Happy Birthday: James "J-Dilla" Yancey

Happy Birthday to Detroit native James "J-Dilla" Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), the producer, rapper, and DJ, who most would agree, had the greatest hands to touch an Akai MPC. Many of us who are familiar with him already know his legacy. Being one of the most influential in Hip-Hop history, that same legacy will have Dilla enshrined in the Smithsonian as part of the collection at the National Museum of African American History & Culture. Dilla’s custom-made Mini Moog Voyager synthesizer and Akai MPC 3000 Limited Edition have been donated to the museum by his mother, Maureen Yancey. They will be part of the “Musical Crossroads” exhibit when the museum opens in 2016.

The following is a rare interview of J-Dilla and Dank of Frank n' Dank minutes after they touched down in Finland. Dilla gave a rundown of upcoming projects and shouts out to people who were a part of those projects. A little humor was tossed in between.


Some of you may have heard about the massive DJ set J-Dilla did with Dank on the mic in Malmoe, Sweden at the Inkonst arts center. If you haven't, here's the full set for you to enjoy.

J-Dilla + Dank Live at Inkonst, Jan. 25, 2003 by Djkoolemdee on Mixcloud

Amp Fiddler: Basementality 2

After 12 years, Amp Fiddler drops the sequel Basementality 2 today via Bandcamp. My favorite already is his uptempo track "More Than", which has to be on the "save the best for last" mantra, having this as the final track on the album. For those who don't know who this guy is, this is THE MAN responsible for introducing J-Dilla to the MPC. Amp has also played with George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic, bringing his soulful, funky style of keys to the collective. The starting price is definitely a steal. Be sure to show love and cop this.

Happy Birthday: Pete Rock

Happy 42nd birthday to the General, also known as Soul Brother #1 and the Creator, PETE ROCK, one of the greatest Hip-Hop producers of all time, who also takes to the microphone as an MC and pretty wicked behind a set of turntables. With a catalog as heavy as his beats, he's a key person who helped set the tone for the golden era of Hip-Hop, alongside the likes of Marley Marl and Larry Smith. For now i'm posting a video of one of his tracks, but later today i'll post a tribute mix in honor of him on his date of birth.

Shafiq Husayn: The LooP

The new year has already brought about some massive releases, and it seems to get better and better with each album that comes out on the indie artist scene. If you're familiar with Sa-Ra Creative Partners, then you should be well aware of Shafiq Husayn. After releasing his impressive En'A-Free-Ka album in 2009, he's getting ready to drop The LooP on us shortly. Here's a sneak peek into the lab with Shafiq, Miguel Atwood-Ferguson and Om'Mas Keith working on "Trios Amigos". I'm patiently waiting on this one.

Questlove: Discussion On J-Dilla

Questlove + DJ Kool Emdee
Here's an excerpt of an interview by Questlove of The Roots discussing how the late great J-Dilla programs the music he produced.

DILLA DAY 2012: Tribute To J-Dilla

Here we are at that time again where we celebrate the life and works of the G.O.A.T., James DeWitt Yancey, better known to the Hip-Hop and Soul community as J-Dilla/Jay Dee. Many hardcore fans around the country have dubbed February 10th, his homegoing date, as DILLA DAY. On next week, we will host our 6th annual tribute to the memory of this Detroit legend. His music will live on and in our hearts. We miss you bro!

Here's a tribute mix I originally recorded in 2007, then added a few more tunes to the end of it in 2009, then uploaded it to one of my podcast pages. It's a FREE download. Enjoy!