Dilla Day

De La Soul on How J Dilla Invented The Modern Beat Tape

In an exclusive interview, De La Soul discuss why J Dilla beat tapes were treated as the holy grail amongst… Read More

February 7, 2023

How J Dilla’s Relationship with the Strip Club Chocolate City Inspired His Creative Process

Those who knew J Dilla best understood how his love for strip clubs — especially Detroit's now-shuttered Chocolate City —… Read More

November 7, 2022

The Look of Love: An Introduction to J Dilla, The Rapper

For Dilla Day 2022, we celebrate the deceptively deep catalog of daggering wordplay from J Dilla, an innovative producer who… Read More

February 7, 2022

Ma Dukes Is Determined To Keep J Dilla’s Legacy Alive

With the 15th anniversary of his untimely death approaching, we spoke with J Dilla's mother, Maureen Yancey, better known to… Read More

February 4, 2022

‘Dilla Time’ Author Dan Charnas on Why J Dilla Is In A League Of His Own

We spoke to Dilla Time author Dan Charnas about his extensive new book, J Dilla's complicated relationship with Q-Tip, and… Read More

February 1, 2022

House Shoes Remembers a J Dilla Too Obsessed with Fidelity to be Lo-Fi

House Shoes retraces the highs and lows of his relationship with J Dilla, weighs in on the "godfather of lo-fi"… Read More

February 7, 2021

How J Dilla Found His Singing Voice on “Think Twice”

Read an early excerpt of the oral history of the classic J Dilla debut, Welcome 2 Detroit, written by John… Read More

January 15, 2021

J Dilla’s Influence & Legacy Lives On in the World of Lo-Fi Hip-Hop

J Dilla's music has been adopted by the lo-fi hip-hop community that sprung up in the late 2010s; now fans… Read More

October 7, 2020

Hear Altered Crates Blend Unreleased MF DOOM Bars and Nujabes B-Sides on New ‘Metaphorical Villainy’ Mixtape

The mash-up conglomerate strikes again. With all of the ongoing Dilla Day send-ups and celebrations, it may have been overlooked… Read More

February 8, 2020

Watch J Dilla Take The Stage with Madlib in Newly-Surfaced 2005 Concert Footage

Jaylib links live and direct. Though Dilla Day has technically come and gone, every day is a chance to celebrate… Read More

February 9, 2019

A Book About J Dilla’s Legacy is Set to Be Published in 2021

The year 2021 can't get here fast enough. Veteran journalist Dan Charnas and New York University Assistant Arts professor Jeff Peretz… Read More

January 21, 2019