Busta Rhymes and J Dilla are reuniting for a new album this year.
The Flipmode Squad frontman held a listening session in New York City on Thursday night (February 20) for Dillagence 2, the sequel to his and Dilla’s original 2007 mixtape.
Joined by Statik Selektah and DJ Tony Touch, Busta gave a room full of lucky fans and friends the first opportunity to hear the project — which includes what appears to be a collaboration with Lil Wayne.
Statik shared a brief snippet of a song seemingly featuring Weezy on his Instagram Stories, tagging the Young Money superstar in the clip. If so, it would be the first time that the world will get to hear Wayne rap over Dilla production.
Announcing Dillagence 2 ahead of the listening party on Instagram, Busta wrote: “THE BLESSINGS DON’T STOP SO WE DON’T STOP!!! NEVERRR!!! BREAKING NEWS!!!! [eyes emojis] BUSTA RHYMES x J DILLA NEW ALBUM!! POP UP LISTENING SESSION TONIGHT!! [fire emojis].”
Further details, such as a release date or tracklist, have yet to be revealed.
Released in November 2007, more than a year after J Dilla’s untimely death, Dillagence served as a tribute to the late producer as Busta Rhymes made use of some of his most iconic beats, as well as a few original instrumentals.
Hosted by Mick Boogie, the mixtape featured appearances from fellow Dilla disciples Q-Tip, Phonte and Talib Kweli, as well as Raekwon, M.O.P. and Rah Digga.
By the time of its release, Busta and Jay Dee had built up a chemistry as one of hip-hop’s greatest rapper-producer duos, combining for countless classics such as “Still Shining,” “Show Me What You Got” and “Turn Me Up Some.”
In fact, Dilla was a mainstay throughout Busta’s solo catalog, contributing to six of his first seven albums. (1998’s Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front was the only one which didn’t feature his sonic fingerprints.)
“J Dilla left me with over 300 beats before he passed. 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,” Busta told GQ in 2020.
“I’ve always tried to represent and uphold the legacy of the late, great J Dilla, through all of my albums … 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.”
