Frank N Dank Live @ Samy Deluxe Blockparty Deluxe, Heidelberg [VIDEO]

This is the heaviest moment on this entire list. Frank N Dank real names Frank Bush and Derrick Harvey are an American hip-hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. They are best known for their many collaborations with the late J Dilla and first came to public attention as guests on his album *Welcome 2 Detroit* in 2001. Frank Bush, Derrick Harvey, and J Dilla grew up together in Detroit's Conant Gardens area, were friends since the mid-80s, and even had a preliminary rap group where Dilla was the MC, Frank the DJ, and Dank the breakdancer. The Frank-N-Dank partnership came to fruition in 1995 as both began seriously sharpening their rhyme skills. In the initial stages of the duo, Frank-N-Dank were produced entirely by Jay Dee, even while the producer was a full-time member of another Conant Gardens-bred group, Slum Village. The group signed a recording deal with MCA Records, but their *48 Hours* album was first rejected by the label, reworked with new production, and ultimately shelved entirely. The album had been entirely produced by J Dilla. Bootlegs of the reworked version eventually surfaced in the underground. The weight of that story never fully lifts: a complete Dilla-produced album that never got an official release because a major label couldn't see its value. The 2007 *European Vacation* CD and DVD documented the last performances of J Dilla and Frank N Dank together. Nearly twenty years later, Frank and Dank stand on a German stage, at a blockparty organized by a German-American rap veteran, backed by Samy Deluxe himself. This is not a comeback stunt. This is a duo that never stopped, playing for an audience that never forgot.