| Birth name | James Dewitt Yancey |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Jay Dee, J Dilla, Dilla Dawg |
| Born | February 7, 1974 |
“… HOLD TIGHT! don’t ever give up in the fight,
GRACE! can only come into the sight,
SOUL POWER! it ignites like the sun…”
(Slum Village, Fantastic Vol.2, 2000)
As we approach the date of one of hip-hop’s greatest losses, updated merchandise, fundraisers and J Dilla anniversary events are spilling out from all corners of the globe. This is not only to commemorate someone who is often referred to as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time but also to raise awareness of lupus, the fatal disease that unfortunately claimed his life on 10th Feb 2006 (3 days after his 32nd birthday).
“Systemic lupus erythematosus SLE or lupus, is a chronic autoimmune connective tissue disease that can affect any part of the body. As occurs in other autoimmune diseases, the immune system attacks the body’s cells and tissue, resulting in inflammation and tissue damage.
SLE most often harms the heart, joints, skin, lungs, blood vessels, liver, kidneys, and nervous system. The course of the disease is unpredictable, with periods of illness (called flares) alternating with remissions. The disease occurs nine times more often in women than in men, especially between the ages of 15 and 50, and is more common in those of non-European descent.”
Find out more about lupus and what you can do to make a difference on J Dilla Project’s MySpace which has a variety of links and info.
In saying all this, there is still a genius of a producer who’s work requires celebration and his legacy, continuation. Here are three dope suggestions as to how to we can all participate in making it happen:
1. The J Dilla Foundation. After being shut down for some years, the J Dilla Foundation was relaunched this year by Ma Dukes aka Maureen Yancey. Their mission is to encourage ‘progressive music education’ in schools and to ’support music enthusiasts with the tools they require to become successful within the entertainment industry.’
2. The Doctor’s Orders Presents J-Dilla Changed My Life. This is tonight at Kings Cross’ Scala. Contributing a minimum of £5 at the door will go to both the J Dilla Foundation and Lupus UK. This event will be pretty rammed but you can expect all the Dilla classics and extras. Massive vibe with the most Jay Dee die-hard, party harders from all over the UK. If you would like to make further donations, there will be all kinds of merchandise being sold there too.
3. There have been numerous Jay Dee re-workings and remixes building up to his anniversary, however the best contribution I’ve heard so far is from the stuff that the Roots have put together. It must be pretty hard attempting to re-work the ultimately skillful re-worker; however refreshingly for us, they took on some of his rarer beats. Obviously as very close friends of the artist (especially ?uestlove), their genuine and personal renditions are tasteful and beyond magnificent. Click here to listen. (A personal favourite is ‘Make em NV‘)
Fan-tas-tic!
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