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J Dilla

1974–2006

United States

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Biography

James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla, Jay Dee, or simply Dilla, was an American record producer, rapper, and composer. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as a member of the group Slum Village. He was a founding member of the Soulquarians, a musical collective active during the late 1990s and early 2000s.

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Biography text · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source checked 2026-10-13

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