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James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as a member of the group Slum Village. He was also a member of the Soulquarians, a musical collective active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He additionally collaborated with Madlib as Jaylib, releasing the album Champion Sound. Yancey's final album was Donuts, which was released three days before his death. He was also known for producing The Pharcyde album Labcabincalifornia.

Yancey died at the age of 32 from a combination of TTP and lupus. Although his life was short, he is considered to be one of the most influential producers in hip hop and popular music. J Dilla's music raised the artistic level of hip-hop production in Detroit. According to The Guardian, "His affinity for crafting lengthy, melodic loops peppered with breakbeats and vocal samples took instrumental hip-hop into new, more musically complex realms." In particular, his approach to drum programming, with its loose, or "drunk" style that eschews the use of quantization, has been influential on producers and drummers.

Full article: J Dilla