J Dilla

"Jay Dee" redirects here. For the Dutch house producer and DJ, see Jaydee. For the Canadian country singer, see Jaydee Bixby. For the American comedian, see Jay Dee (comedian).

J Dilla
J Dilla in 2004
J Dilla in 2004
Background information
Birth nameJames Dewitt Yancey
Also known as
  • Jay Dee
  • Dilla
  • Dilla Dawg
Born(1974-02-07)February 7, 1974
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedFebruary 10, 2006(2006-02-10) (aged 32)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • drummer
  • rapper
  • songwriter
Instruments
Discography
Years active1993–2006
Labels
Formerly of

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006),[5][6] better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged during the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as a member of the group Slum Village. He was also a member of the Soulquarians, a musical collective active during the late 1990s and early 2000s.[7] He additionally collaborated with Madlib as Jaylib, releasing the album Champion Sound. Yancey's final album was Donuts, which was released days before his death.

Yancey died at the age of 32 from a combination of TTP and lupus. Although his life was short, he is considered to be one of the most influential producers in hip hop and popular music.[8] J Dilla's music raised the artistic level of hip-hop production in Detroit.[9] According to The Guardian, "His affinity for crafting lengthy, melodic loops peppered with breakbeats and vocal samples took instrumental hip-hop into new, more musically complex realms."[10] In particular, his approach to drum programming, with its loose, or "drunk" style that experimented with non-standard quantization, has been influential on producers and drummers.

  1. ^ "Orchestral Interpretations of J Dilla + Kenny Keys". Time Out. June 13, 2019. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  2. ^ Cochrane, Naima (March 26, 2020). "2000: A Soul Odyssey". Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  3. ^ Coplan, Chris (April 5, 2013). "J Dilla's electronic phase documented in new compilation, Lost Tapes, Reels + More". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  4. ^ Beaubien, Sam (October 17, 2019). "Sam's Jams: How J Dilla, Detroit Hip-Hop Pioneer, Changed Modern Music". WDET. Retrieved January 23, 2021.
  5. ^ "Jay Dee | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  6. ^ "J Dilla | Music Biography, Credits and Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved February 5, 2014.
  7. ^ Fonseca, Anthony J.; Goldsmith, Melissa Ursula Dawn, eds. (2018). "J He brought revolutionary techniques to the producing world. Reinventing techniques for sampling". Hip Hop Around the World: An Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-0-313-35759-6.
  8. ^ Charnas, Dan (January 23, 2022). "How J Dilla Reinvented Rhythm". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 15, 2022.
  9. ^ Rubin, Mike (October 10, 2013). "The 411 On The 313: A Brief History of Detroit Hip-Hop". Complex. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  10. ^ MacInnes, Paul (June 12, 2011). "J Dilla dies". The Guardian. Retrieved July 10, 2021.