A Right Pair: Black History Month... A Right Pair Salutes: The best producer of all time?! J Dilla

That Musical Painter-
J Dilla February 7th 1974 – February 10th 2006

The spawn of a former opera singer and a jazz bassist James Dewit Yancey was born February 7th in 1974 the eldest of 4 children; Earl, Martha and John J Dilla AKA Jay Dee AKA Musical Genius. It was inevitable his path would be paved with musical notes. According to his mother, he could "match pitch perfect harmony" by "two-months old" much to the amazement of friends and family . Dilla is and will remain one of the most influential people in Hip Hop to date having produced for many of our fave artists such as A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul Erykah Badu, The Pharcyde, Ghostface Killah & Common.

The American Producer and Rapper Emerged from the underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan in the mid 1990's.

You may not have heard of him but rest assure you know his material, J Dilla was the epitome of that old skool vibe, always all about tthe music he started collecting vinyl from the age of 2 (crazy). From the various genres influenced by Mr Yancey he developed a distinct love for Hip Hop and later formed a group 'Slum Village' with his school friends T3 (R.L. Altman), and Baatin (Titus Glover, R.I.P) which still remain today with T3 and Elzhi

He produced their acclaimed debut album Fan-Tas-Tic (Vol. 1) and their follow-up Fantastic, Vol. 2.

Slum Village Fantastic volume 2 was released, In the early 2000s, Yancey's career as a solo artist began to sore; A solo album Welcome 2 Detroit was followed by a collaborative album with California producer Madlib, Champion Sound, which catalyzed the careers of both artists. Just as his music was becoming increasingly popular, being part of the production collective Soulquarians he gained the recognition he deserved, which included that sex symbol D'Angelo *gushes*

IN 2003 his album 'Ruff Draft' was released through an independent German label 'Groove' which created an element of exclusivity, this was said to have signalled a change in his direction. From then on he released his music through independent labels.

Dilla passed at the hands of the blood disease Lupaus in 2006 at the youthful age of 32 on Febuary 10th 2006 3 days after his birthday, thankfully not 27 but still way too young to depart. As a result the world has been supplied with an undoubtedly beautiful catalogue of pure hip hop - A Right Pair often refers to that old skool hip hop vibe, well this is the specimen it usually derives from.
His untouchable perfectly formed faultless instrumentals. with albums such as Lightworks, and Donuts which is considered as one of his signature works released in 2006 on Stones Throw records.

What started out as a shall we say slow career blossomed into one where his talent has been recognised on a massive scale, his death erupted mass sorrow and many musicians reached out to tell of their respect and admiration for the talented Artist. He left a huge whole in the hip hop scene, when

Janet Jackson - Got Till Its Gone

Janet Jacksons "Got 'til It's Gone" was produced by the late great Jay Dee from the album The Velvet Rope in 1997 she won a Grammy for this song which is acommemoration for his accomplishments in the industry.

Renowned producer Pete Rock placed J Dilla on his list of the top five producers of all time, while the editors of About.com ranked him #15 on their list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers. 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." J Dilla made the "Elite 8" in the search for The Greatest Hip-Hop Producer of All Time by Vibe. Also, The Sourc placed him on its list of the 20 greatest producers in the magazine's twenty-year history.
Following hiss death A foundation was established by Mama Yancey "The J Dilla Foundation," to help Lupus Sufferers in 2006.

Following his death a distinct cult following was established as his death created a huge burden on the Hip Hop community, as a result there are many events held to commemorate his work of his commercial and underground masterpieces. Dave Chappelle's Block Party, was dedicated to Jay Dee, and included the statement "This film is dedicated to the life and memory of Music Producer J Dilla, aka Jay Dee (James D. Yancey)" which focused on his production collective Soulquarians.

Dave Chapelles 'Block Party' 'Soulquarians'

It a shame that following a musicians death they gain more followers, listeners and notoriety but at the same time its 'better late than never'! But it's a shame that as Janet Jackson sang "You dont know what you've got till its gone" The life and productions of Dilla is a prime example of how we miss those jems when they live- a substantial amount of time is wasted listening to crap when we could be listening to 'da s*#t which is evident today with the subsequent followers of his work he has gained.
Some of our most enjoyable nights have been to the sounds by Dilla and once a year that dedicated event 'J Dilla Changed My Life' reminds us of what Hip Hop once was and how times have changed. Like Common sang "I used to love her" but I have faith that the love can be restored. His work will be admired for many more years to come.

Picture: The event for Dilla Fans which comes annually this year it was held @ Kings Cross,London Scala

Thankyou,We Salute you J Dilla, your contribution to music has been outstanding and we will continue to appreciate the immensity of your work forever and ever. Amen.

Some of our favourite Dilla productions from the top of our heads include:

Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip - You Cant Hold the Torch