Died:
February 10, 2006- The first record Jay Dee ever bought was "Open Sesame" by Kool & the Gang.
- Prior to Slum Village, Jay Dee (aka J Dilla) and Proof (of D12) formed a rap group known as Funky Cowboy.
"Sometimes, fixation can be a good thing and sometimes it can be bad. There&'d be days when I wouldn't eat at all, because I'd be in the basement working all day." (URB interview, March 2004).
As a child, J Dilla's father pointed him to the direction of music. Even though he had wanted to hang out with friends, music was given utmost preference around the house. He participated in marching bands, and was made to play an instrument. By having such an early start, Dilla was able to hone his skills and perfect his art in the long run.
A revolutionary sound architect, JD's production clientèle included De La Soul, Talib Kweli, The Pharcyde, Common, D'Angelo, and his own group Slum Village. J Dilla was also part of A Tribe Called Quest's production crew known as The Ummah, alongside Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed. Together, The Ummah produced Tribe's The Love Movement LP.
Jay Dee co-founded Slum Village along with high school friends Baatin and T-3 in the early 90s. Their first full-length project was the critically acclaimed Fantastic Vol. 1. They followed it up with Fantastic vol. 2, The Trinity, and Detroit Deli. Jay Dee handled majority of the production, occasionally featuring as an MC. However, the producer/rapper played a limited role in Detroit Deli, and was absent for the group's most recent self-titled entry Slum Village.
Dilla had been involved in some external work while still churning hits for the Village. In 2003, he joined forces with like-minded producer/rapper Madlib. The duo released Champion Sound under the moniker JayLib. One half of the album features Madlib rhyming over Dilla's production & the other half is vice versa. Jay Dee later followed it up with his own solo project Welcome 2 Detroit.
Dilla was the main artist on BBE records, inspiring the label's Beat Generation series. He was later signed by Stones Throw where he recorded Champion Sound with Madlib, and completed work on Donuts, and the yet-to-be-released The Shining.
Although, Pharrell Williams (of The Neptunes) declared Dilla his favorite producer in a 2003 BET interview, Jay Dee never achieved commercial success on either record labels. He remained an underground favorite instead.Dilla had suffered for over three years with an incurable blood disease, and was also diagnosed with lupus – an autoimmune disease. Undeterred by his health problems, Dilla continued to produce and perform, even touring Europe in a wheelchair in 2005. He produced 90% of Push Comes To Shove for label-mate MED and contributed to Common’s career-reviving BE album. His instrumental set titled Donuts because of his love for donuts was released on his 32nd birthday (February 7, 2006). Three days later, Jay Dee died of complications from lupus. May his soul rest in peace.
