J Dilla

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J Dilla

J Dilla 

James Dewitt Yancey, better known to the world as J Dilla, was born in 1974. He was raised on the east side of Detroit, where his mother was a former opera singer and his father was a jazz bassist. With that kind of family tree- it's easy to see how Dilla would go on to become one of hip-hops most influential producers. He first came to prominence when he formed Slum Village with two of his high school friends in 1988. Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest heard some of Dilla’s beats and soon helped spread the word. Dilla would go on to produce for the Parcyde (“Runnin’”), De La Soul (“Stakes is High”) and A Tribe Called Quest (“Stressed Out”) as well as Busta Rhymes (“So Hardcore”), and an unaccredited remix for Janet Jackson in the ‘90s. He also did notable work with the Soulquarians, a loosely associated neo-soul collective with the likes of Questlove, Common, Erykah Badu, D’Angelo, Most Def and Talib Kweli. It wasn’t until 2001’s Welcome 2 Detroit that the name J Dilla would appear on the cover of an album- and then it was official- Dilla was now a solo artist. His uniqueness began to shine more brightly on his first solo effort to hit the charts, 2003’s Ruff Draft. He honed his beat-making technique working with Madlib on 2003’s Champion Sound (billed as Jaylib). He then reached his creative peak with 2006’s Donuts, a breakthrough in recorded music. Dilla’s sampling was a reinvention of hip-hop framed through the lens of Detroit’s multi-decade legacy, including live excursions into techno, electric jazz and Afro-funk. Unfortunately, Dilla would passed away, a victim of cardiac arrest due to a rare blood disease,  the week Donuts was released. Songs like “Waves,” “Airworks,” and “U-Love” show Dilla’s impressive sampling technique where he was able to identify microscopic moments with no vocals, chop them manually, and play them back through electronic pads as if they were just one long seamless loop. Watch this video of Questlove remembering this process when he worked with Dilla in the late ‘90s. Since his passing, there have been a treasure-trove of re-issues and posthumously released albums and his legacy and output is in good hands, as it is now overseen by his mother. Here is a list of awesome compilations, remasters & re-issues: Donuts EP: J. Rocc’s Picks (EP), The Shining, Jay Love Japan, Jay Deelicious 95-98: The Delicious Vinyl Years (Originals, Remixes & Rarities), Jay Stay Paid, Dillanthology 1: Dilla’s Productions for Various Artists, Dillanthology 2: Dilla’s Remixes for Various Artists, Dillanthology 3: Dilla’s Productions, Donut Shop (EP), Dillatroit (EP), Rebirth of Detroit, Lost Tapes, Reels + More, The Lost Scrolls, Vol. 1 (EP), Diamonds & Ice (EP), Give Them What They Want (EP), Jay Dee a.k.a. J Dilla ‘The King of Beats’ (Box Set), Jay Dee, a.k.a. J Dilla ‘The King of Beats’, Vol. 2: Lost Scrolls, Dillatronic, Jay Dee’s Ma Dukes Collection, The Diary, Back to the Crib (a DJ mix he made at 17-years-old!), Motor City, and J Dilla’s Delights, Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. The breadth and scale of his work cannot be understated. Because it’s a thrilla’.

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J Dilla