Frank-N-Dank

Dispensing rhymes obsessed with girls and late-night adventures, Frank Bush and Derrick "Dank" Harvey, known collectively as Frank-n-Dank, were hustling on the streets of Detroit's east side before mentor and revered producer Jay Dee (aka Dilla) channeled their talents into music. Growing up together in Detroit's Conant Gardens area, the three 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. However, the Frank-n-Dank tag team came to fruition in 1995 as they both began sharpening their rhyme skills. In the initial stages of the duo, Frank-n-Dank were entirely produced by Jay Dee, even while the producer was a full-time member of another Conant Gardens-bred group, Slum Village. Their first 12" singles, "Everybody Get Up" b/w "Give It Up, Pt. 2" and "Love Is a Thing of the Past," appeared in 1999 via Fat Beats Records before the duo signed to major label MCA the following year. The duo continued to release Dilla-produced underground 12"s, selling relatively well overseas, through Up Above, Groove Attack, and ABB. However, all of the effort that went in to making their major-label debut, 48 Hours, was cast to the side as MCA refused to support and release the album. (A bootlegged version of the LP was eventually released in 2003.) Frank-n-Dank kept their name afloat by contributing verses to various Jay Dee projects, including Welcome 2 Detroit (2001) and the Dilla/Madlib collaboration Champion Sound (2003), and finally issued their official debut, Xtended Play, Version 3.13, in 2006. When Jay Dee passed away earlier that year, it left a big void in the group's musical direction, but they still attempted to remain intact his hip-hop soul blueprint on subsequent releases, offering both The EP and the CD/DVD combo European Vacation in 2007. The latter effort chronicled some of Jay Dee's last days and also debuted the FDR Project, which consists of Frank-n-Dank plus former B.R. Gunna producer Young RJ.