Monday (February 7) marked what would’ve been the 48th birthday of J Dilla, the late, great Hip Hop production legend who passed away due to health complications just days after he turned 32 in February 2006.
As artists and fans alike flooded social media feeds with tributes to the Slum Village soundman, frequent collaborator Busta Rhymes took to Instagram with a very special gift for Dilla’s disciples.
The Flipmode Squad capo previewed a never-before-heard song produced by the Detroit native. The untitled track features Dilla’s signature air horns over punishing drums and cinematic synths, which Bus-a-Bus devours.
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“I’m ’bout to give you that shit that’ll cause ya back pain, chest pain, head pain,” he raps. “Smack shit around to the point you turn idiots, n-gga/I’m bagging bitches that’s the prettiest/When it come to doing this shit, I turn hideous/Now we fucking shit up ’cause you know we dead serious.”
Busta Rhymes and J Dilla have racked up numerous collaborations since they first connected through A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip in the mid 1990s, with the Donuts beatsmith featuring on seven of Busta’s albums.
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After cultivating an undeniable chemistry on songs such as “Still Shining,” “Show Me What You Got” and “Turn Me Up Some,” Dilla remained a presence in Busta’s catalog long after his death as the Brooklyn MC posthumously picked his beats on 2006’s The Big Bang, 2015’s The Return of the Dragon mixtape and 2020’s Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God.
‘Dilla Time’ Author Corrects One Major Misconception About The Legendary Producer
Bus-a-Bus opened up about his reverence for J Dilla while speaking with GQ in 2020, revealing he has a treasure trove of unreleased beats from the late producer.
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“J Dilla left me with over 300 beats before he passed,” he said. “I’m extremely selective with who I give them to, which is why I haven’t given them to anybody except Raekwon and that was for Only Built 4 Cuban Linx Part Two. I’ve always tried to represent and uphold the legacy of the late, great J Dilla, through all of my albums.”
He added, “I’m a huge fan of Dilla. I think Dilla is probably top three best producers in the world. To me, my top three favorite producers ever are Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, and J Dilla.”
While there’s no indication where their latest collaboration might land, Busta Rhymes recently announced that his next album is finished.
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The 49-year-old rap vet shared the news in an Instagram video containing another new song featuring production from Khrysis and lyrical shoutouts to Dr. Dre and DJ Kay Slay.
