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 who emerged from the
mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan
. According to his obituary at NPR.org, he
"was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists,
working for big-name acts like De La Soul, Busta Rhymes and
Common."
Yancey's career began slowly. He has now become highly regarded,
most notably for the production of critically acclaimed albums by
Common,
Busta Rhymes,
A
Tribe Called Quest, and
The
Pharcyde. He was a member of
Slum
Village for their acclaimed debut album
Fantastic, Vol. 2.
In the early 2000s, Yancey's career as a solo artist began to
improve; A solo album
Welcome 2
Detroit was followed by a collaborative album with
California producer
Madlib,
Champion Sound, which catalyzed the
careers of both artists. Just as his music was becoming
increasingly popular, Yancey died in 2006 of the blood disease
TTP.
Following his death, the hip hop community became centered upon the
music and image of J Dilla. Many of the artists with whom Yancey
worked performed or recorded tributes, and a large group of
followers voiced their support for the late musician. Yancey's
music experienced a rebirth as the producer gained many times more
listeners than he had during his life, partly due to media
exposure. Though several posthumous albums have been released and
others are planned, the massive amounts of unreleased recordings by
the producer remain somewhat undetermined. Yancey's estate has also
been controverted.
Biography
Early life
James Yancey was the second oldest of four children including an
older brother (Earl), a younger sister and a younger brother,
Johnny, also a rapper/producer known as Illa J. The family lived in
a house situated near McDougall and East Nevada, off E.
7 Mile in
Detroit
. He developed a vast musical knowledge from
his parents (his mother is a former opera singer and his father was
a jazz bassist). According to his mother, he could "match pitch
perfect
harmony" by "two-months old", to the
amazement of musician friends and relatives. He began collecting
vinyl at the age of two and would be allowed to spin records in the
park, an activity he enjoyed tremendously as a child.
Along with a wide range of musical genres, Yancey developed a
passion for hip hop music 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. During these teenage years he "stayed in the basement
alone" with his ever-growing collection of records, perfecting his
craft. He later told
Pete Rock when they
met years later that "I was trying to be you."
Early career
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 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 'Yesteryearz' 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. The majority
of these productions were released without his name recognition,
being credited to
The Ummah, a production
collective composed of
Q-Tip and
Ali Shaheed Muhammad of
A Tribe Called Quest, and later
Raphael Saadiq of
Tony! Toni! Toné!. Under this umbrella, Jay did
some of his most big name R&B and hip hop work, churning out
original songs and remixes for Janet Jackson, Busta Rhymes, Brand
New Heavies, Something For the People, trip hop artists
Crustation and many others. This all came off the
heels of Jay handling the majority of production on
The Pharcyde's album
Labcabincalifornia, released in the
holiday season of 1995. Jay Dee's largest-scale feat came in 1997
when he produced Janet Jackson's Grammy winning single "
Got 'til It's Gone" from
The Velvet Rope. The song-writing
credit and subsequent Grammy were both given to
Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis.
Performing career
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 "
Questlove" 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 Records.
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. 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 Dilla expressed he was disappointed that the
music never got out to the fans.
Dilla was signed to a solo deal with
MCA
Records in 2002 and completed an album in 2003. 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
such as
Madlib,
Pete
Rock,
Hi-Tek, Supa Dave West,
Kanye West,
Nottz,
Waajeed, Quebo Kuntry (J.Benjamin) and others. The
album was shelved due to internal changes at the label and MCA
folding into
Geffen Records. 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. In April 2008, the album, called
Pay Jay, began
circulating.
BBC Radio 1Xtra DJ
Benji B played songs from it on his April 18
show, saying that the album is coming out, and people on the
internet privately shared and discussed the album.
While the record with MCA stalled, Dilla recorded the
uncompromising
Ruff Draft,
released exclusively to vinyl by German label Groove Attack.
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:
Later life
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.
J Dilla's
illness and medication
caused dramatic weight loss in 2003 onwards, forcing him to
publicly confirm speculation about his health in 2004. Despite a
slower output of major releases and production credits in 2004 and
2005, his
cult status remained strong
within his core audience, as evident by 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
Thrombotic thrombocytopenic
purpura, a rare blood disease, and possibly
Lupus.
J Dilla
died on February 10, 2006, three days after his 32nd birthday at
his home in Los
Angeles, California
. According to his mother, Maureen Yancey,
the cause was
cardiac arrest. His
last album, titled
Donuts,
was released 3 days earlier, on February 7, 2006.
Posthumous music
Upon his death, Dilla had several projects planned for future
completion and release.
The Shining,
"75% completed when Dilla died," was completed posthumously by
Karriem Riggins and released on
August 8, 2006 on
BBE
Records.
Ruff Draft was reissued as a
double CD/LP set in March 2007 and is sometimes considered his
third solo album. The reissue contains previously unreleased
material from the
Ruff Draft sessions and instrumentals.
Most notably, it was also released in a cassette tape format,
paying homage to Dilla's dirty, grimy sound (he was known for
recording over two-tracked instrumentals).
Jay Love Japan was announced
in 2005 as his debut release on the Operation Unknown label. The
official release remains shrouded in mystery, as various legitimate
and illegitimate versions of this mini-album can be bought online
and in stores.
Champion Sound, J Dilla's
and Madlib's collaborative album, was reissued in June 2007 by
Stones Throw Records as a 2CD
Deluxe Edition with instrumentals and b-sides.
He also produced three tracks on the 2007
Stones Throw Records 2K Sports NBA 2K8
soundtrack,
B-Ball Zombie War.
Dillagence, a
mixtape of previously
unreleased tracks featuring
Busta
Rhymes over Dilla's production, was released in November 2007.
Busta was one of Dilla's most passionate supporters; on the
mixtape, Busta says that, although Dilla's name is not listed in
every Busta album, he did in fact contribute to every solo Busta
album. The compilation was made free for download from
MickBoogie.com.
"Modern Day Gangstaz" (also known as "The Ugliest" and "Dangerous
MCs"), a song produced by Dilla featuring vocals from
The Notorious B.I.G.,
Busta Rhymes, and Labba, which originally
appeared in its original form on a mixtape in the late '90s,
eventually surfaced in full-length form in 2007. This version,
however, is a cut-and-paste job using verses recorded for Biggie's
posthumous
Born Again
album, for which a new beat was used from Nottz.
Pay Jay, the unreleased album that Dilla recorded for MCA
Records, surfaced in bootleg form in 2008. Originally conceived as
the album showcasing Dilla's skills on the microphone, the bootleg
version contained production by Dilla as well as
Kanye West,
Waajeed,
Bink!,
Supa Dave West,
Nottz,
Questlove,
Karriem Riggins, and
Pete Rock.
In 2008,
Q-Tip used one of Dilla's
beats for his song
Move off of
The
Renaissance.
Yancey Boys, by J Dilla's younger brother John Yancey, was
released in 2008 on
Delicious
Vinyl Records. It is produced entirely by J Dilla and features
rapping by his brother, under the name
Illa J.
Stones Throw Records released a digital instrumental version of the
album in 2009.
Jay Stay Paid, or
J$P, an album put together by
Dilla's mother Ms. Yancey and his idol
Pete
Rock. It is composed of early work pulled from Dillas D.A.T.s
as well as later music done during his time in the hospital. Though
largely instrumental, it features appearances by
Black Thought,
Blu,
Havoc, Illa J, Lil Fame of
M.O.P.,
MF DOOM and
Raekwon.
In 2009,
Wu-Tang Clan member
Raekwon also used Dilla beats for his songs "House
of Flying Daggers", "Ason Jones", and "10 Bricks" which are all on
his album
Only Built 4
Cuban Linx II.
Legacy
Ultimately, his death has had a significant impact on the hip hop
community. Besides countless tribute tracks and concerts, Dilla's
death created a wealth of interest in his remaining catalogue, and,
consequently, Dilla's influence on hip hop production became more
apparent.
Dave Chappelle gives a special dedication to J Dilla on his movie
Dave Chappelle's Block
Party, by stating "This film is dedicated to the life and
memory of Music Producer J Dilla, aka Jay Dee (James D. Yancey)".
The film focuses mostly on members of the
Soulquarians, a collective of hip hop musicians
of which Yancey was also a member.
In May 2006, J Dilla's mother announced the creation of "The J
Dilla Foundation'", which will work to cure
lupus.
J Dilla leaves behind two daughters.
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.
Despite these accolades, there have been documented conflicts
between his mother and the executor of his estate
Arthur Erik regarding future Dilla releases. In
an interview with
LA Weekly, Erik
described how difficult it was for the estate to "protect his
legacy" due to bootlegging and unofficial mixtapes.
"Who's Biting J Dilla's Beats?" He stressed how
important it was for the estate to gather all possible income
related to Dilla's name, as Dilla had to borrow money from the
government due to mounting medical bills at the end of his
life.
A few weeks later Dilla's mother, who has appeared on such
unofficial mixtapes such as Busta Rhymes' Dillagence, gave her take
on these issues. In addition to stating that Arthur Erik and
Dilla's estate has chosen not to communicate with his family, she
has stated that he has barred anyone from use of Dilla's likeness
or name .
Mrs. Yancey also has mentioned that Erik was in fact Dilla's
accountant and not his business manager in his lifetime, and that
he fell into his position because she and Dilla were first and
foremost concerned about his health and not with getting paperwork
in order . She also stated that Dilla's friends in the hip hop
community, such as Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Madlib, Common and
The Roots, have contacted her personally for future projects with
Dilla beats, but the estate has vetoed all future projects not
contracted prior to Dilla's death. She also implied that Dilla
would not support the estate's practices, such as their persecution
of bootleggers and file sharers.
Due to Dilla's debt to the government, the family receives no
income from projects. Dilla's children are being supported by the
social security their mothers have drawn. Likewise, Mrs. Yancey is
also still paying off Dilla's medical bills that she helped
finance, leaving her also in tremendous debt. She still lives in
the same Detroit ghetto, is still a daycare worker at Conant
Gardens and also suffers from lupus, the same disease which killed
Dilla. To help pay the cost of medication and keep her household
afloat, Delicious Vinyl donated all proceeds of Jay Dee - The
Delicious Vinyl Years to Mrs. Yancey in 2007. In 2008, Giant Peach
created a donation paypal account for her and RenSoul.com released
a charity mixtape . Despite these actions, it would appear that
little income has been generated, as Stones Throw has just released
a charity t-shirt on its website .
In a recent article on the family's troubles in Vibe magazines, his
mother revealed that the family lost their old home in Detroit due
to her taking care of Dilla in his final days
"The Battle for J Dilla's Legacy". The mother
of one of Dilla's children, Monica Whitlow, also broke her silence
on the issue of the estate and his legacy:
J Dilla's music has also lived on through Cartoon Network's late
night programing block, Adult Swim. His songs Waves, Welcome to the
show, and mash are played in between shows, advertised as,
"bumps."
Notable musical tributes
- Akrobatik pays tribute to Dilla on his
album Absolute Value. In the
song "Put Your Stamp on It", he raps "If hip hop is dead then it
happened the day that Dilla died". The song was produced by Dilla
himself.
- Erykah Badu's 2008 album
New Amerykah
Part One contains a song with Questlove as a tribute to
Dilla titled "Telephone". It is based on a story Dilla's mother
told to Badu about Dilla's visions before his passing. The track
'My People' on New
Amerykah Part One is a reworking of the Dilla's 'People' from
the Donuts album. Badu also dedicates 'The Healer' to Dilla, saying
in her lyrics "this one is for Dilla".
- Busta Rhymes and Mick Boogie
released the free mixtape Dillagence [186555]
- "Forever Begins" from Common's
album Finding Forever is a
tribute to J Dilla.
- De La Soul pay tribute to Dilla on
the track "La La La" off of the NBA Live
10 soundtrack.
- DJ Spinna released two tributes to
Dilla on 45. The first being "Dilla is the G.O.A.T." an
instrumental lament. The second,"Dillagence", contains the same
production as the first mentioned, but with added vocals by
Phonte of Little
Brother fame. All of the lyrics were taken from previous J
Dilla songs.
- Dwele on his 2008 album Sketches of a Man pays tribute to J
Dilla all over the album, from the album cover (an imitation of
Dilla's instrumental album Donuts), to the interludes
("Workin' On It" is a medley of various songs found on
Donuts) and the songs "Open Your Eyes" and "Brandi". "Open
Your Eyes" is a cover of the Bobby Caldwell song that was sampled
by J Dilla for Common's "The Light", from his 2000 album Like
Water For Chocolate. "Brandi" contains a sample from "Go
Ladies" from J Dilla's former group Slum Village, who also appear
on the song, from their 2000 album, Fantastic, Vol.
2.
- Flying Lotus made a tribute called
"Fall In Love".
- Robert Glasper, a jazz pianist, recorded "J Dillalude" as a tribute to
the late producer.
- Charles Hamilton
released a mixtape entitled, And Then They Played Dilla,
in which he pays tribute to Dilla in many of its songs.
- Kardinal Offishall pays
tribute to J Dilla on his album Not 4 Sale. At
the end of the song "Due Me a Favour", he performs an a cappella rap, stating, "I believe that Dilla
was the number one dude in rap".
- Madlib's album Beat Konducta
Vol. 5: Dil Cosby
Suite and Beat Konducta
Vol. 6: Dil Withers
Suite is his and J-Rocc's tributes
to J Dilla.
- Pete Rock pays tribute to J Dilla on
the album [NY's Finest, on the track "Gangsta
Boogie".
- Q-Tip pays tribute to J Dilla in
the song "Shaka" and "Life is Better" on his album The Renaissance, as well
as in the liner notes.
- "Can't Stop This" from the The Roots'
album Game Theory is a
tribute to J Dilla.
- Show & A.G. pays tribute to
J Dilla on their song "Business As Usual" from the Live Hard EP, where A.G. rhymes: "Age bitter,
J Dilla rest your soul / Gave his life for this hip hop shit, y'all
don't hear me though".
- Termanology recorded a hip hop
mixtape tribute to J Dilla titled "If Heaven Was A Mile Away"
Discography
References
- allmusic Biography
- NPR: Hip-Hop Producer, Rapper Jay Dee AKA J
Dilla
- Liner notes by Ronnie Reese, Ruff Draft (2007)
- Let it roll (Metro Times Detroit)
- (Scheme Magazine)
- (HNNLive.com)
- Haleem, Aadel. Jay Dee Interview. GrooveAttack.de. Accessed
April 8, 2008.
- J Dilla, Ruff Draft (2007), liner notes
- BBC 1Xtra Benji B Deviation 4/18/08 show
- Fans discuss MCA album, Pay Jay
- Detroit Free Press, February 23, 2006
- James Yancey, Producer Known for Soulful Hip-Hop,
Dies at 32 - New York Times
- Detroit Free Press, June 29, 2006
- ICEDOTCOM: Search results for dilla
- Stone Sthrow Store
- [1]
- XXLmag.com | Hip-Hop On A Higher Level | » Leave J Dilla’s
corpse alone
- OneTwoOneTwo interview J Dilla's uncle
- Band Of Horses, J Dilla Reap PLUG Awards
- "An Interview with J Dilla's Mother, Mrs. Maureen
Yancey"
- "Ma
Dukes Donations"
- "Donation Shirt for Ma Dukes"
- Alternatives Reviews : Erykah Badu: New
AmErykah Part One (4th World War)
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