James Dewitt Yancey, Jay Dee, Jay Dilla, Dilla Dawg...GoDbLess.

Before Jay Dilla died I had no idea on how much he influenced alot of the music that I had grown to love at that point throughout my life.
I was working on my first solo album "The Street Scholar" with Wisconsin producer Dylan Thomas at the time when Jay Dilla's posthoumous album "Donuts" came out. I remembered how dude was so excited to get through with the session so that he could hop in his car and listen to "that new Dilla"! Still I was like "okay"?
I had been listening to The Pharcyde, Slum Village, Common, Erykah Badu and countless other artists that Jay Dilla had produced for and not even put together the fact hat the reason why I loved these particular songs was for their outstanding production. As a matter of fact the "Soulquarians" were and probably is my favorite production collabo of all times. The work that they did on Common's "Like Water for Chocolate" album was simply amazing! When I had that epiphany of how most of my favorite music at that point had been produced by Jay Dilla it finally weighed on me. Wow! The world has lost a musical genius. And what he contributed to the game can maybe be duplicated, but it can never be replaced.
I never really knew how much of a fan of Dilla's music I was. I didn't have the knowledge about him at the time to know that he was actually the dude behind the rhythm that made my head nod. I don't even remember why I bought Slum Village's "Fantastic Volume 2" disk. I just remember picking it up because it looked like a decent buy. I had no idea that I would eventually listen to that cd in my small blue Chevy until the disk could do nothing more than skip. "Don't sell yourself to fall in love...with those things you do", I fell in love....with the music.
It sucks that sometimes in this life you never get recognized for your greatness until this life is no more. Only then will the world have the time and patience to reflect on how your contribution to the world.
Along the pursuit of happiness there are always setbacks. Some greater than others. James Yancey was an artist who saw a majority of his most spirited projects sit on the shelves of execs at Major Labels. Just think how if the majors would have released a Dilla album. They could have changed the game and the way that the music industry is today. Devils.
God bless the legacy of the man known by many names, but most just call him Dilla.
I hope to leave as great an impact on the world as he did when my time is done.

OneLove & BlaxLife