Wrapped in a mock mailing envelope,
Motor City adds to the overwhelming pile of posthumous
J Dilla compilations. Put together by the producer's mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, it contains 19 "rare + remastered" beats -- just over half-an-hour's worth of episodic instrumentals -- and a dutiful
J-Rocc mix based on them, slightly shorter in duration. As with most of the
Dilla releases commercially issued since February 2006, there's no knowing whether the producer intended to have any of this material, in this form, available commercially. In terms of quality, this is strictly completist and/or Yancey family financial supporter territory. Some of it recirculates pre-
Donuts beat tape material previously heard only by those who either received a copies from the maker or heard dubs and uploads. Other tracks became the basis of official and earlier posthumous output. "Motor City 12," for instance, is a raw segment of "The Anthem," off
The Diary. Anyone who knows
Mos Def's
The Ecstatic will recognize "Motor City 9," while "Motor City 3" features some of the elements heard on
Jay Stay Paid highlight "Lazer Gunne Funke." Long-familiar interjections from
Doom (over sirens) and
Ad-Rock in some odd way validate this release while further diluting the core discography of a genius.