More music has surfaced from the seemingly endless J Dilla archives. The man who many cite as one of the most important and influential hip-hop producers of all time is set to posthumously drop a vocal album, The Diary. This album was recorded in 2002, but it had been rumored to be lost in the ether until now. The opener is “The Introduction,” and it is classic Dilla. Though he’s known as a producer, he can spit pretty well, as evidenced on Jaylib, his collab album with Madlib. He spits some hard, braggadocios rhymes shouting out his hometown of Detroit and paying homage to A Tribe Called Quest. His first few bars patterned after Q Tip’s “Excursions” verse on 1991’s Low End Theory. The production does not disappoint, as you would expect from Dilla, with off-time-on-purpose drums, and plenty of off-kilter swing.

The Diary is looking nice as well, with features from Madlib, Snoop Dogg, Pete Rock, and Bilal among others. Any day when one song from Dilla surfaces is great, but to hear this album will drop after 14 years just after Donuts turned 10 inspires so many feels. Listen below

Tracklist:

01 “The Introduction”

02 “The Anthem” Feat. Frank and Dank]”

03 “Fight Club” Feat. Nottz and Boogie]”

04 “The Shining Pt. 1 (Diamonds)” Feat. Kenny Wray

05 “The Shining Pt. 2 (Ice)”

06 “Trucks”

07 “Gangsta Boogie” Feat. Snoop Dogg and Kokane

08 “Drive Me Wild”

09 “Give Them What They Want”

10 “The Creep (The O)”

11 “The Ex” Feat. Bilal

12 “So Far”

13 “Fuck the Police”

14 “The Diary”

The Diary is out 4/15 via PayJay/Mass Appeal. Pre-order is available here.