Today, Feb. 7, the late and great hip-hop maestro James Yancey, aka J Dilla, would have celebrated his 40th birthday. Sadly, the influential producer passed away on Feb. 10, 2006, after a long bout with lupus. Dilla Dawg may be gone but his music and legacy will never be forgotten.
It has been five years since hip-hop production virtuoso James "J Dilla/Jay Dee" Yancey passed away from complications of lupus. In a too short career, the Detroit native amassed a substantial production discography with his group Slum Village, as a solo MC and via his collaborations with the likes of Q-Tip, Questlove and Erykah Badu...
Legendary producer J Dilla's family have fought a three-year legal battle over the fate of his estate, but it appears that the case has finally been settled in their favor.
Dilla, born James Yancey, died in 2006, from complications related to the autoimmune disease lupus...
Young Harlem rapper Charles Hamilton, who we featured as a Top Prospect last year, has raised the ire of yet another element of the hip-hop community, by naming the late, great producer/rapper J Dilla as executive producer of his forthcoming album...