Busta Rhymes Previews D’Angelo Collab In Hype Williams-Directed Video

BY Aron A.
Link Copied to Clipboard!
NFL: New Orleans Saints at Los Angeles Rams
Dec 21, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; American rapper and recording artist Busta Rhymes (Trevor Smith) performs during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports/USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Connect
A new snippet from "Dillagence 2."

50 Cent has argued that elder statesmen in rap do not need to release albums anymore because hip-hop is youth culture, but Busta Rhymes proves that his statement isn’t entirely accurate. As fans anticipate the release of his long-awaited project, posthumously produced by J Dilla, due August 25th, he came through with a new visual teaser that revealed another surprising but appropriate feature on it.

The short snippet appeared on Busta’s Instagram page over the weekend, revealing that the video was directed by longtime collaborator Hype Williams with a posthumous feature from D’Angelo, who tragically passed away in 2025. 

It’s really a full-circle moment for all three artists. Busta Rhymes and Hype Williams’ work together undoubtedly shaped both of their legacies and signature styles. Throughout the height of Busta’s solo career in the late 90s and early 2000s, Hype directed videos for "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See," "Woo Hah!! Got You All in Check," "Dangerous," "Gimme Some More," and more. Meanwhile, Hype Williams previously worked D’Angelo on “Lady.” Last year, Busta shared a tribute song honoring D’Angelo after his passing.

Busta Rhymes DILLAGENCE 2 Album Drops This Week

The upcoming album from Busta Rhymes, Dillagence 2, will be stacked with 24 songs in total, entirely made up of beats that J Dilla left for Busta Rhymes before his death in 2006. Over the years, Busta Rhymes has teased this project, and it’s beautiful that we’ll finally get to hear it in its entirety this week. So far, we’ve received singles like “Spazz” and “Talk Ya Sh*t” ft. Lil Wayne. Moreover, the project will include appearances from Talib Kweli, Common, Anderson .Paak, Big Sean, and more. 

Check out the snippet above and sound off with your thoughts in the comments below. 

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.