Information AboutJ Dilla |
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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. BIOGRAPHY Slum Village and other early work Through his work on a string of Singles and Remix projects for artists De La Soul , Pharcyde , and Busta Rhymes , and quietly serving as a member of A Tribe Called Quest 's production team, The Ummah , Jay Dee became known as a major hip-hop prospect by the late 1990s . The Hip Hop community took notice of his classic hip-hop inspired, Breakbeat -laden style after he helped craft albums for Common ('' Like Water For Chocolate ''), D'Angelo ('' Voodoo ''), Q-Tip ('' Amplified '') and the debut for his own group Slum Village ('' Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1 ''). Jay Dee made his Major Label debut with Slum Village on '' Fantastic, Vol. 2 '' in 2000. His debut as a solo artist came in 2001 with the single "Fuck the Police", followed by the album '' Welcome To Detroit '', kicking off U.K. Indie Label BBE Music's "Beat Generation" series. In 2002, Jay Dee, now going by the name "J Dilla", left Slum Village to pursue a major label solo deal with MCA . He worked on his debut solo album during 2002 and 2003, but the record was never released. J Dilla's major output of 2003 was production for Common's '' Electric Circus '' LP, which received mixed reviews for its Experimental nature. From that point, his work has increasingly been released through independent record labels. Later years Producer and MC Madlib began a collaboration with J Dilla to form the group Jaylib in 2002, releasing the album '' Champion Sound '' in 2003. J Dilla appeared on Tour with Jaylib in 2004, having various production, performance, and remix credits during 2004 and 2005, most notably two tracks on Common's ''Be''. However, output slowed for the first time since his debut. Articles in publications '' Urb '' (March 2004) and '' XXL '' (June 2005) confirmed rumors of ill health and hospitalization during this period. Despite a slower output of major releases, his Cult status has remained strong within his core audience, fueled in part by the unauthorized circulation of his underground "beat tapes" ( Instrumental , raw working material), mostly through internet File Sharing . Three J Dilla solo albums, '' Donuts '', '' The Shining '', and '' Jay Love Japan '' had been announced as 2006 releases by independent labels Stones Throw Records , BBE, and Operation Unknown, respectively. Health concerns again reached a peak in November 2005 when J Dilla toured Europe performing from a Wheelchair . J Dilla died on February 10 2006 at his home in Los Angeles, California due to Kidney complications associated with Lupus Nephritis . Several of his colleagues, including ?uestlove and Black Thought from The Roots and Kanye West , praised him as a respected talent within the hip-hop industry. Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest has praised him for his creativity with his lyrical rhythms. Pharrell Williams has also gone on record praising Dilla's production sound. DISCOGRAPHY Selected artist releases
Selected production credits
Selected uncredited production
SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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