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

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.