It’s probably due in part to the fact that it may or may not have been completed before his passing in the same year it was released in Japan.
There were certain outlets like Fat Beats that suggested this album could’ve been released a lot earlier than 2006 in Japan (2007, United States side) if it weren’t for those damned legalities that needed to be satisfied. Nevertheless, the world would eventually get their taste of Jay Love Japan and heads haven’t stopped bobbing along to the beats and tracks since. Jay Love Japan was meant to be an instrumental EP and originally only featured vocals on two tracks, even though it would go on to be marketed in the States with names attached such as Raekwon and Blu due in part to the tracks they did over the instrumentals on the EP (Ason Jones and Sun In My Face, respectfully).
If anything, Jay Love Japan may have meant to be a lot of things but what it became was arguably the most emotionally stirring project Dilla did. The stirring Feel The Beat (featured below) is one such track that would no doubt put anyone in a reflective mood. Despite the album’s short length, Dilla’s eclectic range of musical tastes was in full effect here. For all those reasons and more, today’s Day of Dilla pays homage to one of the final Dilla shots literally heard around the world.
