Mrs. Maureen Yancey more widely known as “Ma Dukes” is not

one to mess with. Since Jay Dee’s passing in 2006 she has been the voice of the

legendary brand of J Dilla, but more importantly the link to her son’s future

in our ears. Having a voice that not only speaks the mind of a woman battling

the same disease that took her son’s life but also even of Dilla himself makes

her word the word in all things James

“J Dilla (Jay Dee)” Yancey.  Although Charles Hamilton maintains he sought to contribute money from his album sales to help Ma Dukes, the fires

stay heated around the recent controversy. Mrs. Yancey took time out to speak with

AllHipHop.com to get both her wanted and needed opinion out on all things

surrounding Charles Hamilton and her son.

AllHipHop.com: What

attaching it to themselves musically?

Ma Dukes: You know what, I have been very liberal. As far as

I’m concerned about it there are those who have always done music for him. And

you know I realize that we’re gonna have those that take music and rape the

spirit of the music and do things that they shouldn’t do. I mean nobody’s above

that, they do it to even the biggest people. But to do it and make it look like

you have permission to do this and that and you’re in it with the family and

that it’s all good. I was like, “What in the hell is going on?” I mean I’m

pretty liberal and Dilla was always relaxed about the way he did his business.

You know there were those who couldn’t afford to pay Dilla and those who needed

a helping hand and couldn’t afford the top scale for tracks and he adjusted

himself to help any and everybody but he did care about what a person was like

– their character. He did feel he had to respect you as an individual and if he

had no respect for you then that was just out of the question. I don’t think

that’s being unfair, I know there are people out there that want to make it by

any means, but when you do, don’t step out wrong. You first step out right, and

then you try to make your resources build upon themselves. You don’t step out

wrong.

AllHipHop.com: Had

rising artist?

Ma Dukes: Not ever in my life! The only Hamilton I’ve ever

heard of was on the bill (laughs). When I first heard about this I was really jogging

my brain because I know I meet a lot of people but usually I lock in a name

pretty good and whenever somebody meets me and they do any type of work for his

[Dilla’s] production or different types of merchandising I always lock them in.

I’m very free to give my number because I’ll talk to anybody and I always

answer and if I can’t get you – you know if I’m having a bad medical week or

something I’ll always get back to you or text to let you know that as soon as

things get right ill get back. And I do this because that’s what I’m here for.

It doesn’t bother me, I freely give my information out and talk to anybody in

any realm that they’re involved in. So that person [Charles Hamilton] would’ve

been able to call me straight forward if they knew me, without a doubt. So that

was the first thing I’m like, “Wow! How come he didn’t call Ma Dukes?” because

then he said he knew Illa J and it was not an hour later that Illa J called me

to ask me who he was. I was like, “I don’t know who he is (laughs)” and he was

like, “Well I’ve never met him,” and things like that. I was getting calls all

over the place, Pete Rock called me like early yesterday and asked me, “Ma

whats going on this guy is putting your business in the streets, who is he?” I

was like, “Well I haven’t a clue!” I don’t know why he would do it, there’s a

lot of things that have been done but he’s the first, I’ve got to give him

kudos (laughs) he’s the first to step up and do that out the box so you know I

still don’t know what to think.

AllHipHop.com: Charles

ring a bell?

Ma Dukes: Don’t know. Wait, you know what I know Dilla knew

a Charles Moore when he went to high school, but that was it (laughs). He was a

nice person, no pun intended, (laughs) and he’s a vocalist not a producer and

matter of fact he did a track on Daddy’s

Little Girl, he did the Sam Cooke song. 

But he’s not really doing anything as far as I know and I’m not sure if

he’s still in Michigan or New York or somewhere. But don’t know any Holten’s,

don’t know them. So yeah, I’m at a loss. You know I couldn’t forget a whole

family, maybe one individual but not a whole family, my god (laughs).

AllHipHop.com: Let me

in my house –”

Ma Dukes: Oh my goodness!

AllHipHop.com: “…you

did that or not because then I ‘d be crazy.”

Ma Dukes: He is crazy. Quote me! Totally insane, oh my god

he’s insane. I feel for him if he believes things like this. You know we all

have our experiences (out of body or in our dreams) and we believe them because

of how vividly it might have happened but to conjure up a whole scenario with

relatives and friends, (laughs) that’s a really big one. He had to of been

asleep for a few days to get that together. And as far as Dilla walking around

in the house, the only house that he walks around in would be mine cause it’s

like a museum so I can really think that he’s here and you smell the nag champa

burning because he burned that every day, everything in his house smelled like

that (laughs). So yes, he’s very much alive here because we keep it that way

and we rejoice in his music and listen to it. You know, it’s not uncomfortable

for anybody in the house to have it playing because he was just a swell son and

brother, he was just a great person and a good Dad might I add. He’s alive here

but I don’t know about anywhere else (laughs) and if he did it’d probably be to

go see his kids first before anywhere else (laughs). When House Shoes told me

that my mouth dropped, I was like, “Wow!” And I didn’t have anything to say,

and when I have a loss for words there’s really something up because usually I

can go forever (laughs). He is some character, if he is creative in his music

he ought to be able to do something good without stepping on other people’s

toes. If he’s even half as creative in his process of doing his music then he’s

got a good product and other than that he should be writing stories. Yes, he

should be doing books, he really should.

AllHipHop.com: What

did you think about the physical threats directed to Charles Hamilton?

Ma Dukes: Oh my God! I felt that way so what can I say? I

was like, “If I can get my hands around his neck!” Like I said though, don’t bring

the ghetto out (of me). I don’t like that part, but you know I was born and raised in

Detroit, lower east side and in the ghetto so it’s not prim and proper. And

hey, I got friends on every walk of life so nothing would faze me but I

wouldn’t want to go into that kind of thought process cause when people do

things like that it kind of takes you out of your norm and you kind of think

about, “Well, you know what should I really do?” That’s not very good, the

position he put himself in. It was like a thoughtless process. You’re just

going to go step out into a black hole, and that’s literally what he did from

what I saw of the responses. It was like everybody was looking at their

computer at that time. I hope he will recover from it, he better watch it

(laughs). I got like dozens and dozens of calls and they were all for the same

thing the last couple of days. “Who is this guy? What in the hell is going on?”

And when I told them I didn’t know him they got even madder and so it was going

back and forth with the same people who were going to Twitter and just blowing

him out of the water. That’s not a good thing, if he ever wants to make it he’s

got to come out of this mess first (laughs). House Shoes is like a police watch

and he [Charles] should’ve known that just about anything that goes up someone

is watching all the time. I don’t think I would’ve done that on my dumbest day

(laughs) and stepped out there like that not knowing what to fall back on. I

mean at least you should be able to know what you’re talking about, know who

you’re talking about, before you same something. He came hardnosed like he knew

what he was talking about.

AllHipHop.com: Of

what is its current status?

Ma Dukes: The J Dilla Foundation has not been up and

operating in the past year. I’m bringing that back around August when I get

myself settled I’ll be able to start working on it again in August so by the

end of the year it will be back up but it will be international. I’m still

contemplating a name change though because of all the stuff that went around

it. I’m trying to figure out if I should use one of Dilla’s other names like

one that has not been used before that’s from his early years. So I got to talk

to my daughter about that because she has all his secrets (laughs).

AllHipHop.com: What’s

road that you are traveling?

Ma Dukes: Well, I’m just gonna pray that he owns up to his

own stuff and gets his stuff together before someone comes after him. If he’s

releasing stuff like that and that name like that, and beats like that, then

he’s setting himself up for a really big law suit if he doesn’t get it right.

He needs to just maybe lay back and get it straight. That’s my advice because

I’ve seen it done too many times. Some people will do it when they have no

benefit coming from it but they’ll still go after him. You’ve got people out

there and when you’re talking about Dilla they’re not buying it. As an artist

it’s a bad start. I don’t wish him any ill; he just needs to get it right. We

all make mistakes it’s just that the first remedy is to own up to it and he

hasn’t done that yet. And that’s silly when you don’t apologize for things and don’t

own up to what you’ve done. He has some issues to address that have nothing to

do with music. I do expect respect at the end of the day.

From rumors, Twitter, blogs, and interviews, Charles Hamilton has voiced his side of the recent J Dilla controversy surrounding his debut release.

From AllHipHop.com, to calling enraged fans, the pleasantly pink emcee has made comments regarding everything from family acquaintances to philanthropy and even to paranormal experiences with the late Detroit legend.

Now, as everyone knows the other side of the spectrum must be heard. AllHipHop.com sat down with the leading voice of the opposition and more widely Detroit as a whole, DJ House Shoes, to get a greater understanding on the state of affairs.

AllHipHop.com: First off, I wanted to know what your knowledge of Charles Hamilton was before the entire situation occurred.

House Shoes: I wanna say the first time I heard about him was that little Donuts mixtape s**t he had [Charles Hamilton’s Dilla Inspired mixtape: And Then They Played Dilla]. I’ve never heard the s**t, I’ve never had any desire to listen to it but some mother f**ker told me he was on there. Cats was already running that s**t into the ground though you know what I’m saying, rapping over all these Dilla beats and giving that s**t away and all that bull s**t. It’s one of those situations that need to be handled but cats told me he was playing with the beats on there and adding extra drums and all kinds of little hoe s**t. Its like, “You don’t play with them beats man. You don’t play with them period.” If Dilla was here he’d be f***ing ready to get you off of some s**t like that. I mean the catalogue has been raped by MySpace rappers. It’s a whole new age where cats don’t respect. Mixtapes to me have just turned into an excuse for a mother f***er to not have to pay for no beats. I know if I have a beat tape that I’m circulating – and I don’t even have my s**t out like that – but if I hand it to my homies it might spread a little bit but that don’t mean you f***ing go in the studio and cut a joint and throw that s**t out for the world, you don’t know what the f*** is going on with them beats. It’s like that Dilla s**t, Dilla’s gone aint no more beats to be made so if y’all keep running them mother f***ers into the ground y’all decreasing the value. This is a serious f***ing economical situation. Ma Dukes gotta get right man this s**t is grimey right now. Cats just don’t know it’s like, “Aw s**t I don’t need permission I can just rhyme all over this s**t.” Jay was about getting his money man.

AllHipHop.com: What was your initial reaction to the posting of the artwork that included James Yancey as Executive Producer?

House Shoes: I’ve never followed that mother f***er on Twitter because ever since that s**t [And Then They Played Dilla]. But my boy sent me a link to artwork on his album and I seen that s**t and I was like, “What the f*** is he doing? What the f*** is this cat thinking?” So that’s when I hit him up with my little Twitter message like, “Dilla called me from heaven and said he don’t know you mother f***er,” You know my typical ra-ra s**t that I get on from time to time when cats f*** around. Then he called Sweeney (Andres) from Classic Drug References and Andres just happened to have a little tape recorder next to the phone and now that conversations online for all of y’all to see talking about how he was really close to the Yancey family and he f***ed with Phat Kat. I immediately got on the phone after that and called Ma Dukes, Ma Dukes don’t know who the f*** this cat is and she never spoke to this cat.

AllHipHop.com: What was your conversation like with Ma Dukes?

House Shoes: I just called her up like, “Do you know uh anybody that is a rapper named Charles Hamilton?” And she was like, “Na, I’ve never heard of him. I’ve never talked to him.” And I was telling her about that s**t and she was like, “Oh hell na!”

AllHipHop.com: Did you get a chance to catch any of the new comments that he made in regards to his decision to put Dilla as Executive Producer?

House Shoes: He’s just building his lies up. Nothing that he said is true, nothing. And honestly you have to go through proper channels and there is paper work that has to be filled out for that executive producer s**t. That’s part of the whole s**t that goes into writing so how is James Yancey the executive producer? This aint no small independent label, this is Interscope Records, they dot all the ‘I’s and cross all the ‘T’s.

AllHipHop.com: Legally is James Yancey the same as J Dilla, in terms of usage and trademarks?

House Shoes: Legally they’re one in the same, I’ve done talked to cats. That’s why the label made him take the s**t down [Editor’s note: Charles Hamilton took it down, not Interscope Records] like that s**t has been changed.

AllHipHop.com: It’s interesting how that could have legally gotten through the door at Interscope.

House Shoes: It’s f***ing hilarious man and it’s really obscene too. Cats that really know the situation know that it’s an estate situation and the estate controls everything and Ma Dukes aint got a penny off of s**t since Dilla passed. So you’re talking about raising money for Ma Dukes but you apparently don’t even know the situation. Because even if that s**t was all properly taken care of that s**t would’ve gone straight to the estate and it would sit there.

AllHipHop.com: He said it would go to the J Dilla foundation which –

House Shoes: There hasn’t been a J Dilla Foundation. The estate shut the J Dilla Foundation down two years ago. “The J Dilla Music Foundation” (laughs) that’s the first time that s**t’s ever been spoken like that, ever. There’s no such thing, there never has been.

AllHipHop.com: What was your reaction to the paranormal comments.

House Shoes: Man that s**t was f***ing crazy man. He’s f***ing crazy, I don’t think we need to get into detail on that. I think pretty much everybody knows this mother f***er is crazy from the Black S#### s**t. Black S####’s my man and he’s lucky that s**t happened to S#### because if that s**t happened to a number of people I know that s**t would’ve come down completely different. How you gonna look me in the face and tell me that my s**t is your s**t? This is my joint and you took it off my MySpace and you rhyming on it onstage, I know what my s**t is and I’m talking from a producers angle. I don’t know who out there would’ve not punched this mother f***er in the face. S####, peace and love and all that s**t, I respect that you’re a laid back cat but I probably would’ve punched him in the face right there.

AllHipHop.com: Speaking of punching someone in the face, some of your threats on Twitter were pretty physical. Do you think that was more heat of the moment? House Shoes: I mean it was in the heat but the s**t had to do with the executive producer s**t. But when he started laughing off the D and saying, “This was my whole plan to put shine on the D.” Na, we don’t need you to get us shine mother f***er, Detroit runs the whole world on this rap s**t. We stay f**king five to ten years ahead of these mother f***ers. Are you serious dog? And then he started saying out of pocket s**t like, “Peace to all my real Detroit cats,” like f***ing Trick Trick and trying to make himself look like he actually f***s with anyone from Detroit. These cats are heated that he’s even got their name in his mouth. There are a lot of cats that really wanna beat the breaks off this dude.

AllHipHop.com: What if Charles came to Detroit?

House Shoes: Charles isn’t going to Detroit. Charles won’t be going to Detroit.

AllHipHop.com: Royce was pretty adamant about making sure Charles was cool with Detroit and that nobody messed with him –

House Shoes: I mean I talked to Royce, and I mean that’s his man, he f**ks with Sonic. But Royce is the homie, that’s my man. We move as a family man, we got a real small circle of cats that got that s**t. It’s a really tight close knit circle and when a decision is made its unanimous and an agreement will be made between everybody, we all ride together. But that was another reason why this s**t got bigger than it was. He recanted, he hit me up and was like, “I talked to Royce and I understand where y’all coming from and I love Detroit, email me your number.” I was like “Na, I aint trying to talk to you.” Then maybe an hour later he put some s**t up on his Twitter like, “Waiting on the knock of the door, were y’all killers at.” [Ambulance sirens heard in the background] Damn I think they might have gotten him dog (laughs). Another thing man, cats gotta be careful because it’s easy to find people, it’s a small circle. He gotta learn to watch his mouth.

AllHipHop.com: So Charles is banned from Detroit?

House Shoes: Like I said, it’s a unanimous decision. He can’t go there.

AllHipHop.com: Charles did announce that he removed Dilla off of any connection to the project. Where do you go from here?

House Shoes: I mean he’s still talking s**t about Detroit. As far as the D s**t goes and his safety once you cross that line back home that s**t is permanent. We all know about the no fly zone anyway.

AllHipHop.com: If Charles were to take the proceeds and directly give it to Ma Dukes and the Yancey family do you think that would be any consolation for what was done?

House Shoes: That would be really beautiful but I mean honestly now at this point that wasn’t his intentions in the beginning because this whole entire s**t is a figment of his imagination so for him to do that now would be like, “I gotta do this s**t because it’s the only possible exit I have with this situation.”

AllHipHop.com: I mean Charles did try to justify saying, “loving someone’s work so much that you want to help their family out.”

House Shoes: Man that whole s**t is suspect because if really from his heart he intended to do that s**t and his artwork has been online for like a month so this s**t is probably like 6 or 7 months old and you never took any type of step to see how you were actually trying to do it? Just on some real s**t, if you were placing his name on top of your s**t and it’s above and beyond damn near anything else on the album for people to see, if that’s really your intention you aint gonna let a mother f***er know? This aint “ADD Records” this is Interscope Records and on top of this s**t it’s a free f***ing download. How are you getting money off a free download? If anybody in the world can explain to me how you can raise money off of some free s**t I want to know because I’m doing something wrong. If I can learn how to make money from some free sh*t that’d be awesome. It’s like I’m going to create this restaurant and cook up all the food and give it away for free. Didn’t he used to be on drugs? I think he still is. He’s gotta still be on heroin, he gotta get on celebrity rehab or some s**t on Oprah’s show. I don’t have time to hate on s**t I just have my opinion. There’s a lot of s**t that I love in this mother f***er, I got a three month year old son I aint walking around all mad. If I don’t like your s**t, I don’t like it, and if you give me a reason to really state my s**t publicly don’t f***ing don’t get House Shoes mad, don’t get Detroit mad. I’m not out to hurt this mother f***er I’m just trying to show the world what a f***ing liar he is and make him look really bad at what he’s trying to do.

AllHipHop.com: What do you think Dilla would think about all of this?

House Shoes: Dilla would be on his way over there when the mixtape [Charles Hamilton’s Dilla Inspired mixtape: And Then They Played Dilla] came out. Dilla didn’t like mother f***ers playing with his f***ing music, that was the initial violation. That beat s**t, playing with the beats. Dilla would have been like, “Na dog, why are you playing with my s**t?” When he first started making s**t and doing the Tribe s**t and the Pharcyde s**t, engineers were mixing his joints and f***ing them all up and that’s why all that later s**t for the last six or seven years of his life you heard, all that s**t was two track s**t, like left to right, “Y’all aint f**king with my s**t.”

Editors Note: An interview with J. Dilla’s mother, Ms. Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey surrounding the Charles Hamilton/J. Dilla controversy will run later this week, exclusively on AllHipHop.com.