J Dilla, born James Dewitt Yancey, was a Grammy award winning record producer and artist who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. According to NPR.org, he was one of the music industry’s most influential hip-hop artists. J Dilla changed hip-hop culture and the music industry as we know it. His creativity has molded and contributed to the sounds of recording artists such as De La Soul, Slum Village, Phat Kat, Common, The Pharcyde, Busta Rymes, Erykah Badu, and many more. On February 10, 2006 at the young age of 32, we lost J Dilla to Lupus and the rare blood disease TTP.
But J Dilla’s legacy lives on with The J Dillah foundation. The J Dilla Foundation is a non-profit charitable institution that serves to help fund inner-city music programs and provide scholarships to students attending schools that have progressive music curricula. The foundation was started by Maureen Yancey, mother of J Dilla. Maureen proclaims, “The J Dilla Foundation seeks to be a staple in the movement for progressive music education. We also hope to be leaders in the efforts to enhance and develop arts programs in urban communities.” Target cities for 2010 are Detroit, Atlanta, and Los Angeles.
