Proof Keep It On The Low (Ft. J Dilla)

April 11 is the anniversary of Proof's passing. For anyone in the dark, Proof and his lineage are without equal in Detroit, from Eminem to J Dilla, Proof was a connecting thread between the hip-hop scene. Few other MCs cared and carried for the city with just devotion. Even as his star rose alongside Marshall Mathers, Proof always maintained a presence.

This year, in celebration of his life, Paul Rosenberg of Shady Records unearthed "Keep It On The Low," a track J Dilla and Proof composed in the 90s during their Funky Cowboy phase. Soon afterwards Hex Murda shared the following story:

"I guess I'll tell y'all this dumb-ass Proof story. That nigga was crazy. One day, a buncha niggas including @1stBornZ8neKing and Proof were on my porch (being porch monkeys) drinking and talking shit. Proof saw my brother @RaMegz on the other side of the street about to make the turn around the island to come to my crib and had a brilliant idea. He decided to climb my tree and leap on my brother's head when he walked to the porch. So this grown-ass nigga Proof scampered up my tree and climbed out on a limb in like 6 seconds to wait on my brother. @RaMegz finally made the turn, parked in front of my crib and got out of his truck not suspecting shit.

All this time Proof  is in my tree hanging onto a limb like a damn spider monkey.  @RaMegz started up the walk, and Proof waited on him. Me and @1stBornZ8neKing keep looking back and forth from @RaMegz to Proof to see how this shit was gonna play out. Right before my brother walked under Proof, the limb snapped and P HumptyDumpty'd his way to the ground. Proof fell directly on his back HARD, barely avoiding the cement walkway. We were too stunned to laugh. @RaMegz kept looking up to see if anymore people were falling from the sky. Proof was just laying there, still clutching the limb. Finally somebody said, "U alright, dog?" Proof got up still holding onto the limb with one hand, brushed himself off, and without a word ran to his truck and threw the branch in back. @1stBornZ8neKing jumped in the passenger seat and these niggas peeled out of my driveway, went over the island and headed east on 96.

I have no idea why I followed them but I did, leaving all those niggas at my house and getting into a 100mph race on the freeway. At one point @1stBornZ8neKing threw the limb out into my path. I had to swerve and shit. I followed these niggas all the way from Ewald and Davison to @Dogmatic313's on Gratiot and Kilbourne. Detroit niggas kno how far that is. We laughed at our own stupidity and drank some more. I forgot all about that shit.

At about 4am that night I heard gun shots real close. I think someone is shooting up the downstairs. I grab my heat and look out the window. I see Proof's truck and an outline of a nigga that looks like Proof. I go outside it is Proof. Standing five feet from my tree. Reloading. I ask him what the fuck he's doing. He said that my tree tried to kill him and now he has beef with it. The nigga had been shooting my tree. Emptied a clip in it and in the coming months he wld shoot it periodically. It got to the point I wldnt even grab my gun and look outside. I knew it was him. Dog was crazy and that really isn't the end of the story, I just cut the story short. This shit went on for years. It got to the point he was attacking other niggas foliage because of me. Proof jumped in @Marvwon's mama's bushes and said it was because Marv was down with me, he fucked those bushes up. Proof would go on world tours and send me post-cards threatening my tree. "Yeah nigga, I'm in Switzerland. Tell yo tree I'll holla."