Boldy James talks about how the upcoming J Dilla project came about

[TheDarceKnight]

Boldy James: Well, shout out to Ma Dukes. She was fond of the work I did on this previous J Dilla project, that they had put out in Detroit. I have like a solo record, and one with Chuck Inglish on there. Everybody was feeling some type of way because I didn’t know Dilla personally and they all knew Dilla. But what it was, everybody was being so bratty. Thinking of the Dilla catalog, just to make money off of It. They just wanted to ride off the dead wave of a great producer and the person that was in charge of his estate with Ma Dukes, his name is Jonathan Taylor. And JT, he was a cool cat.​

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A lot of people have problems with them but he was kind of like a bullheaded, criminal-minded, that type of guy, previous to him shaping up and shipping out doing the music. He got like a political side to him, but he knows where he comes from? He was able to recognize that I was from that same cloth. And maybe it was even kind of a little harder than he came up with, he looked at me differently from all the other artists that worked on the project. As I said, they were just being bratty about, you know, knowing Dilla and feeling entitled to certain shyt. You know, I didn’t give a fukk because I didn’t know him. Right? So he wanted to do something with the beats, the last tracks that Dilla had left him. That they had of his and he asked me say, “Boldy, would you do me the pleasure doing the album on these beats, I’m gonna holla at, you know, big RJ Rice,” shout out to RJ Rice, Rice Jr. That’s my guys, my family. I done prayed with Mr. Rice. Just even over this situation like this, all this was really prayed over from my grandma, probably my mom’s, when I was young and running away in the streets and shyt that. Nobody thought shyt would happen other than me getting smoked in the streets or dying young, and going to jail. Anyway, JT he told me he’s gonna holla at RJ, and get the clearances.​

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So when I went in there, and RJ knew my soul was taken at the time. So he opened the meeting up with a prayer. And he just let me know how serious he was about inviting demons into his house, he could tell my soul was bothered, he could I was going through a lot at the time. He was telling me, “just give it some time, keep doing what you’re doing. But, you know, just always keep, you know, God In mind.” I was always that type of person. But it’d be times like I was saying earlier where like, I forget, you know, to be as thankful as I know I could be throughout the course of my day. To take a minute to pray, a second to die, you know what I’m saying.​

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So he would just tell me, “your life gonna change once you put this project out. But before we put this project out, I want you to be ready to receive the blessing that comes with you know, this great responsibility you’re gonna have with me giving you the Dilla Beats.” I ain’t understand the magnitude. But by how many people ask me about this project, and when I’m putting it up, and I know, like, I have learned that when I put it out, it’s gonna be like a black Woodstock every time I do a show. So I’m just trying to prepare it right, have the right layout, have to right rollout. Hopefully, we have some fun with that project.​

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Because I’m not trying to follow a blueprint necessarily. This shyt is going to be compared to a lot of shyt others have done that was similar, or people at least mistake it for being similar. But everybody knows that I’m one of the most unique artists doing it because I’m doing this shyt my way. And that’s a major key for me. I understand my worth and know I can run a bag up, way past those numbers if I just stick to my guns. Just know that I know what I’m doing. You know. I’m a multi-millionaire without a record deal so. I’ve been hustling for a long time. You mix this with that and start putting this on top of that. Everything get to the click and now your wheels turn. People don’t understand how long you’ve been cracking it, or what you aiming at to have a breakthrough. It don’t feel like I hit a lick. This is something I work for. The first 8-ball I ever sold and put $125 in my pocket. Or if I got $125,000 or, you know, $1.2 million I feel like it’s all the same money, right? Because I work for this shyt. I didn’t just trip over this shyt, it wasn’t no overnight success.​

Source: “I’m Not Into Selling Fast Food”: An Interview With Boldy James​

 

[KingsOfKings]

Interesting in hearing what this would sound like

 

[Tetris v2.0]

While I'm sure he'd do a good job, I'm ready to close the chapter on posthumous Dilla releases. We had some great ones, and some so-so ones. It feels like each one takes us further away from the essence of what Dilla was doing. He kept innovating and changing his sound, not retreading familiar sounds - that's probably why he had so much music left over, he kept working and experimenting.

That said, his family needs to eat. I'm conflicted