Today In Hip Hop History: Remembering J Dilla 17 Years After His Passing

On this date in 2006, James Dewitt Yancey better known as J Dilla lost his battle with Lupus and died from cardiac arrest in his home in Los Angeles. The Detroit beatmaker extraordinaire was only 32 years old.

He passed away just three days after his 32nd born day, but managed to release his final album, Donuts, to the public, which received its name because of Dilla’s love for the sugar-saturated pastries.

Dilla has produced classic tracks for several Hip Hop legends including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Common, MF Doom and a host of others.

J Dilla will forever be etched in the history of Hip Hop, with the unofficial “Dilla Day” holiday that is celebrated on his birthday every year in his honor for his contributions to Hip Hop.