ARTICLES
As the world awaits the return of the Madlib/Freddie Gibbs union, another rap heavyweight has been paired with the weird and wild sounds of the Beat Konducta. Just last year, Nas and his Mass Appeal Records imprint helped usher J Dilla‘s long-lost-but-now-found vocal album, The Diary, into the world with a grip of extraordinary selectors in tow. There the Queens legend graced the cut “The Sickness,”
Outside of Nas’ verse on the Madlib-produced “The Sickness” for J Dilla’s posthumous album, The Diary, Heads don’t have much collaborative material between the legendary MC and illustrious producer to choose from. Each has contributed greatly to Hip-Hop’s enduring legacy, and while Nas may have more commercial success in the traditional sense, there’s no denying the fervor with which music fans discuss Madlib’s influential and innovative
Marshall Mathers and Pete Rock join forces on David Begun’s thumping 14-track mashup project Marshall And The Soul Brother. The project boasts the best of the Motor City and Mount Vernon and sports a title that is a fun play on the classic Mecca and the Soul Brother LP.
In the 15 years since it was released, J Dilla‘s final album, Donuts, has mostly lived in its original entirely instrumental form. But in the months ahead of the album’s arrival, both Ghostface Killah and MF DOOMwere reportedly writing to the late producer’s beats from Donuts, two of which eventually appeared on the album as “Anti-American Graffiti” and “Geek Down.” Both tracks were later featured on the Dilla Ghost DOOM EP, Sniperlite, in 2008, as well as respective releases from the rappers in the years following.