Produced in Partnership with Just Jazz and Fusicology

Thu / July 18, 2024 - 8:00 PM

An architect of the West Coast hip-hop sound gathers some friends to salute an all-time great.

GATE TIME: 6:30 PM

THU / JULY 18, 2024 - 8:00 PM

About this Performance

The late James Dewitt Yancey—better known as J Dilla—was one of the most celebrated and influential record producers of all time. Before his passing in 2006, he created beats for A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Janet Jackson, the Roots, D’Angelo, Erykah Badu, Ghostface Killah, Common, and pretty much any other rapper looking for a rich, soulful sound. From his earliest days as a member of Slum Village through his essential solo collection Donuts, Dilla treated hip-hop production like jazz: developing swinging rhythms, embracing imperfection, and letting his samples speak to one another. Kevin “DJ Battlecat” Gilliam, also a legendary producer (Snoop Dogg, Tupac Shakur, The Game, Faith Evans, Tha Eastsidaz) and architect of West Coast hip-hop, brings together special guests to celebrate what would have been Dilla’s 50th birthday with live jazz and hip-hop recreations of some of his most iconic beats.