“The artist’s role is to raise the consciousness of the people. To make them understand life, the world and themselves more completely.” —Amiri Baraka
Did Jay Dee a.k.a James Yancy complete this goal? I mean in 2026 one might say that he absolutely did but could that same point of view apply twenty years ago? To an audience that waited for B.E.T.’s ‘106 & Park,’ the nightlife they frequented, or local terrestrial radio to guide their ears, absolutely not. For this is why Jay Dee a.k.a. James Yancy was truly a “genius.”
It took reading credits on albums from The Pharcyde, Keith Murray, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes and more to continue to see this “Jay Dee” name and think there was maybe a spelling correction. At the time the only “J D” known was Jermaine Dupri, but clearly the ‘So So Def’ figure head was not making these types of beats, but had access to those same acts who were big in the industry. If Not Jermaine Dupri, who is this Jay Dee…?
By the end of the 1990’s an “underground jewel,” which has gone on to be a cult classic was released in 1999. This was ‘Fantastic Vol.2 by Slum Village out of Detroit Michigan, and what a way for the audience to now understand who this “Jay Dee” was. Slum Village was beyond the method and audience this group was intended for. Had one major label took a chance with them for this particular album, I can only imagine the course T3, Baatin and Jay Dee would have been on.
Here lies the paradox because Jay Dee never seemed to want the spotlight or cared for the accolades. His mission, for those of us who were paying attention at this time seemed to simply provide new ways of making music. Raising that “consciousness” which would influence so many over the years, unintentionally and intentionally, known and unknown. His mark on music was getting too massive to not recognize. This recognition didn’t come from millions of listeners but from those names in the industry like Pharrell Williams, Questlove and Kanye West, who understood that a juggernaut was operating behind the scenes.
Well flash forward to third quarter of 2005 when a modest radio show in Houston T.X. called ‘Late Nite Snax,’ reported on a clip of a live show appearance from Jay Dee a.k.a. J-Dilla where he performed on stage in a wheel chair. This was odd by all means because Jay Dee was rarely ever seen so to find out he was dealing with some sort of ailment, but still wanting to perform was heartbreaking but also inspiring. Of course during those years the Hip-Hop audience was not losing figures left and right as we are today, so the thought was that he would power through whatever sickness this was.
By December of 2005 “J-Dilla” had credits on a few albums and talk started about a new album from the Detroit native coming in the following year. As a host on ‘Late Nite Snax’ I remember even having talks about “J-Dilla” appearing on the show through a phone interview as we usually received guest. This never happened but we figured in 2006 we would finally have our “Captain Ahab” moment and catch the ‘Moby Dick’ of ‘Late Nite Snax.’ See this radio show had favorites and was never scared to make sure that whoever choose to tune in would hear those favorites while they could live and breath.
After leaving work on February tenth of 2006, I received a text from one of Houston’s best M.C.’s, Snap (a.k.a Dirty Red), to which it read “did you hear about Dilla.” Automatically my mind went to his performance in a wheelchair from the year prior and thought the worst, but again in 2006 that feeling is foreign as Hip-Hop acts didn’t die. Upon further text messages and calling others, my worst fear was confirmed. It was surreal because Jay Dee wasn’t running around in the streets and killed by his enviroment. He wasn’t abusing illegal substances (at least to my knowledge). He was simply a young hip-hop act whose trajectory was heading upwards in the most genuine and natural way. Plus he had just dropped the incredible and defining album ‘Donuts’ on his birthday so this had to simply be rumor right, how can he be… gone?
‘Late Nite Snax’ never caught our ‘Moby Dick’ but best believe we did everything we could to speak as loud as we could for Jay Dee a.k.a. J-Dilla at the time. We were able to reach out to friend of the show Drake Phifer from Detroit, who put us in contact with D.J. House Shoes and Roc C., as we got their perspective on the man the myth and the legend. We also took this night out as a collective to just provide two hours of pure “Dilla.” A masterclass and only a slight percentage of his music up to that point. No posthumous remixes or unofficial blends, just a hefty catalog of the foundation laid by James Yancy, to justify why he has had such a legacy twenty years later.
Rest in the most HEAVY BEATS James Yancy a.k.a. Jay Dee a.k.a. J-Dilla (Feb. 7, 1974 – Feb. 10, 2006)
Take a QUANTUM LEAP back to the LATE NITE SNAX ‘J-Dilla Tribute Show’ February 23, 2006
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