Background on J Dilla & Ruff Draft Let me explain it. It"s Ruff Draft. For my real niggaz only. DJs that play that real live shit. You wanna bounce in your whip, sound like it"s straight from the ma"fuckin" cassette! Ruff Draft... Let"s do it.... Thus begins Ruff Draft. Released only on vinyl in February 2003 with European distribution, this sought-after album remains the elusive key release in J Dilla"s catalog. Ruff Draft would later prove a turning point in Dilla"s career. He spent the "90s making a name for himself as an all-around, top-notch hip-hop producer for A Tribe Called Quest, Common and De La Soul, eventually branching out to work with a variety of heavy-hitters in hip-hop and R&B, including Busta Rhymes, The Roots and Erykah Badu.In contrast to the understated, mellow vibes and minimal, crisp drumbeats he brought to these groups, Ruff Draft fi rst revealed a whole new side to Dilla"s musical genius. Freewheeling, in-your-face synthesizers, and an uncharacteristically sample-heavy approach that was as bangin" as it was experimental. After Ruff Draft"s limited release, Dilla relocated from Detroit to Los Angeles where he would continue working on tracks for Common"s Be (Geffen, 2005), Ghostface Killah"s Fishscale (Def Jam, 2006), Busta Rhyme"s Big Bang (Aftermath, 2006), and his own material - all of this while dealing with a life threatening illness that was unknown outside his immediate circle.