IDK Brings Eminem and J Dilla Together
on "WELCOME," where Eminem's timing adjusts to Dilla's rhythmic drag. Hear how Dilla's approved edits and Eminem's early "313" inform this unique collaboration.
Tracklist
- WELCOME — IDK, Eminem & J Dilla
- Workinonit — J Dilla
- 313 — Eminem
Transcript
WELCOME — IDK, Eminem & J Dilla
Eminem had never rapped on a J Dilla beat before “WELCOME,” according to Stereogum’s Tom Breihan. Maryland rapper IDK brought them together on this track, using production Dilla left behind. Eminem mainly handles the hook, and Breihan hears his precise timing adjust to Dilla’s rhythmic drag. When IDK began working on the music, he remembers looking up at his ceiling and saying “thank you” to Dilla. He called it an important opportunity and a statement for hip-hop. Hear WELCOME by IDK, Eminem & J Dilla.
Workinonit — J Dilla
Before Eminem rapped over J Dilla’s production on “WELCOME,” Stones Throw art director Jeff Jank was editing Dilla’s beat tape for Donuts. In Dan Charnas’s account, Jank’s first larger edit joined two tracks into “Workinonit.” Dilla approved it, and Jank kept working on the album. “Workinonit” follows a brief outro at the start of Donuts. After hearing Dilla’s production with Eminem, you can hear a Dilla track whose album form he approved. Hear Workinonit by J Dilla.
313 — Eminem
To hear Eminem outside the IDK collaboration, step back to “313.” It appears on the 2026 Infinite EP, but Apple Music describes the EP’s six tracks as coming from his 1996 debut. The 2026 date belongs to this collection, not a new Eminem performance. You’ve heard IDK bring Eminem onto production J Dilla left behind, then Dilla’s own “Workinonit.” Now hear Eminem on a track from his debut. What do their separate recordings bring to your hearing of “WELCOME”? Hear 313 by Eminem.