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J Dilla

J Dilla
Background information
Birth name	James Dewitt Yancey
Also known as	J Dilla, Jay Dee
Born	February 7, 1974(1974-02-07)
Died	February 10, 2006 (aged 32)
Genre(s)	Hip Hop Soul Experimental
Occupation(s)	Producer MC Multi-Instrumentalist
Instrument(s)	MPC Turntable Sampler Drum Machine Macintosh Piano Bass Guitar Drums Guitar Flute
Years active	1993-2006
Label(s)	Delicious Vinyl BBE MCA Stones Throw
Associated acts	1st Down The Ummah Slum Village J-88 A Tribe Called Quest Soulquarians Frank N Dank Jaylib
Website	J Dilla at Stones Throw Records

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974–February 10, 2006), better known as J Dilla, or Jay Dee, was an American hip hop producer and MC, who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as "Jay Dee" but used the name "J Dilla" from 2001 on. Many critics believe J Dilla's work to have had a major influence on his peers,^[1] and that he embodied the neo soul sound, playing a defining yet understated role during the sub-genre's rise (roughly from the mid-90s to the early 2000s). J Dilla was often dubbed "your favorite producer's favorite producer", and was highly regarded by mainstream artists and producers such as Common, Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, Just Blaze, Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams,and ?uestlove. ^[2].

Jay Dee was the second eldest of four children \including an older brother (Earl), a younger brother (Johnny, otherwise known as Illa J), and a younger sister. The family lived in a house situated near McDougall and East Nevada, off E. 7 Mile in Detroit.^[3] He developed a vast musical knowledge from his parents (his mother, Maureen, is a former opera singer, his father was a jazz bassist). At a young age, he began acquiring a large collection of records which inspired him to learn multiple instruments. He had developed a passion for MCing, and formed a rap group called Slum Village with schoolmates T3 (R.L. Altman), and Baatin (Titus Glover) at Pershing High School. He had also taken up beatmaking, using a simple tapedeck as the center of his studio.^[4] Jay Dee also had a passion for planes and attended a school of Aeronautics.^[5]

In 1992, he met experienced Detroit musician Amp Fiddler, who was impressed by what Jay Dee was able to accomplish with such limited tools. Amp Fiddler let Jay Dee use his MPC, which he learned quite quickly. In 1995, Jay Dee and MC Phat Kat formed 1st Down, and would be the first Detroit hip hop group to sign with a major label (Payday Records) - a deal that was ended after one single when the label folded. That same year he recorded The Album That Time Forgot with 5 Elementz (a group consisting of the late Proof, Thyme and Mudd).

By the mid 1990s Jay Dee was known as a major hip-hop prospect, with a string of singles and remix projects, for Janet Jackson, Pharcyde, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Q-Tip's solo album and others. Some other Jay Dee productions were released without his name recognition, being credited to The Ummah, A Tribe Called Quest's production team, of which he was a member. In 1995, Jay Dee handled the majority of the production on The Pharcyde's album Labcabincalifornia.

2000 marked the major label debut of Slum Village with Fantastic, Vol. 2, creating a new following for Jay Dee as a producer and an MC. He was also a founding member of the production collective known as The Soulquarians (along with Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson, D'Angelo and James Poyser amongst others) which earned him more recognition and buzz. He subsequently worked with Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, and Common - contributing heavily to the latter's critically acclaimed breakthrough album, Like Water for Chocolate.

His debut as a solo artist came in 2001 with the single "Fuck the Police", followed by the album Welcome 2 Detroit, which kicked off U.K. Independent record label BBE's "Beat Generation" series. In 2001, Jay Dee, began using the name "J Dilla" (an attempt to differentiate himself from Jermaine Dupri who also goes by "J.D."), and left Slum Village to pursue a major label solo career with MCA.

2002 saw Dilla producing the entirety of Frank-N-Dank's 48 Hours, as well as a solo album, but neither record was ever released, although the former did eventually surface through bootlegging.^[6]When Dilla finished working with Frank-N-Dank on the 48 Hours album, MCA Records requested a record with a larger commercial appeal, and the artists re-recorded the majority of the tracks, this time using little to no samples. Despite this, neither versions of the album saw the light of day, and the latter has only been heard as a bootleg. Dilla expressed he was disappointed that the music never got out to the fans.

J Dilla's illness and medication caused dramatic weight loss in 2003 onwards, forcing him to publicly confirm speculation about his health in 2004. He continued to perform and record until his death in 2006.

Dilla was signed to a solo deal with MCA Records in 2002 and completed an album in 2003.^[7][8] Although Dilla was known as a producer rather than an MC, he chose to rap on the album and have the music produced by some of his favorite producers^[9] such as Madlib, Pete Rock, Hi-Tek, Supa Dave West, Kanye West, Nottz, Waajeed and others. The album was shelved due to internal changes at the label and MCA folding into Geffen Records.^[10] In a 2007 video interview, Dilla's friend DJ House Shoes alluded to the possibility of the MCA album finally seeing an official release through Stones Throw Records in the future.^{[citation needed]}

While the record with MCA stalled, Dilla recorded the uncompromising Ruff Draft, released exclusively to vinyl by German label Groove Attack.^[11] Although the album was little known, it signaled a change in sound and attitude, and his work from this point on was increasingly released through independent record labels. In a 2003 interview with Groove Attack, Dilla talked about this change of direction:

LA-based Producer and MC, Madlib, began collaborating with J Dilla, and the pair formed the group Jaylib in 2002, releasing an album called Champion Sound in 2003. J Dilla relocated from Detroit to LA in 2004 and appeared on tour with Jaylib in Spring 2004.

Despite a slower output of major releases and production credits in 2004 and 2005, his cult status remained strong within his core audience, fueled in part by the unauthorized circulation of his underground "beat tapes" (instrumental, and raw working materials), mostly through internet file sharing.

Articles in publications Urb (March 2004) and XXL (June 2005) confirmed rumors of ill health and hospitalization during this period, but these were downplayed by Jay himself. The seriousness of his condition became public in November 2005 when J Dilla toured Europe performing from a wheelchair. It was later revealed that he suffered from TTP, a rare blood disease, and possibly Lupus.^[12]

J Dilla died on February 10, 2006, at his home in Los Angeles, California. According to his mother, Maureen Yancey, the cause was cardiac arrest.^[13]His last album, Donuts was released 3 days earlier, on February 7, 2006.

Aside from Donuts, Dilla completed or nearly completed two more full length releases, during his illness. The first, The Shining, was released on August 8, 2006 by BBE Records. Final production of the album was handled posthumously by Karriem Riggins, whom Dilla had asked to help with the album. According to Riggins, The Shining was "75% completed when Dilla died."^[14] The second, Jay Love Japan, was announced during Dilla's lifetime as an instrumental EP. It was announced an imminent release in at different times in 2005, then in 2006 and 2007 with a track list containing several songs with vocals added after his death.

In March 2007, Ruff Draft was re-released as a double CD, double LP set. The reissue contains previously unreleased material from the Ruff Draft sessions and instrumentals. J Dilla's and Madlib's collaboration album Champion Sound was re-released in June 2007 by Stones Throw Records as a 2CD Deluxe Edition with instrumentals and b-sides. He also has three tracks on the upcoming NBA 2K8 Soundtrack B-Ball Zombie War.

J Dilla's full-length solo 2003 album, recorded while he was signed to MCA Records, remains unreleased. It is possible that his estate, through Stones Throw Records, is in negotiations to release the album in the near future, as alluded to by DJ House Shoes. J Dilla was known for circulating White label records as well as "beat tapes" for those potentially interested in buying beats of his. Consequently, this portion of his musical output is still seldom heard. In addition he was commissioned to remix songs by several high profile artists which, at present, remain rarely heard, such as a remix of "Black Capricorn Day" by English funk outfit Jamiroquai.^[15]

In May 2006, J Dilla's mother announced the creation of The J Dilla Foundation. In February 2007, a year after his death, J Dilla posthumously received the Plug Award's Artist of the Year as well as the award for Record Producer of the Year.^[16]

In 2007 "Modern Day Gangstaz", a song featuring The Notorious B.I.G., Busta Rhymes and Labba, which originally turned up on a mixtape in the late 90s, eventually surfaced in full form.^[17] On November 27, 2007, Rhymes and Mick Boogie released Dillagence, a mixtape of older, and newer previously unreleased tracks featuring the MC over J Dilla productions. The compilation was made free for download or available to purchase from Boogie's website. On November 3 the release made Entertainment Weekly's 'Must' List, a list of records recommended by the magazine's editors.

It has been suggested that a biographical documentary concerning the life of J Dilla is in the works.^[18] The project is said to feature involvement from Mos Def and ?uestlove, among others. It will also feature an orchestral score by producer Carlos Nino and composer Miguel Atwood-Ferguson, which covers some of Dilla's known productions such as A Tribe Called Quest's "Find a Way", and Common's "Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For The World)" - the latter of which was initially heard as a tribute soon after Dilla's death.

Main article: James Yancey Discography

• 1997 Slum Village - Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) (Donut Boy Recordings) (2006 re-release: Counterflow)
• 2000 Slum Village - Fantastic, Vol. 2 (Goodvibe)
• 2000 Slum Village - Best Kept Secret EP (Groove Attack)
• 2001 Welcome 2 Detroit (Barely Breaking Even)
• 2003 Jaylib - Champion Sound (Stones Throw)
• 2003 Ruff Draft EP (Mummy/Groove Attack) (2007 2CD/LP reissue: Stones Throw) U.S. Sales: 17,170^[19]
• 2006 Donuts (Stones Throw)
• 2006 The Shining (Barely Breaking Even)
• 2007 Jay Deelicious: The Delicious Vinyl Years (Delicious Vinyl Records)

Official sites

• J Dilla's MySpace Profile
• J Dilla at Stones Throw Records
• Jay Dee/J Dilla at BBE Music
• J Dilla at Worlds Fair

Articles

• "Jay Dee's last days" — Detroit Free Press, 23 February 2006
• Real Detroit Weekly Feature on Jay Dee
• Jay Dee Feature on TheRootsLive.com
• Friends and peers remember J Dilla

Interviews

• 2004 thickonline.com interview
• James Yancey's last interview