After making its premiere at SXSW in March, J Dilla and Nas‘ infectious collaboration “The Sickness” gets the visual treatment courtesy of director Ruffmercy. Images of the late rapper/producer (he passed away in 2006) and the Queens lyricist create colorful collages in the clip to match the pair’s vibrant talents.
The beloved late artist (real name James Yancey) lights up on the head-bobbing Madlib beat, spitting, “I got the MJ disease cause MCs wanna be me/ If I spit anything it’s gonna be heat.” Nas lends his voice to verse two with workaholic-friendly lines like “I don’t have an ego, I go harder than average people/ Plus I got twice the drive.”
Nas Announces Posthumous J Dilla Album ‘The Diary,’ Debuts ‘The Introduction’: Listen
Jay Dee’s long-awaited posthumous album The Diary made its debut earlier this month via PayJay and Mass Appeal Records, hosting a hip-hop buffet of features including Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Frank and Dank as well as producers Pete Rock, Hi-Tek and Dilla himself.
Catch “The Sickness” below.