James Dewitt Yancey (1974-2006), known professionally as Jay Dee or J Dilla, was one of the most influential musicians and music producers  of our era. Though he worked primarily in hip-hop — collaborating with artists such as The Roots, Busta Rhymes, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, D'Angelo, Erykah Badu and more — Dilla's sonic and rhythmic impact is now felt throughout the music world from pop to jazz. He was born in Detroit and lived his first few years in the building where Dilla's Delights now stands. As a child he DJed in nearby Harmonie Park. After moving to the Conant Gardens neighborhood, Dilla became a teenage multi-instrumentalist, a consummate student of sound, a voracious collector of records, and an expert programmer of drum machines. 

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Since his death in 2006, Dilla has been celebrated with annual "Dilla Day" festivals across the globe and lauded by journalists from NPR to The New York Times. His music has been interpreted by jazz and classical composers and studied at major universities. And his equipment is on exhibit at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC.