Dylan Dilinjah first gained prominence in the early 2000s when he appeared on the second iteration of MTV’s Making The Band. Since the reality show ended, however, fans have barely seen or heard from the rapper. It seems the spotlight dimmed significantly as the camera stopped rolling. While Dilinjah’s journey seemed to be destined for greatness, his trajectory took an unexpected turn. During a recent interview on We Are Flatbush, Dilinjah spoke about what happened after Making The Band. The rapper also spoke about how he believes that Dave Chappelle’s skit from 2004 ruined his musical career. Here’s what happened to Dylan Dilinjah since he finished with Making The Band.
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Dylan Dilinjah And Da Band
Making The Band 2 ran for three seasons between 2002 and 2004. At the end of the first season, Da Band was formed, and the members subsequently began recording their debut album. The Hip Hop group comprised six members, including Sara Rivers, Chopper “Young City,” Babs, E. Ness, Freddy P, and Dylan Dilinjah. Despite internal conflicts, creative differences, and the pressures of the music industry, Da Band successfully finished their project. Subsequently, the album, Too Hot for T.V, was released on September 30, 2003.
The album’s two singles “Bad Boy This, Bad Boy That,” and “Tonight” were sleeper hits, both appearing on Billboard charts. The entire album effectively showcased the group’s versatility, individual talents, and collective strength. However, despite how good they sounded together, their time together was quite short. Diddy dissolved the group during the finale of season three. This marked the end of the road for Da Band. However, while Diddy chose to keep working with Babs, Ness, and Chopper, he dropped Dylan Dilinjah and Da Band’s other two members from Bad Boy completely. For some fans, this was the last they heard of Dylan Dilinjah.
The Infamous Chappelle's Show Skit
On March 24, 2004, Dave Chappelle’s Making The Band skit aired on Comedy Central's Chappelle's Show. In the six-minute video, Chappelle hilariously parodies the reality show, impersonating both Diddy and Dylan Dilinjah. The most hilarious and memorable character in the sketch is undoubtedly Chappelle’s caricature of Diddy. However, the comedian’s portrayal of Dilinjah is also quite funny. During the sketch, Chappelle, portraying Dilinjah, jokes, “Who are the five best rappers of all time? Think about it. Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, Dylan, and Dylan, because I spit hot fire.” Inarguably one of the highlights of the sketch, it certainly left a mark on viewers. As a matter of fact, according to Dylan Dilinjah, it left too much of an impression, and almost ended his musical career.
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2024 Interview With We Are Flatbush
Since Making the Band 2 wrapped in 2004, Dylan Dilinjah has mostly flown under the radar. During his interview with We Are Flatbush on March 1, 2024, he shared why he believes things took a downturn for him. He explicitly claimed that Dave Chappelle’s skit from 2004 did more harm than good for his career as a rapper. According to Dilinjah, soon after the sketch, barely anybody was interested in working with him anymore. “Any time I send my music to DJs, they say, 'oh, that's the n***a that Dave Chappelle made fun of, nah, I'm good on that,’” he said. “Not only that, but now, every promoter says, ‘nah, we’re not booking him.’ So now I have a newborn, and the fridge is empty in 2005, and no one is calling me. Everyone is laughing.”
Continuing, Dylan Dilinjah narrated, “At that time, no one picking up they phone. Not one label; and at that time, you had to sign to a record label. And I called all of them direct. And they said, ‘I can't help you.’ That joke took over. That joke burned [my career].” However, the rapper shared that it wasn’t all bad for him over the years. Dylan Dilinjah acknowledged that he saw some success from the skit in subsequent years, just not in music. He shared that he trademarked the joke, released a craft beer called “Top 5” in 2021, and currently appears on FUBU Radio every Sunday.
Conclusion
Evidently, even though he now believes he was done wrong, Dylan Dilinjah has been busy. However, some onlookers believe he’s trying to start a fake beef with Dave Chappelle. This is because, in a 2014 interview with Uproxx, Dilinjah seemingly expressed appreciation for all the attention Chappelle's skit brought his way. The comedian has yet to address Dilinjah’s new claims.
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