Dilla Day

It's been 8 years since the death of Detroit's legendary producer James “J Dilla” Yancey, yet his legacy lives on. Tonight at the Fillmore crowds will gather to celebrate Dilla's contribution to music for the 3rd annual "Dilla Day."

But not many people know the true scope of Dilla's work. Here are 8-facts about the late great J Dilla:

1. After transferring from Davis Aerospace Technical High School to Detroit Pershing High School, he met classmates T3 and Baatin, and became friends with them through mutual love of rap battles. The three formed a rap group called Slum Village.
2. In 1995, Jay Dee and MC Phat Kat formed 1st Down, and would be the first Detroit hip hop group to sign with a major label, Payday Records.
3. 2000 marked the major label debut of Slum Village with Fantastic, Vol. 2, creating a new following for Jay Dee as a producer and an MC.
4. His debut as a solo artist came in 2001 with the single "Fuck the Police."
5. Dave Chappelle gives a special dedication to J Dilla in his movie Dave Chappelle's Block Party.
6. A recent BBC documentary inspired by the Olympic runner Usain Bolt contained two J Dilla-produced songs - "So Far To Go" by Common and "Runnin'" by The Pharcyde.
7. In February 2007, a year after his death, J Dilla posthumously received the PLUG Awards Artist of the Year as well as the award for Record Producer of the Year.
8. In August 2013, the opening of Dilla's Delight's, a donut shop located in the Harmonie Park neighborhood of Downtown Detroit, was announced for the following Fall. The new shop will be operated by Dilla's uncle, Herman Hayes.

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