In 2003 , Dilla revealed his motivations behind writing the song : " That 's a song I been wanting to do for a long-ass time . I need to do a Part 2 actually . It 's getting so crazy in Detroit now with the police , man . I just felt like I wanted to speak on it . People knew it from N.W.A , but I just wanted to touch it on a more underground level so the people that I fuck with can relate too and people know that it 's still going on , " said the late producer . " It 's real , yeah ! It 's like you can go through life and act like it 's not , but I deal with it everyday , for real , just riding in a nice car they 'll fuck with you . You are harassed for just being a Black person in Detroit , it 's so stupid . " In an interview years later , his mother , Maureen " Ma Dukes " Yancey , gave further detail on Dilla 's reason and motivation for the song : " That song was totally true . He caught so much flack from the police for being a clean young man . The police department was down the street from where we lived , and every time he pulled off they 'd stop him and harass him . They even tossed the car once looking for something ; because he was young and clean-cut , they thought he was selling drugs . D12 rapper Proof was at the house one evening when James had another run-in with them . He had only gone to the gas station which was three doors away . I told him not to get upset because he was hurt to tears . He was so angry and just tired of being harassed , so I told him , '' Look , this is what you do : you go downstairs and make a song about it , and you laugh in their face . '' And that 's when he came up with the ' F the Police ' thing . And people are still singing it today ! Every time I go somewhere , that 's one of the songs they play . " " Fuck the Police " was originally recorded for his major label debut , '' The Diary '' , which was intended to be released on MCA Records around 2001 . However , the song was turned down by MCA Records , who was perhaps concerned as the song was released just a week after the September 11 attacks . The label seemingly did not want to receive any ominous , unsolicited letters from the FBI . J Dilla still wanted the message of his experience , in urban Detroit , to permeate the conversation . Thus , he altered the song 's introduction , and brought the song to California-based indie imprint Up Above Records , who would release it in 2001 on a 12-inch vinyl
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Fuck the Police (J Dilla song)