James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the
stage names J Dilla and
Jay Dee, was an American
record producer and
rapper who emerged from the mid-1990s
underground hip hop scene in
Detroit,
Michigan. According to his obituary at
NPR.org, he "was one of the music industry's most influential hip-hop artists", working with big-name acts including
A Tribe Called Quest,
De La Soul,
Busta Rhymes,
Erykah Badu,
The Roots,
The Pharcyde and
Common. Yancey died in 2006 of the blood disease
thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura.