.

Michigan Record Store Puts Sale of J Dilla Vinyl Collection on Hold

Late hip-hop producer's mother will first authenticate the vinyl

April 27, 2012 2:25 PM ET
j dilla
J Dilla
Johnny Tergo

The sale of deceased hip-hop producer J Dilla's record collection will be put on hold, reports the Detroit News. Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, mother of J Dilla, will attempt to verify the authenticity of the vinyl before more records from the collection are sold.

The collection comes from an abandoned storage unit in Clinton Township, Michigan. A record shop named UHF in Royal Oak, Michigan picked up the assortment, which is believed to be around 7,000 to 8,000 records. Yancey confirmed to UHF co-owner Jeff Bubeck that J Dilla did indeed stash vinyl in a storage unit in the area, but she also noted that she sent many of her son's favorite records to his Los Angeles residence in 2004.

Bubeck faced some backlash from fans for attempting to sell the records. He said he'd previously tried to reach out to Yancey and the J Dilla Foundation, to no avail. For her part, Yancey doesn't agree with the negative sentiments.

"I'm not upset," she said. "I feel like it was a blessing if they really are Dilla's," she said. "I'm grateful . . . [Bubeck] just acquired something that seemed to be useful to a lot of people." Bubeck plans on donating some proceeds to the Yancey family and the J Dilla Foundation.

J Dilla, born James Yancey, passed away in 2006 from complications from lupus. He was 32.

To read the new issue of Rolling Stone online, plus the entire RS archive: Click Here

prev
Music Main Next

blog comments powered by Disqus
Daily Newsletter

Get the latest RS news in your inbox.

Sign up to receive the Rolling Stone newsletter and special offers from RS and its
marketing partners.

X

We may use your e-mail address to send you the newsletter and offers that may interest you, on behalf of Rolling Stone and its partners. For more information please read our Privacy Policy.

Song Stories

“Everyday People”

Sly and the Family Stone | 1968

"Everyday People" managed to trailblaze in two different ways -- it was one of the first pop hits to deal with the subject of racial harmony, and it utilized Larry Graham's "slap" technique on the bass guitar, which would soon be copied by countless other bassists. Graham once said about his pulsating style, "I'd never done that before … that's where the freedom of creativity came in for the band, that we'd be allowed to do that." In 1978, the song's line "Different strokes for different folks" would be borrowed for the title of the hit television show Diff'rent Strokes.

More Song Stories entries »