J DILLA
Easily one of the most important producers of modern rap music, James D. Yancey, otherwise known as J Dilla (Or Jay Dee in many cases), was referred to in his NPR.org obituary as "…one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists, working for big-name acts including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, MF Doom, The Pharcyde and Common." His influence and legacy in hip-hop cannot be overstated, inspiring the likes of The Roots, Madlib, Erykah Badu, Pete Rock, Busta Rhymes and numerous others, including artists and groups from other genres, such as trip-hop artist Flying Lotus, UK punk group The Horrors, Detroit techno DJ Carl Craig, and many many more.
J Dilla's music career began as early as high school, when he formed the group Slum Village with classmates T3 and Baatin. His skills in beat production would come from years of experimenting with tapedecks and MPC samplers, and the group would record 3 albums with Dilla, and would call the attention of Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest.
Through his association with Q-Tip, Dilla would take off as a major hip-hop prospect, producing singles for De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, and Q-Tip himself, among others. His biggest successes during this time period would come on two fronts: his majority production-work for The Pharcyde's acclaimed sophomore album Labcabincalifornia, (And its' Billboard hit single "Runnin") and his uncredited work on Janet Jackson's Grammy-winning single "Got 'til It's Gone."
During the 2000s, J Dilla continued to work with the likes of Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, Common, (Particularly on his breakthrough album "Like Water For Chocolate") and many more. He debuted as a solo artist with the album "Welcome 2 Detroit" in 2001, and a year later he produced the entirety of Frank-N-Dank's "48 Hours", which initially was never released, but eventually saw the light of day through various file-sharing means. In his final years, Dilla would remain uncompromising of his artistic integrity, releasing the critically-praised vinyl-only EP "Ruff Draft", "Champion Sound", a collaboration between him and fellow producer Madlib, and finally the album "Donuts" in 2006.
J Dilla died three days after his 32nd birthday, just after the release of "Donuts", having suffered from a rare blood disease for several years, as well as lupus. Though his success during his lifetime was mostly a cult and industry following, after his death his catalog and discography would find mainstream appeal and be celebrated with numerous tributes and posthumous releases.
In 2013 it was announced that a new J Dilla album "The Diary" will be released through his imprint Pay Jay Productions, which is set to feature Dilla's vocal performances over production by contemporaries like Pete Rock, House Shoes, Karriem Riggins, and others. Earlier in the year, the 12" "Anthem/Trucks" was released as the first single on the album. Now the 2nd single, "Diamonds/Ice" is available through Pay Jay and Traffic Entertainment, both sides featuring production by Nottz and Madlib. The 12" is designed by Jeff Jank, features artwork by Shepard Fairey and B+, and comes on clear vinyl.
EARLY PRESS FOR "DIAMONDS/ICE" & "THE DIARY"
