J Dilla

J Dilla climbed the ranks of Detroit's underground hip-hop scene in the 1990s, becoming a highly respected producer known for his diverse beats. He was part of Slum Village with T3 and Baatin, as well as The Ummah production team with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and the Soulquarians alongside ?uestlove, D'Angelo, James Poyser, and others.

James Dewitt Yancey was born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 7, 1974. His father, Beverly Dewitt Yancey, played bass, and his mother, Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, was an opera singer. Initially known as Jay Dee, he met T3 and Baatin in high school, forming Slum Village in 1996. Before and during the group's formation, Jay Dee already had production credits for projects like The Pharcyde’s 1995 album Labcabincalifornia, featuring the hit single “Runnin’,” De La Soul’s “Stakes is High,” and tracks on Busta Rhymes‘ debut solo album The Coming in 1996.

Producer Amp Fiddler introduced Jay Dee to Q-Tip during the Lollapalooza tour while playing keyboards for Funkadelic. This introduction led to the formation of The Ummah with Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad, producing A Tribe Called Quest’s albums Beats, Rhymes and Life (1996) and The Love Movement (1998), which included the single “Find a Way.” He also remixed songs like Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” and The Brand New Heavies’ “Sometimes” in 1997.

Slum Village's debut album Fantastic, Vol. 2 was released in 2000. Around this period, Jay Dee produced songs like Erykah Badu’s “Didn’t Cha Know,” tracks on Common’s Like Water for Chocolate including “The Light,” and singles “Vivrant Thing,” “Breathe & Stop,” and “Let’s Ride” from Q-Tip’s album Amplified. In 2001, he became a solo artist and changed his name to J Dilla to avoid confusion with Jermaine Dupri. In 2002, Dilla teamed up with Madlib for the Jaylib album Champion Sound, where they rapped over each other’s beats.

In 2003, J Dilla faced health issues related to lupus and thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), which deteriorated his body, confining him to a wheelchair and hospitalizing him frequently, leading to financial difficulties. He moved to Los Angeles in 2004 and at one point lived with Common, who later mentioned it on his 2014 track “Rewind That.” Dilla passed away on February 10, 2006, three days after his 32nd birthday, coinciding with the release of his final album, Donuts, a collection of instrumentals and samples ranked #386 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. Several posthumous projects were released, including 2008’s Yancey Boys, where Dilla’s younger brother Illa J performed over his beats.