For more information on the Stussy x Stones Throw collaboration J Dilla tee, click here.

From Michigan-based artist Smack!’s blog:

In celebration of James “Jay Dee/J Dilla/Dilla Dawg” Yancey’s birthday (Feb. 7th), I thought it’d be dope to do four ‘spur-of-the-moment” pieces depicting four moments in Dilla’s life on this earth.
– The Fantastic/Slum Village era
– Welcome 2 Detroit
– Ruff Draft
– Donuts

See the other three pieces after the jump.

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It’s been nearly half of a decade, but today seems like the beginning of James “J Dilla” Yancey’s legacy being handled by the people that loved him most: his family.

J-Dilla.com officially re-launched today, announcing that Yancey’s estate is now administered by West Coast probate attorney Alex Borden, and that the J Dilla Foundation has been established. As the site reports, “The developments mark a new chapter in preserving and enhancing the legacy of the legendary artist and secure a means of future prosperity for his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, daughters Ja’Mya Yancey and Ty-Monae Whitlow, and brother, John “Illa J” Yancey.

Since Yancey’s death four years ago due to complications from lupus, family, friends and collaborators around the country have conducted fundraisers to gather money for leftover medical bills and the financial support of his mother. But a January 2009 article in Vibe magazine [click here] reported that due to Yancey’s outstanding tax debt, Ma Dukes hadn’t received any money from such memorials.

These new developments have enabled the establishment of the J Dilla Foundation, which has filed for tax-exempt 501(c)(3) status to qualify it as a non-profit charitable institution. The site states that the organization is built to “help fund the development of music in the inner city, and provide scholarships to students enrolled at schools with progressive music curricula.” Additionally, the web site will serve as official representation for Dilla, and contact for anyone wishing to conduct business with his name or music.

“Every year, Dilla and his dream get bigger and bigger,” says Ma Dukes. “Every time I go to a different city and visit with his fans, the dream just grows. It’s something that I can’t even describe, and it’s not going to die.”

For more information, visit http://www.J-Dilla.com and http://www.jdillafoundation.org/

Royce Da 5’9″ “Psycho Flow”

[audio:http://www.michiganhiphop.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/royce-psycho-flow_mihiphop.mp3]
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From Royce’s “Bar Exam 3” mixtape, which hits the Net on March 13, 2010.

Looks like eLZhi will be releasing a new project for free download on eLZhi.com this Friday (12/11). We’ll definitely be letting you know when it goes live.

Royce Da 5’9″ had a busy year in 2009. After he and three other elite emcees founded Slaughterhouse, the group proceeded to release a full-length album between going on two nationwide tours. And this fall, he released Street Hop, his long-awaited album executive produced DJ Premier.

But to open the new decade, Royce is hitting the ground running . Yesterday, he used his Twitter page (click here) to announce that he will release the third installment of his Bar Exam mixtape series on March 13, 2010. The last two were mixed and hosted by DJ Premier and DJ Green Lantern, but this time, Royce enlisted DJ Whoo Kid, known for his expertise on the critically-acclaimed G-Unit Radio mixtapes.

Royce, whose love for boxing has been chronicled in interviews and songs like “Ding Ding,” scheduled the mixtape to drop the same day as the match between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The match is expected to break records for revenue and pay-per-view buys, so the pairing of the mixtape and the match is “Epic,” Royce tweeted.

The Bar Exam series is known for its playful jabs at miscellaneous would-be foes, but Royce pointed out that this effort will have more focused disses.

“Bar Exam3 will be very offensive to [you] if [you] ever disrespected me or my crew,” he tweeted. “You were not being ignored so be afraid BITCH.”

Eminem may not have made MTV’s “10 Hottest MCs” list, and some fans didn’t like the polarizing nature of his latest album, Relapse. But as another popular emcee said, “Men lie. Women lie. Numbers don’t.”

According to an MTV report, a list from Nielson Soundscan has proclaimed Em as the best selling artist of the decade. Soundscan, the information system that tabulates the Billboard charts, shows that the Detroit lyricist/producer has sold more than 32.2 million albums between January 1, 2000 and November 1, 2009.

A list of the top 10 selling albums of the decade includes two of Eminem’s critically-acclaimed albums, The Marshall Mathers LP and The Eminem Show, at rankings of no. four and five, respectively. The 32.2 million figure also include the previously mentioned Relapse, the 4X platinum Encore, and presumably, the Eminem Presents: The Re-Up compilation and Curtain Calls greatest hits album.

Eminem hopes to get even more sales on December 21 with Relapse: Refill, a re-release of this year’s Relapse with a bonus disc of seven unreleased songs. His next album, Relapse 2, is set for a 2010 release.

[via MTV]

Starting today (November 25, 2009), “Somethin 2 Ride 2,” from the Royce Da 5’9″ album Street Hop, is iTunes’ Free Single of the Week. Click here, or on the photo above, to download the song and leave a review on iTunes. For more info on Royce, type his name in the search bar of MichiganHipHop.com.

Young Jeezy made a single encouraging listeners to “put on” for their city, but Ro Spit has done so in literal terms. The sneaker boutique he co-owns, Burn Rubber, has gotten attention in lauded publications like COMPLEX magazine, and its gear is on the backs, feet and heads of national rap stars such as Mos Def, Big Sean and Clipse. “Renaissance State of Mind” (click here to listen/download), his Monica Blaire-assisted remake of Jay-Z’s hit single, has given Detroit Hip Hop fans a new self-love anthem. And along with showcasing his own talents, his new solo release The Oh S#!t Project (click here to download) serves as a who’s who of what Michigan Hip Hop has to offer. For a more detailed breakdown of Ro Spit’s career, click here to read MichiganHipHop Managing Editor William E. Ketchum III’s feature in Metro Times.

But in a contest sponsored by CNN (click here to vote), Ro has the opportunity to represent Detroit in a brand new way. Check under the cut to hear Ro briefly break down how he and ad agency Campbell-Ewald plan to infuse energy in the area’s art scene. Continue reading →