J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer 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.

"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
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
Discography
Years active1993–2006
Labels
Formerly of
  • Jaylib
  • Slum Village
  • Soulquarians
  • The Ummah

Yancey died at the age of 32 from a combination of TTP and lupus. Although his life was short, he is considered one of the most influential producers in hip hop and popular music. J Dilla's music raised the artistic level of hip-hop production in Detroit. 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." 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.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.