J Dilla
J Dilla
Jay Dee, James Yancey, J. Yancey, J.D. Yancey, James Dewitt Yancey
James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known as J Dilla and Jay Dee, was a 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 A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes and Common.”
Renowned producer Pete Rock placed J Dilla on his list of the top five producers of all time; Andy Kellman of Allmusic stated that—by 2004, after being active for well over a decade as a producer—J Dilla had accomplished enough to be considered “an all-time great.”