J Dilla is one of the most influential artists of all time. Metro Booming, Hit-boy Pharrell — all these artists can attribute their success to Dilla’s forward-thinking techniques and creativity that leave his beats feeling fresh even 18 years after his premature death.
James “J Dilla ”Yancey grew up in Detroit’s east side. Yancey had musical running through his blood, his mother, Maureen Yancey was an opera singer, and his father, Beverly Dewitt Yancey was a professional jazz bassist. In 1995, Yancey recorded the Yester Years EP as a part of 5 Elementz, and In 1996, he formed Slum Village and recorded Fantastic, Vol. 1 which would become their debut album. Upon its release in 1997, the album quickly became popular with fans of Detroit hip hop with many journalists comparing the group to A Tribe Called Quest. However, Yancey said he felt uncomfortable with the comparison as he felt that his group was missing the heady lyrics that made the core of the famous rap outfit.
2000 marked Yancey’s major label debut with Slum Village’s second album, Fantastic, Vol. 2. This created a new following for Yancey as an MC and especially as a producer. He was also a founding member of The Soulquarians and worked alongside legendary artists Questlove, D’Angelo and James Poyser, Erykah Badu, Poe, Talib Kweli, and Common this led to him contributing heavily to critically acclaimed albums like, Like Water for Chocolate and Mama’s gun.
In 2001, Yancey stated using J Dilla and He left Slum Village to pursue a solo career with MCA Records. Yancey revolutionized hip-hop production with his unorthodox style that was contradictory to most popular music at the time which used one of two rhythmic “feels”: straight and swung, meaning that music was played in even or uneven pulses. In 2002 Yancey began to collaborate with the legendary producer Madlib, and the pair released the album, Champion Sound in 2003.
His cult status remained strong despite a slower output of major releases as his illness continued. Yancey’s life eventually ended from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura which is a rare blood disease. Yancey died of cardiac arrest on February 10, 2006, at his home in Los Angeles, three days after his 32nd birthday and the release of his final album, Donuts.
