This post right here has been a long time coming. Out of all the hip hop producers around, J Dilla was the truest form of talent. The way he chopped his samples was like none that you had ever heard before. He brought life and soul into hip hop. He was dedicated to the cause and didn’t care if he ever made it big or not. He was real black music, pushing every angle to take soul places it has never been before. He took sounds from other dimensions and infused soul into them. He made exactly what he wanted to hear and didn’t think twice about how it was gonna sound to a record exec — and he walked away with every shred of credibility and creativity that we all wish we had.

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known as J Dilla, or Jay Dee, was an American hip hop producer and MC, who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as “Jay Dee” but used the name “J Dilla” from 2001 on. Many critics believe J Dilla’s work to have had a major influence on his peers, and that he embodied the neo soul sound, playing a defining yet understated role during the sub-genre’s rise. J Dilla was known as a “producer’s producer”, and was highly regarded by mainstream artists and producers such as Common, Kanye West, A Tribe Called Quest, Just Blaze, Busta Rhymes, Pharrell Williams, and ?uestlove.

His first stab at recording was 1995’s “No Place to Go,” the single by his group with Phat Kat, First Down. But he gained more notoriety after forming Slum Village with two friends from high school, T3 and Baatin, and creating the now infamous Fantastic Vol. 1 (1996). Legend has it that a cassette copy of that record got into the hands of The Roots’ Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson and made him an instant fan. ?uestlove passed the album to friends such as Common and D’Angelo, but it wasn’t until 1996, when Jay Dee joined the Ummah production team with A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammed, that people started to really get a taste of Dilla’s sound.

After making friends and connections at New York City’s Battery Studios, Jay Dee started to do solo production work for a number of hip hop’s elite. But even after producing classic tracks such as De La Soul’s “Stakes Is High,” The Pharcyde’s “Runnin” and several of the best on Tribe’s Beats, Rhymes and Life album, he was still largely unknown. Two of his biggest records, Janet Jackson’s “Got ‘Til It’s Gone” and a re-working of one of his beats that turned into 2Pac’s posthumous “Do for Love” track, were never officially credited.

2000 was a big year for Jay Dee. His made beats for Busta Rhymes, Black Star and Guru, and he produced most of Q-Tip’s solo album, Amplified. That was also the year that Dilla, along with ?uestlove and producer/songwriter James Poyser, co-founded the Soulquarians crew, which went on to include D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Common, Q-Tip, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, The Roots and Bilal. Although Jay has spoken of his nerves being in a room full of “musicians” equipped only with old records, he went on to be a driving force behind Common’s Like Water For Chocolate, D’Angelo’s classic Voodoo album, as well as being a major contributor to Erykah Badu’s equally important Mama’s Gun.

Shortly after this minor success, Jay Dee’s health started to fail. According to the Detroit Free Press, he was diagnosed with a rare blood disease, and for the next four years he’d be in and out of the hospital. In an effort to expand creativity and improve his health, he moved to Los Angeles, where he continued to contribute production for various artists.

Because he seldom did press, we knew Jay Day best through his music. According to his mother and people who knew him, that was always the most important thing in his life and how he will forever be remembered. The following tracks are my most loved Jay Dee productions. Rest In Peace, J Dilla.

1. Pharcyde - “She Said (Jay Dee Remix)” (from 2005’s Sold My Soul - The Remix & Rarity Collection) Listen
   • Sample Credit: Buddy Miles’ “Down By The River”
   • Sample Credit: vocals from Heatwave’s “Star of The Story”
2. 2Pac - “Do For Love” (from 1997’s R U Stiil Down? Remember Me) Listen
   • Sample Credit: Bobby Caldwell’s “What You Won’t Do For Love”
   • Rechops Pharcyde’s “Y? (Jay Dee Remix)”
3. Common - “So Far To Go (feat D’Angelo)” (from 2007’s Finding Forever) Listen
   • Sample Credit: The Isley Brothers’ “Don’t Say Goodnight (It’s Time For Love)”
4. Busta Rhymes - “You Can’t Hold A Torch (feat Q-Tip)” (from 2006’s The Big Bang) Listen
   • Sample Credit: Minnie Ripperton’s “Inside My Love”
5. Janet Jackson - “Got ‘Til It’s Gone (feat Q-Tip)” (from 1997’s The Velvet Rope) Listen
   • Sample Credit: Joni Mitchell’s “Big Yellow Taxi”
6. J Dilla - “Baby (feat Madlib & Guilty Simpson)” (from 2006’s The Shining) Listen
   • Sample Credit: The Stylistics’ “Maybe It’s Love This Time”
7. Steve Spacek - “Dollar” (from 2005’s Space Shift) Listen
   • Sample Credit: Billy Paul’s “Let the Dollars Circulate”
8. A Tribe Called Quest - “Stressed Out (feat Faith Evans)” (from 1996’s Beats, Rhymes, and Life) Listen
   • Sample Credit: Anita Baker’s “Good Love”
   • Sample Credit: Heatwave’s “Mind Blowin’ Decisions”
9. De La Soul - “Much More (feat Yummy)” (from 2004’s The Grind Date) Listen
   • Sample Credit: L.T.D.’s “Love Ballad”
10. Pharcyde - “Runnin’ (Jay Dee Remix)” (from 1995’s LabCabinCalifornia) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Gap Band’s “Yearning For Your Love”
11. Slum Village - “Climax (Girl Shit)” (from 2000’s Fantastic, Vol. 2) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Steve Miller Band’s “Space Intro”
    • Sample credit: Al B Sure’s “Nite & Day”
12. D’Angelo - “Me & Those Dreaming Eyes of Mine (Jay Dee Remix)” (from 1995’s Brown Sugar) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Dave Grusin’s “The Colorado Trail”
13. Erykah Badu - “Didn’t Cha Know” (from 2000’s Mama’s Gun) Listen
14. Common - “Love Is…” (from 2005’s Be) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Marvin Gaye’s “God Is Love”
15. Bilal - “Reminisce (feat Mos Def & Common)” (from 2001’s 1st Born Second) Listen
16. J Dilla - “Dime Piece (Remix feat Dwele)” (from 2005’s The Shining) Listen
17. A Tribe Called Quest - “4 Moms (feat Spanky)” (from 1998’s The Love Movement) Listen
18. Common - “The Light” (from 2000’s Like Water For Chocolate) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Bobby Caldwell’s “Open Your Eyes”
    • Sample Credit: drums from Detroit Emeralds’ “You’re Getting A Little Too Smart”
19. Erykah Badu - “Cleva” (from 2000’s Mama’s Gun) Listen
20. Poe - “Fingertips” (from 1995’s Hello) Listen
21. J Dilla - “Fuck The Police” Listen
    • Sample Credit: Rene Costy’s “Scrabble”
22. Brand New Heavies - “Sometimes (Remix feat Q-Tip)” (from 2007’s The Delicious Vinyl Years) Listen
23. N’Dea Davenport - “Bullshittin’ (feat Mos Def)” (from 2007’s The Delicious Vinyl Years) Listen
24. Busta Rhymes - “Turn Me Up Some” (from 2002’s It Ain’t Safe No More) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Isao Tomita’s “Clair De Lune”
25. Pharcyde - “Runnin’” (from 1995’s Laccabincalifonia) Listen
    • Sample Credit: Stan Getz’s “Saudade Ven Correndo”
    • Sample Credit: vocals from Run-DMC’s “Rock Box”

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