J Dilla

Born 7 February 1974 in Detroit, Michigan, USA

Died 10 February 2006 (aged 32)

James Dewitt Yancey, better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, drummer, rapper and songwriter. He emerged in the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as a member of the group Slum Village.