J Dilla’s Genius Lives on With Unreleased ‘Ghetto Wishes’
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Real genius never dies–especially if bits and pieces of it are contained in vast computer hard drives. For the late great J Dilla, this happens to be exactly the case, and today we’ve been blessed with “Ghetto Wishing,” the latest instrumental from the talented Detroit beatmaker. Hear the new track for yourself in the video up top.
The song is featured on director Gus Sutherland’s new documentary, The Unseen: A Detroit Beat Tape. The visual for the new track features never before seen footage of Dilla, House Shoes, Quelle Chris and Dakim in their element at some sort of underground show. Sutherland put together the clips originally filmed by Justin Kobar sometime in the 1990s and used it for this video.
The instrumental itself sounds extraterrestrial and classic simultaneously, featuring a haunting sample of someone singing about “Ghetto Wishing.” The beat meshes perfectly with the vibe of the video, which is that of a pure underground hip-hop gathering. It’s a fitting way to pay homage to Dilla’s legacy. So was the somewhat recently released children’s book based on his life story.
Back in November, Dilla’s mom helped release the book, titled The Life Story of James Dewitt Yancey. Ma Dukes experienced the legendary producer firsthand, but even that didn’t stop her from enjoying the story. “Even though I actually lived it, it was wonderful to actually hear it,” she said in an interview on Hot 97. “It kind of shined a light on my life because you don’t think of what you do every day.”
Keep it locked with XXL for more updates on Dilla and Sutherland’s new documentary, which chronicles the roots of Detroit’s booming hip-hop scene.
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