Range, through Green Streets Entertainment/Nature Sounds. Guests on the album include Little Brother, Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, Army of the Pharoahs, Boot Camp Clik, Planet Asia and Souls of Mischief.

“DJ Fakts One was a key figure in the Boston Hip-Hop scene for many years,” reads a press release for the album:

He got his start djing parties and breaking local acts on WERS radio in the late ’90′s, through the popular “89.9 at Night” show. He dropped one of his first mix tapes (yes, on cassette) on the famed Brick Records titled “Heavy Hitters” and instantly started making noise throughout the state. Lending production to many releases by Mr. Lif and Akrobatik, it was inevitable that these three long-time friends would form a trio that was 100% pure hip-hop called The Perceptionists.

Their album “Black Dialogue” was released in 2005 on Definitive Jux to critical claim. With great sales, and a tour that was ready to kick off, this powerhouse of a rap group was about to start taking things over! At the same time Fakts was waiting on his solo record debut to be released, but the label continued to stall, delay and eventually folded into the industry abyss. Then, in a sudden turn of events, Fakts up and left his partners “Lif and Ak” stranded with no DJ at the start of their tour and vanished off the hip-hop map altogether.

First, some interesting details…Aesop Rock’s appearance on “89.9 at Night” back in the day was included on his legendary (legendary as in it is often-bootlegged, and original copies sell for hundreds of dollars) self-released CD Music for Earthworms. Also, according to rumors, Fakts One’s disenchantment with the music industry actually began during the making of the Perceptionists’ debut album, a long-planned project between the three Boston friends. If you believe those rumors, it partly explains why so few of his beats appeared on Black Dialogue.

In an interview with Max Herman for Plug One, Akrobatik had this to say about Fakts One:

“Well Fakts One, he is retired. It’s been a little while since we’ve really done any work together, so I consider Fakts more of a friend. With Lif — Lif’s like my best friend. I’ve known Lif since 1995 and it’s just really second nature. He and I have chemistry. It’s not just on record. If I called him right now we’d be laughing within the first ten seconds no matter what it was about. That’s just the relationship that we have and it translates onto our records and it translates onto the stage definitely.

People retire from the music business for all kinds of reasons. Sometimes, artists leave because interest in their art wanes and, instead of beating a dead horse, so to speak, they decide to do something else. Then there are those who grow so frustrated with the machinations of the business that they decide to refocus their energy into more positive and profitable work.

Underground hip-hop is truly a labor of love. Unfortunately, in an era of rampant downloading that seems to affect hip-hop more than any other genre, it often seems like these artists’ labors are taken for granted by their fans. I don’t think people understand how many artists work shitty part-time jobs so they can go on tour at a moment’s notice; and set aside years’ worth of paychecks in order to produce and manufacture an album. Not everyone is fortunate enough to become a successful full-time musician, but they love the art form enough to do what they can.

“Hopefully when Fakts hears all his years of hard work finally coming to light,” reads the press release, “he can sit back (wherever he is), smile and realize it was well worth the journey.”

Pete Rock never had a hit single. Sure, he had plenty of hip-hop hits, from Heavy D’s “Don’t Curse” to his and CL Smooth’s “T.R.O.Y. (They Reminisce Over You),” the latter which is widely considered one of the greatest rap songs ever made. But when compared to today’s super-producers that regularly land hits on the Billboard pop charts, he was strictly an underground phenomenon. Despite — or pehaps partly because of that — Pete Rock is still considered one of hip-hop’s greatest beatmakers. Nearly two decades from his heyday (yes, aging B-boys, it’s been that long), he’s still active, and is about to release his first album in four years.

NY’s Finest drops via Pete Rock’s Soul Survivor Records and Nature Sounds on February 26. Two of its cuts, “The PJs” with Masta Killa and Raekwon and “914″ with Sheek Louch and Styles P from D-Block, drew considerable acclaim when it was released as a single in 2006 and on the compilation Nature Sounds presents Natural Selection. Other guests include Jim Jones, Papoose, Redman and Phonte Coleman from Little Brother.

The track listing for Pete Rock’s NY’s Finest is below.

• 1. “Pete Intro”
• 2. “We Roll” (feat. Jim Jones & Max B)
• 3. “Till I Retire”
• 4. “914″ (feat. Styles P & Sheek Louch)
• 5. “Questions” (feat. Royal Flush)
• 6. “Best Believe” (feat. Redman)
• 7. “Ready Fe War” (feat. Chip Fu & Renée of Zhane)
• 8. “Don’t Be Mad”
• 9. “Bring Y’all Back” (feat. Masta Ace, Wordsworth, Phonte & Joe Scudda)
• 10. “The Best Secret” (feat. Lords of the Underground)
• 11. “That’s What” (feat. Rell)
• 12. “The PJ’s” (feat. Raekwon & Masta Killa)
• 13. “Made Man”
• 14. “Let’s Go” (feat. Doo Wop)
• 15. “Comprehend” (feat. Papoose)

www.myspace.com/officialpeterockpage

This year has seen a lot of onetime major label heatseekers, onetime prospects who rose from the lowly world of underground rap to tastemaker articles in XXL, resign themselves to dropping indie albums under vastly reduced expectations. Hip-hop acts (nor anyone else, for that matter) usually won’t admit that they’ve been dropped; they’d much rather assert that they left a label of their own volition. (Yeah, right!) Still, what to make of Sa-Ra Creative Partners, Consequence, Raekwon and now Strong Arm Steady dropping albums on indie labels? What happened to the major movement each promised?

To be accurate, Strong Arm Steady is still on Blacksmith/Warner Bros., and are working on a major label debut for 2008. Perhaps I make an ass out of u and me when I assume that the West Coasters won’t ever get that title shot, especially since Blacksmith head Talib Kweli is in a career-defining battle to get his Eardrum out — once scheduled for July 31, it got pushed back to August 21.

But hey, let’s be positive. Strong Arm Steady’s Deep Hearted looks like a beautiful thing. Scheduled for release via Nature Sounds on August 28, the disc features guest shots from the Game, Black Thought, Talib Kweli, Chamillionaire, Juvenile, Planet Asia, tha Liks and a gang of other rappers. Production is handled by DJ Babu, Madlib, DJ Khalil and others. But the spotlight is on Mitchy Slick, Phil the Agony and Krondon, three L.A. MCs who have been slugging it out since the mid-to-late 90s. Talk about patiently waiting! The track listing, along with a YouTube video for their single “One Step,” are below.

• 1. “Intro” (feat. Jack Nicholson & the Game)
• 2. “The Movement” (feat. Planet Asia)
• 3. “You Ain’t Me” (feat. Chamillionaire & Ras Kass)
• 4. “Bloody Money” (feat. Pop ‘n Bullets & Jelly Roll)
• 5. “Co-Operation” (feat. Dilated Peoples)
• 6. “Clean Up” (feat. Black Thought & Saukrates)
• 7. “One Step” (feat. Talib Kweli)
• 8. “I Can’t Wait” (feat. Tha Liks & Stylistic Jones)
• 9. “Kings Of The Deck” (feat. Planet Asia)
• 10. “Come N Get Me” (feat. Ina Williams)
• 11. “Homies” (feat. Blaqtoven)
• 12. “Streetlights” (feat. Talib Kweli)
• 13. “On The Grind”
• 14. “Wreckless Words”
• 15. “Dirty Dirty” (feat. Juvenile)

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www.myspace.com/TheGangSAS