J Dilla, also known as Jay Dee, was the professional name of James Dewitt Yancey, born in Detroit on 7 February 1974. He made his name with the group Slum Village and as a producer for artists including A Tribe Called Quest, Common and Erykah Badu, becoming one of the most respected beatmakers in hip hop and neo-soul.
His signature was rhythmic. He often switched off the quantise function on his Akai MPC, letting drum hits land slightly early or late so that his beats seemed to lean and stagger in a very human way. That feel, together with his warm, chopped soul and jazz samples, is the most direct ancestor of lo-fi drum programming. Seriously ill and hospitalised with complications of lupus, he kept making beats and completed much of the 31-track album Donuts in hospital; Stones Throw released it on 7 February 2006, and he died in Los Angeles three days later. His MPC 3000 is now in the collection of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.