Busta Rhymes Honors Dilla's Legacy with 'Dillagence II'

Last night, Busta Rhymes visited Los Angeles' Grammy Museum to discuss his latest album, "Dillagence II." This project, released in August, is built around beats from the late, iconic producer J Dilla, who passed away in 2006. Rhymes shared a deeply emotional account of the evening, expressing his gratitude for the opportunity to be vulnerable and articulate the significance of the album.

Rhymes revealed that many of the beats on "Dillagence II" were personally given to him by Dilla years ago. He recounted how Dilla's mother, referred to affectionately as Ma Dukes, was instrumental in assisting Dilla during his health struggles, even acting as his engineer and archivist. Rhymes explained that he would receive beat CDs from Dilla and live with the tracks, sometimes feeling intimidated to rap over their brilliance.

The rapper also touched upon specific songs, including "This Woman" featuring D'Angelo and collaborations with Common and Ludacris. When asked about the potential for a Grammy win after 12 nominations, Rhymes emphasized the album's creation as a captured moment in time, with Dilla's production remaining timeless despite its age.

To conclude the event, Rhymes performed a set of his greatest hits and newer tracks, joined by Common for "What We Got in Common." He also brought Ma Dukes on stage to express his immense love and thanks for her blessing on "Dillagence II," acknowledging the Yancey family's integral role in his career.

He stressed that Dilla's productions, even those over 20 years old, possess a timeless quality. Rhymes described adding his own contemporary touch to Dilla's foundational work as akin to adding the perfect ingredients to a seasoned dish, creating a magical and relevant final product. He noted his own extensive collection of beats from various producers as "moments in time that you can't even recreate."