The US hip-hop producer and DJ J. Dilla (or Jay Dee) was born James Dewitt Yancey in Detroit in 1974. He is credited with pioneering neo soul, a sound which was influential on current producers including Kanye West, Pharrell and Common.
He and Phat Kat formed 1st Down in 1995, but they only released one single before their label, Payday Records, folded. He then performed with, and produced for, Slum Village who released FAN-TAS-TIC Vol 1 and FANTASTIC Vol. 2. Volume 2 has since been cited as a highly influential neo soul/hip-hop album. He was also half of Jaylib (with Madlib) who released Champion Sound.
In the late 1990s he helped establish The Soulquarians. The alternative hip-hop collective promoted non-gangster themes in their work and included ?uestlove, Mos Def and Q-Tip amongst their members.
2001's Welcome 2 Detroit launched Jay Dee's solo career. The album, which is a mix of hip-hop and electronic psychedelia, was released to critical acclaim. Unfortunately a rare blood condition would bring his life to a premature end in 2006, three days prior to the release of his follow up Donuts, an instrumental hip-hop album. He died before the completion of another album The Shining, which was finished by the co-producer, jazz musician Karriem Riggins.
In addition to his own work, he has produced tracks for artists including Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, and Common.
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