IDK partners with Shady Records and Interscope for future releases as his Eminem collaboration brings J Dilla into the mix.
Interscope announced the arrangement Friday alongside “WELCOME,” his new collaboration with Eminem, produced by J Dilla. Raised in Prince George’s County, Maryland, he built his career through independent projects before partnering with Adult Swim for IWasVeryBad. His Clue label then joined forces with Warner Records for Is He Real?, his major-label debut. IDK later turned to Kaytranada for the production on 2022’s Simple. The eight-track project brought in Mike Dimes and Denzel Curry as guests.
The exchange puts IDK on the receiving end of the kind of help he has worked to provide other musicians. He and the No Label organization started No Label Academy, a music-business education initiative, in 2020.Eminem’s history of backing other rappers reaches back to Shady Records, which he founded with Paul Rosenberg in 1999. D12 and Obie Trice were part of that story, while 50 Cent signed with Shady, Aftermath and Interscope in 2002. The label later brought in Slaughterhouse and Yelawolf, then announced its deal for Westside Gunn and Conway’s solo and joint projects in 2017. Ez Mil joined Shady, Aftermath and Interscope in 2023, another artist Eminem and Dr. Dre signed together.