Erykah Badu has reflected on her musical relationship with the late J Dilla at the San Diego, CA stop of her “Unfollow Me” tour she’s on with Yasiin Bey.
In a recent Instagram video posted by Detroit rapper Frank Nitt, the legendary Neo Soul singer gave an extended answer when a female fan in a meet and greet asked her how it was like working with the iconic producer. Badu started by saying he “didn’t talk a lot,” and was “very quiet.”
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“He communicated through that music mostly,” Erykah Badu said. “And he was very organized. Super organized. All of his Coke cans in his refrigerator were turned the same way and in straight lines. He was an engineer, so it was apparent in every phase of his life.”
She continued: “He was brilliant and he was generous. And he was merciful. Like, he let a lot of people get away with like, biting his shit. And he was generous because he taught a lot of people how to produce. Great guy, he was just so shy. This is the most important thing, he was sick, but nobody knew. That speaks volumes.”
Check out the video below:
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J Dilla is often hailed as being one of the greatest producers in Hip Hop history. He got his start in the early 1990s after Amp Fiddler taught him how to use the MPC. From there, he started making music with his childhood friends T3 and Baatin of Slum Village, and then branched out and started producing for the likes of The Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, and Common, to name a few.
He was also apart of the Soulquarians collective with Erykah Badu in the late 1990s. He produced, “Didn’t Cha Know” in 2000 off of her second album, Mama’s Gun.
Dilla passed in 2006 from complications from lupus.
Meanwhile, Erykah Badu recently broke down the meaning of her “Unfollow Me” tour which has have to do with a phenomenon that has grew across social media over the years.
In an interview with VIBE on June 10, she elaborated on what the name of her co-headlining tour truly means. She said that it “absolutely” has to do with the cancel culture that currently exists within our society.
“It definitely has to do with cancel culture,” Erykah Badu said. “It’s funny. It’s become a Baduizm, pretty much. Whenever someone says something in the comments, they don’t agree, I don’t care, unfollow me, doesn’t matter.”
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“I also say unfollow me because I’m lost too,” she continued. “We all on an individual journey, we’re finding our way. So following me wouldn’t really benefit you because you are on your journey. That’s your cup you’re drinking out, this is mine. And I want to encourage people to do that too, and it’s a reminder to myself.”
The tour kicked off on June 11 at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX. It will conclude on July 23 at the American Airlines Center in San Antonio, TX. It was announced that both Soulquarian artists would be going on tour back in April.
