J Dilla - Jay Stay Paid

Under the reverent direction of Pete Rock, J Dilla’s posthumous, 28-track mix highlights guest spots by both hip-hop legends (Black Thought, Doom) and lesser-knowns (Frank Nitty, Cue D), the variety of which throws the full weight of Dilla’s production savvy into the sad vacuum left by his death at 32. Sadly, the guy was just getting started, but he could already mix circles (er, donuts) around almost every producer of his generation. --Jason Kirk