Category: Madlib

Following the release of the new Frank N Dank album, St. Louis, we spoke to Detroit legend Frank Nitt about the new project, working with J Dilla, and more. Interview by Matt Horowitz.

In your opinion, what are the primary differences between the original/bootlegged 2003 MCA version of 48 Hrs/48 Hours and the widely-released 2013 Delicious Vinyl edition? 

The Delicious Vinyl version was the actual album as we intended. The 2003 version had extra songs and bad mixes.

Is it true J Dilla (then still known as Jay Dee) had to go back in and make more synth-driven beats, after MCA rejected the original sampled-based version of 48 Hours?

[laughs] No it was actually the opposite. We turned in the same version of the album that we put out via Delicious Vinyl, and the executive at the time said we love it but we need something more for the club and radio, and that is where “Take Ya Clothes Off” and “Off Ya Chest” came from. Unfortunately that executive left and went and signed Chingy to Capital, and the new exec, who was also the president, told Dilla he wanted more of his sampled driven beats because that’s what he knew him for. The original 48 Hours was recorded to more sample-driven beats but about seven songs in, Jay decided to strip all those beats and keep the vocals, and that’s where all the synth joints came from. Side note: he decided to change all the music after going to the studio while Dr. Dre was working on a D12 record in Detroit. After that he said “I’m about to play everything”. 48 Hours is the only sample-free J Dilla produced full album.

What’s the current status of your group, The Joint Chiefs, with DJ Rhettmatic? Do you fellas have any immediate plans to record and release a proper follow-up to your 2013 FWMJ/RIK EP, The Smoke Musik?

Ahh man, Rhett is my brother. Incredible dj/producer, better person! We have kicked around the idea of doing another joint., but Rhett is like a head of state, lol. He has a school, gigs, touring and still goes to lunch with his mom on sundays. It’s not easy to lock him down. If he reads this tho, I’m ready let’s gooooooo!

What’s one of your personal favorite J Dilla stories or moments from your time spent recording, hanging out, touring, etc. together that most people might not have ever heard about before?

One of the things that standout is a conversation we had one day sitting in his Lexus 450 outside the Nevada house. He told me “I wish I had a nigga like me when I was you”. At the time I didn’t get it, but later on, it’s like that old saying “Those who can’t do teach”. I had a teacher who was doing.. he not only showed me the game but showed me the pitfalls and traps in real time because he was still living it as he showed me.

How did yourself and Dankery Harv (AKA Dank, your partner in Frank-N-Dank) get involved in recording “McNasty Filth” from J Dilla & Madlib’s beloved album together as Jaylib, Champion Sounds?

At the time we were in the studio and hanging all the time anyway, so when he decided to do the LP and got a batch of beats from Madlib, we sat in the studio and went thru beats. We vibed to all of them but me and Dank didn’t vibe quite as hard to the “Mcnasty Filth” beat as we did to some of the others, and Dilla was like “ohhh y’all gotta write to this” [laughs]. He put the beat up and went upstairs for the night so we could record. I don’t think he thought we would be done by the a.m., but when he came back with the morning blunt we had our parts done. He actually put us out after that [laughs], because now he had to sit and write his parts.

What’s the current status of The F.D.R. Project featuring yourself, Dank, and Young RJ? Are there any plans for a proper follow-up to F.D.R. from Frank-N-Dank & J Dilla’s 2007 European Vacation CD+DVD set?

At this point we don’t have any plans to do anything new, but you never know.

Who did yourself and Dank recruit to submit production work for Frank-N-Dank’s latest effort, St. Louis? 

It started wwith King Michael Coy (Her, Dr. Dre, Anderson Paak). He did three joints, and we went to guys we worked with before like ToneMason, Lancecape and of course a Dilla joint (“Young Buck 1995”, made in 1995). And for that newness we went to Cazal Organism (son of Mellow Man Ace) and Japanese producer Mitsu The Beats, for that fire.

Do you ever see Frank-N-Dank’s J Dilla-produced stand-alone/non-album singles, such as “Move,” “Pause,” and “Push” ever being packaged together and re-released as a more full-length, widely-available project?

Maybe, but those are all on different labels. We would need a great level of cooperation to make that pop [laughs].

Have you spoken to Madlib since the release of your collaborative album, Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents NITTYVILLE? Any chance of you guys reuniting for a follow-up? I would personally LOVE to hear you rhymin’ alongside Guilty Simpson again?

Madlib is my dude. We haven’t spoke about that but would I be down. Shit yea! And Guilty is a no brainer. I’m waiting on him to send me a joint for one of his projects now!

What was it like getting to work with more non-traditional Hip-Hop producers, such as DJ Sepalot for Fracture’s Outrageous EP and Dutch producers I.N.T. Kid Sublime, Wouda, Elsas, Y’skid & Kid Sundance on Frank-N-Dank’s The EP?

It was dope. I’m all for a little musical exploration., and all those guys have their own approach to making music and its fun for me to try to meld my style to theirs.

Who are the current artists signed to your imprint, Digipop’s roster and what’s your next planned label release?

We have Serious and my son Joz B (you can hear them on a few of my solo/group projects) – they both should be working as we speak. I gotta send em some beats though.

Aside from what we’ve already discussed thus far, do you have any additional high-profile collaborations, all-star team-ups, long-vaulted gems, etc. that have yet to be released unto the terribly unsuspecting masses?

We have a few things coming in 2020. And when I say we I mean the whole fam. I’ll be playing more of an executive role but bars a cometh as well as some new beats. Maybe a beat album. Stay tuned.

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St. Louis by Frank N Dank is out now. Follow Frank Nitt on Twitter and Instagram.

Matt Horowitz has been a hip-hop fan ever since he first heard Wu-Tang Clan’s Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) back in the mid-90’s, which positively or negatively changed his life ever since, depending on who you ask. He single-handedly runs online music publication The Witzard, and has been fortunate enough to interview Eothen ‘Egon’ Alapatt, Guilty Simpson, Ice-T and Mr. X, Dan Ubick, Career Crooks’ Zilla Rocca & Small Professor, Cut Chemist, and J-Zone, amongst countless others. He enjoys writing about and listening to hip-hop, Punk/Hardcore, and Indie Rock on vinyl with his lovely wife, while drinking craft beer, red wine, or iced coffee. To paraphrase both Darko The Super and the Beastie Boys: “Already Dead fans, they want more of this… I’m a Witzard like my man Matt Horowitz!”. Follow Matt here.