He also rewinds the histories of American rhythms: from the birth of soul in Dilla’s own “Motown,” to funk, techno, and disco. In Dilla Time, Dan Charnas chronicles the life of James DeWitt Yancey, from his gifted childhood in Detroit, to his rise as a Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer, to the rare blood disease that caused his premature death and follows the people who kept him and his ideas alive. And at the core of this adulation is innovation: a new kind of musical time-feel that he created on a drum machine, but one that changed the way “traditional” musicians play. Yet since his death, J Dilla has become a demigod: revered by jazz musicians and rap icons from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar memorialized in symphonies and taught at universities. He died at the age of thirty-two, and in his lifetime he never had a pop hit. He wasn’t known to mainstream audiences, even though he worked with renowned acts like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu and influenced the music of superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. “This book is a must for everyone interested in illuminating the idea of unexplainable genius.” -QUESTLOVEĮqual parts biography, musicology, and cultural history, Dilla Time chronicles the life and legacy of J Dilla, a musical genius who transformed the sound of popular music for the twenty-first century. Expect the energy of The Main Ingredient soulful parties, to the raw hip hop of Riley’s (if you know these references…you should be in attendance).WINNER OF THE PEN/ JACQUELINE BOGRAD WELD AWARD FOR BIOGRAPHY Blended underground favorites and classics, to sleepers and sure shots.

Charnas was the co-creator and executive producer of the VH1 TV series The Breaks and is an Associate Arts Professor at the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University.ĭJ Agile with DJ Grouch and P-Plus will play music produced by, remixed by, sampled by, and inspired by the late great J Dilla. Recipient of the 2007 Pulitzer Fellowship for Arts Journalism, he is the author of four books including the definitive history of the hip-hop business, The Big Payback. Little Dojo x The Academy x Loop Sessions Toronto present.ĭan Charnas is an award-winning music and business journalist producer of records and television and professor.

Dilla time author