Source: Stones Throw/Our Vinyl Weighs a Ton

“It might be done already, you never know.”

A rare and rather miraculous joint interview of J Dilla and Madlib from 2004 has surfaced.

Making the rounds in support of their 2003 collaborative album, Champion Sounds, the legendary rap duo, known then as Jaylib, sit with The Fantastic 4 on their long-defunct Power 106 show, Friday Night Flavas. While it’s a pretty loose chat between them all, the one constant throughout the segment is the vocal awe of the late Detroit producer reacting to J Rocc spinning a seamless blend of the samples used him in the background. There’s no way to confirm this, but it seems this is their first time meeting one another (J Rocc went on to become Jaylib’s touring DJ shortly after.)

Early on in the interview, the duo fields a number of questions about their then new album and when they landed on one another’s radars. “My man J Rocc hooked me up to the beat tapes,” says Madlib, going on to explain how Dilla turned down his request for a particular beat because it had been reserved by another rapper, but made up for it by sending him hundreds more in concession. The duo takes a breather while J Rocc spins a short set. But before they step out, Madlib hints at the prospect of a sequel to Champion Sound. “It might be done already, you never know,” the producer teases.

After their break, Dilla returns to the studio to discuss his favorite producers at the time (naming The Neptunes and Kanye West,) and recounts meeting Dr. Dre just a week before. Madlib, on the other hand, apparently sets up in the next booth over to make a beat with his SP-303 while the rest of the room marvels.

Hear Madlib and J Dilla in conversation and at the height of their powers below.