On Wednesday, February 10th, from 6:00 PM until midnight, WKCR will preempt all regular programming in order to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of James Dewitt Yancey, better known as J Dilla or Jay Dee. A seminal figure in hip-hop and neo-soul music, Dilla produced records for such genre-defining artists as A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, De La Soul, Common, D’Angelo, and Erykah Badu, as well as releasing critically acclaimed albums under his own name and as part of the group Slum Village. Donuts, his posthumously released magnum opus, remains a touchstone and a foundational work for experimental hip-hop and beat-based composition. Despite attaining mainstream success, Dilla remained a lifelong advocate of independent music, particularly his local Detroit hip-hop scene. Although he died at only 32 years of age from a congenital blood disease, his influence on underground hip-hop and alternative music worldwide was profound. Please join us as we celebrate and explore the career of a true American innovator.
