The Tragedy Of J Dilla

 by James M

James Dewitt Yancey, better known on the streets as J Dilla, was arguably one of the most influential hip-hop producers in the game, perfecting his style which consequently leaving a legacy evident in many and various songs. Yet, despite his imprint on the hip-hop world, he died young at the age of 32 in 2006, setting a scene for tragedy.

Born and raised in Detroit, Dilla quickly became accustomed to the ropes of production. One of his earliest successes was “Runnin” by the Pharcyde in 1995, a now-retrospective staple of 90s hip hop. But, Dilla wasn’t any ordinary producer. He was known for adding humanity to his beats: a feature that went to define his style, recognisable even years after his passing. 

First, it is important to recognise Dilla’s contributions to the revolutionary technique of sample flipping. With the emergence of newer technology (such as Dilla’s preferred AKAI MPC 3000), it was easier than ever before to create a sample and essentially create your own beat from it: samples were often sliced, looped and pitch-shifted beyond recognition to create a totally unique and full-of-character track. This technique has had a long-lasting impact on the genre, even seen in modern classics such as Fred Again’s ‘leavemealone’. 

However, this wasn’t Dilla’s only trick. He was notably recognised for his drumming patterns, usually created on his MPC 3000. He created powerful low-end basslines, sometimes using the low-end frequencies from flipped samples, other times using kicks with the high-end cut out. But, it is often argued that it was his offbeat drumming technique that gave his beats a human-touch. Many emerging production machines auto-corrected offbeat drumming to align them properly with the time signature via a process called quantization. Dilla opted out from using this, deeming that beats created with it sounded too robotic. As a result, his subsequent beats sounded more human, never being perfectly in beat, resulting in very-slight offbeat drums, which did not carry the industrial ‘perfection’ of many other producers.

His production was full of warmth. He was also credited for founding Slum Village, a popular and successful hip-hop collective among many underground fans. His true successes can clearly be seen through the vast amount of artists he’s produced for, such as ‘A Tribe Called Quest’ and ‘The Roots’ to name a couple. Unfortunately, this success was relatively short-lived during his own lifetime. Following his struggles with both lupus and a rare blood disease (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura), Dilla ultimately died in February 2006 at his home in Los Angeles. This tragic death marked the end of a rare talent who helped to progress the genre of hip-hop forwards, keeping his sounds interesting. 

But the story of J Dilla isn’t finished at his death. 3 days prior to his passing, Dilla released ‘Donuts’, an instrumental album, perhaps his magnum opus, which was later recognised as one of the most important albums to hip-hop in the 2000s. The album itself is a collection of short beats and skits, mostly produced during Dilla’s time at the hospital in his final days. Knowing about his upcoming death, whilst in the hospital, he released one of the saddest songs, at least in my opinion, of all time: ‘Don’t Cry’. Using all of his iconic production techniques, including sample flipping, the song was James Dewitt Yancey’s last message to his mother, telling her to not cry when his time on earth came to an end. He left his mark on the world. And genre. Albeit tragic.