J DILLA
Genres: Jazz Related Electronica, Hip-Hop • United States

Real Name: James Dewitt Yancey American hip hop DJ/producer. Born: 7 February 1974 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Died: 10 February 2006 in Los Angeles, California, USA (aged 32). James Dewitt Yancey, better known by his stage name J Dilla or Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as a member of the group Slum Village, and made his name with Common, A Tribe Called Quest, and as Jaylib in which he collaborated with Madlib. He was also a member of the production team trio The Ummah with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad. He started his career under the name Jay Dee (based on his initials) but used the name J Dilla from 2001 onward. Many critics believe his work to have had a major influence on his peers and that he embodied the neo-soul sound, playing a defining yet understated read more...