Hip Hop Veteran Dead

By: Sunil Noronha

James Yancey, better known as Jay Dee or J Dilla, passed away on February 9th 2006. He is legendary in the hip-hop world. He died of complications from lupus. Yancey revolutionized hip-hop music with his one-of-a-kind drum machines, samples and style bending claps. This is where contemporary hip-hop music draws from.

His work includes "Labcabincalifornia", by Pharcyde and "The Love Movement" by The Tribe Called Quest. His latest work titled Donuts will released soon into the market tomorrow. It is an instrumental album. Another one of his unreleased pieces of work titled "Welcome To Detroit, Vol. 2" will be out soon. James Yancey was born and brought in Detroit. Towards the end of his life, he had been sick and weak but he never lost cheer.

For the past three years he has been living with his mother because he was diagnosed with the immune system disease.