Rap visionary James “J Dilla” Yancey will have his life chronicled on Hulu next month.
The Legacy Of J Dilla makes its premiere on April 7th on FX on Hulu. The documentary will shed light on the late rappers rise to prominence and the complications of his family controlling his legacy.
A native of Detroit, J.Dilla’s love of music production started as a kid. He would rap and make beats, laying the foundation for the prolific music producer he would grow to become. From his solo endeavors to his work with Slum Village, J.Dilla left an indelible mark on hip hop. His production credits include the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, D’Angelo, The Pharcyde. His influence has been celebrated far more after his 2006 untimely passing, than while he was alive.
“I’m a Detroiter and I’m a fighter,” his mother, Maureen “Ma Dukes” Yancey, says in the feature. “I will stay in there and I will fight. I won’t let anybody put my son down, what I do for him down, because I’m here to lift up his music, his legacy.”
J.Dilla emerged in the mid-90s and was one third of hip hop group, Slum Village. He was also a founding member of music collective, The Soulquarians which comprised of rotating neo-soul artists such as Mos Def, Questlove, Erykah Badu and Common. With the MPC300 by his side, J.Dilla would create crafty melodic loops and sample songs to create musically complex sounds. This technique would become his signature sound and is still evidence in today’s hip hop soundscape.
The Legacy of J Dilla is produced and directed by Christopher Frierson and Esther Dere. Frierson previously directed Don’t Try to Understand: A Year in the Life of Earl ‘DMX’ Simmons.
The Legacy Of J Dilla premieres April 7th at 10pm EST, simultaneously on FX and Hulu.