Elzhi is a former member of Slum Village and now records as a solo artist.
10 Facts About Elzhi
1.
2.
In 1998, Elzhi recorded a number of songs with Detroit hip-hop artist DJ Houseshoes with DJ Rios.
3.
In late 2000, Elzhi acquired Dilla's master tapes and provided his close friends with CD's of the Out of Focus EP, plus 3 extra tracks.
4.
Dilla asked Elzhi to take his place in the group Slum Village because he believed in Elzhi's gift and Dilla was battling Lupus.
5.
Elzhi uses a verse he had originally recorded for the DJ Houseshoes-produced "What I Am", a discarded song from the Out of Focus sessions.
6.
In 2000, Elzhi began extensive collaboration with Waajeed, and the pair created an untold number of songs.
7.
But, recognizing their chemistry, Baatin and T3 invited Elzhi to become a full-time member, a choice enthusiastically supported by J Dilla.
8.
In July 2010, Elzhi officially announced his departure from Slum Village.
9.
On May 10,2011, Elzhi released a mixtape as an homage to Nas's debut album Illmatic, with Will Sessions recreating the sounds of the iconic album.
10.
In November 2013, Elzhi successfully raised over $37,000 for a Kickstarter project designed to facilitate the creation and release of his next studio album.