Ruff Draft: Dilla

''It's a mysterious little project,'' says his mother, Maureen Yancey. ''But out of his entire career, that was the happiest time.'' Prior to recording the EP, Dilla found himself at a crossroads. Estranged from his label, MCA, and separated from the mother of his youngest daughter, frustration abounded both personally and professionally. Dilla spent parts of 2002 and 2003 working on an album for MCA that featured his rapping over contributions from other producers with whom he had connected and whose music he respected. At the time, he was known primarily for his beats, yet reviled for his
MCing by most anyone not from his hometown of Detroit. The project was to be an intentional freak of the industry. The project would go on to spur his collaborative album with Madlib, Jaylib, and would first showcase the template that he would take to his greatest heights with 2006's Donuts. The Stones Throw reissue of Ruff Draft from 2008 featured remixes of the songs from the album, done without Dillais involvement. This version of the album takes Dillais mixes of the album and restores his vision for the project. ''Straight from the mothafuckin' cassette,'' as he phrased the sound he was going for on the EP's intro.