Stop me if you’ve heard this before: a young hip-hop superstar dies, leaving a wealth of unreleased material in the hands of his mother. Such circumstances have often led to underwhelming biopics and cash-grab compilation albums, but Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey has done an admirable job of maintaining her son J Dilla’s legacy, a process that continues on “Rebirth of Detroit.” The album pairs the city’s new talent — Danny Brown, Boldy James, and Chuck Inglish among them — with previously unheard Dilla beats, building a bridge between two generations of artists. Tone Plummer and Mr. Wrong lace the gloomy city requiem “Rebirth Is Necessary” with a fluid, urgent delivery, while Brown’s crude charisma bounces over the grimy piston-pumping bass on “Jay Dee’s Revenge.” But the best moments come when Dilla feels present: The tender guitar loop on “House Shoes Was Spinnin’ ” may not birth a new Detroit, but reminds us of the one Dilla once loved. (Out now)

ESSENTIAL “Dillatroit”