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One day we were in the studio with Eminem and D-12, who we’d known from Detroit through Proof. And then Dre was there, and he and Dilla got to talking and hanging out. We left for a little bit and when we returned Dilla was like, “Yo, I ain’t using samples anymore.” The thing was that we had already made 10 of the 13 tracks on the album, but it didn’t matter.

-Frank Nitt

Dr. Dre inspired J Dilla to go sample free. This story is news to me, but I’m not the Dilla expert. Stan, yes. Expert, no. Dre, Eminem, and Dilla! If only someone had a camera in that room! This also brings to mind this quote from a May 2009 interview with Dilla’s mom Maureen Yancey:

And from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m., Dilla had people coming daily to learn to do beats or for him to help with their music. These same young men who are big in the industry now — they would be outside my door at 6 p.m. every day, waiting. Eminem was one of them. Eminem and Paul Rosenberg — who turned out to be his attorney — Paul was rapping at the time, he wanted to be a rapper, too — they would be there at 6 sharp.

WHY aren’t there pictures from these historic meetings?