It’s well-known that Kanye West was heavily inspired by the neo-backpack rappers of the day: A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village and Little Brother are among the key influencers. West has even cited J Dilla‘s impact on his own beat-making talents in a 2014 documentary, “Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton.”
Unfortunately, Dilla and Yeezy were unable to work with each other as much as they would have loved to, as Dilla would pass due to complications from lupus in 2006. However, when Jay Dee handed a demo of his solo album, The Diary, to his then-label MCA Records, tracks from that demo were used as a promo CD that ultimately leaked and was bootlegged worldwide.
The original CD that had those songs was found in a storage unit, and while most of the songs on the CD was unplayable two tracks — an alternate, vocal version of “F**k The Police” and a Kanye West-produced take on “The Anthem” — will now be officially released on a white-label vinyl: The Middle Finger.
Limited to 1000, hand-numbered 12-inch vinyls, The Middle Finger will be available October 5th. Needless to say, those who want a copy will have to act quick.
