Busta Rhymes is giving listeners a first taste of one of the highly anticipated collaborations from his upcoming Dillagence 2 album.
On Saturday, Busta took to Instagram to preview a new track featuring D’Angelo, sharing a short clip of the song along with a glimpse of the music video. The collaboration also comes with an added creative touch, as the visual was directed by iconic filmmaker Hype Williams.
The collaboration brings together three influential figures with strong roots in hip-hop and R&B, while also marking Busta Rhymes’ reunion with the filmmaker responsible for shaping some of his most iconic visuals.
Hype Williams played a major role in defining Busta’s larger-than-life image during the 1990s, directing unforgettable videos such as “Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check,” “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See,” “Dangerous,” “Gimme Some More,” and his Janet Jackson collaboration “What’s It’s Gonna Be?!”
The upcoming visual also marks a reunion between Williams and D’Angelo, with the director previously behind the 1996 video for D’Angelo’s classic track “Lady.”
D’Angelo’s involvement holds even more weight given that Dillagence 2 is centered around production from the late J Dilla. The singer previously worked with Dilla on “So Far to Go,” a collaboration with Common that appeared on Dilla’s posthumous 2006 album The Shining.
Busta Rhymes’ new project is set to arrive on Aug. 25 and will include 26 tracks. According to The New York Times, the veteran rapper created the album using beats from a collection of more than 300 unreleased J Dilla productions that were left for him before Dilla’s passing in February 2006.
Busta has also opened up about the emotional journey of creating new music around the work of his longtime friend and collaborator nearly 20 years after his death.
D’Angelo is just one of several major names featured on the project. Dillagence 2 is also expected to include appearances from Lil Wayne, Big Sean, Anderson .Paak, Ludacris, Common, Jon Batiste, Talib Kweli, and more.
Busta has already begun introducing fans to the album with tracks like “SPAZZZ” and “Talk Ya Shit” featuring Lil Wayne, both of which have received accompanying music videos ahead of the project’s official release.
