s J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer
who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan
. According to his obituary at NPR.org, he "was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists, working for big-name acts like A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes and Common."
Renowned producer Pete Rock
placed J Dilla on his list of the top five producers of all time, while the editors of About.com
ranked him #15 on their list of the Top 50 Hip-Hop Producers.
If you were to secretly ask the most praised hip-hop producers, if given a top three, who they fear the most, Dilla’s name would chart on everyone’s list, hands down. ~ ?uestlove|?uestlove, drummer from The Roots|The Roots
I can't begin to explain the influence his mind and ear has had on my band, myself, and the careers of so many other artists. The most humble, modest, worthy and gifted beatmaker I've known...and definitely the best producer on a mic. ~ Black Thought|Black Thought, rapper|MC from The Roots|The Roots
One time we were in the studio and didn't have a drum machine, and he went inside the booth and played the drums on his body. He knew how to EQ|EQ it right and everything, like, "Okay, he just made a song using his body." [laughs] It was serious. ~ James Poyser|James Poyser (from the Ruff Draft|Ruff Draft re-issue liner notes).