IDK’s new single “Welcome” features Eminem on a J Dilla beat
The Shady/Interscope release includes a video shot in Detroit by IDK, Eminem and director Vuhlandes.
Maryland rapper IDK has released “Welcome” on Shady/Interscope, with Eminem performing the hook over production J Dilla left behind. The collaboration marks the first time Eminem has appeared on a Dilla beat, two decades after the producer’s death.
The single is accompanied by a video filmed in Detroit with director Vuhlandes. A separate short documentary includes footage showing IDK and Eminem together in the studio.
Discussing the song, IDK described the collaboration as an important opportunity. He said 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, issued by Shady Records, was the first rap album he had owned, and Eminem’s raps were the first he deliberately memorized.
IDK’s concept album E.T.D.S. – Even The Devil Smiles preceded the single. It included Pusha T, Black Thought and the RZA, plus posthumous appearances by MF DOOM and DMX.
Both Eminem and Dilla emerged from Detroit’s underground rap scene during the ’90s, but they did not collaborate before Dilla’s death. Dilla did work with Proof, Eminem’s late mentor and D12 bandmate; the two briefly formed the Funky Cowboys.
