Priddy Ugly On Why ‘Dust Deluxe’ Missed the Original Anniversary Release

During a recent episode of The Element Podcast, Priddy Ugly revealed the behind-the-scenes story of why the deluxe edition of his album Dust did not drop on its originally intended date. He explained that the initial plan was to release “Dust Deluxe” on the anniversary of Dust which falls on 26 January this year.

He said: “I wanted to drop Dust Deluxe on the anniversary of Dust which is the 26th of January this year and that was the conversation at the label. We had a difficult patch, we went throughout the whole of 2024 not talking; in fact our relationship was via e-mail.”

He continued by recounting how the situation evolved: “Summer season last year they reached out to me like ‘Yoh man we’re not really happy with how things have transpired between us, we really want to make amends, let’s come together.’ And I was like yeah because technically I haven’t fulfilled my contractual obligations with you guys, I owe you five songs to finish up my contract with y’all.”

Priddy went on to describe the moment when things seemed to move forward, saying that after the SAMAs, where he had won, it was, according to him, when he had had a discussion with the label about releasing Dust Deluxe on the anniversary of Dust and adding the five songs he owed the label to that deluxe project.

However, the path to release was far from smooth. “That was the goal and then it’s red tape after that, the music is ready and then there’s just them not particularly being satisfied with all the music and wanting to swap things around. I’m submitting ten songs and say choose five, and they’re choosing two, and I was like okay, back to the drawing boards.” He admitted that this process was disheartening: “And for me it was also a bit disheartening because like these songs are songs that we really believed in.”

Ultimately, the timing window for the anniversary drop slipped away. “That was the whole process and by the time that was done, it was top of the year and we’d already missed that window. And once the music was ready it was just like now we need to get clearance from all the artists.” According to Priddy Ugly, the project eventually ended up being released on 26 September.

In sharing this account, Priddy Ugly provides a candid look into the complexities of album rollout: creative confidence meeting label negotiations, contractual obligations, labels’ differing visions, and the practical hurdles of clearance and timing. For fans of South African hip-hop, this story offers deeper context behind the final version of Dust Deluxe and highlights the patience and perseverance required behind the scenes.