Hip-Hop producer/MC Jay Dee, also known as J Dilla, has reported passed away earlier today (February 10) in a hospital in Los Angeles, due to complications from lupus. The beatmaker (born James Yancey) has been sick for an unspecified amount of time. Last year at this time SOHH.com learned that Dilla was hospitalized after rumors were spreading that he was in a coma. Dilla, who was a founding member of Slum Village and a member of A Tribe Called Quest's production team The Ummah, is best known for producing tracks for Busta Rhymes, Common, De La Soul, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu, and The Pharcyde. Dilla has more recently worked with Ghostface Killah, Kanye West on Com's critically acclaimed album Be, as well as Champion Sound with fellow quirky producer Madlib. Besides Donuts, Jay's latest album which was released earlier this week, he also released another solo LP, Welcome To Detroit, in 2001, and has another album dropping later this year on Stones Throw Records. Longtime fan Pharrell of The Neptunes, has gone on record calling Dilla one of his "favorite producers of all time." Jay Dee will be sorely missed. SOHH will be sure to provide you with more information as it becomes available. http://www.sohh.com/articles/article.php/8330 I cant believe it. He was one of the greatest producers of all time.
The casual hip hop fan might not know him but for anybody who's interested some of his bigger hits were: The Light- Common Runnin- Pharcyde Find a way- Tribe Called Quest Got till its gone- Janet jackson & Q-tip Dude was a monster on the beats.
