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# It's J Dilla Day
- URL: https://www.dailydetroit.com/its-j-dilla-day/
- Published: 2025-02-07T20:04:33.000Z
- Updated: 2025-02-07T21:37:05.000Z
- Author: Jer Staes
- Tags: Arts and Entertainment, Quick Post, James Dewitt Yancey, J Dilla, Dan Charnas, Dilla Time

J Dilla was an exemplary and legendary Detroit musician and producer whose beats have influenced music for years.

This year, the city of Detroit proclaimed February 7, his birthday, as "J Dilla Day" and put up an honorary street sign near Nevada and Charest where he grew up. 

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/47/f5/47f528d4-7214-4519-b2b2-26249e48460d/content/images/2025/02/IMG_8774.jpg)

J Dilla's daughters holding the city proclamation. 📸 [Photo via Dan Charnas](https://www.instagram.com/p/DFvfDB2PJk-/?img%5Findex=4&igsh=MWxveTlvcmdsNjA3eg%3D%3D&ref=dailydetroit.com) (with permission)

In part, the proclamation said that J Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey) “transcended genre and influenced not only Hip Hop and electronic artists but also pop, soul, classical and jazz musicians."

[If you want to know more, I had a conversation with author Dan Charnas around his book "Dilla Time" on the podcast](https://www.dailydetroit.com/decoding-j-dilla-ft-dan-charnas/). 

If you're new:

Check out [Runnin' by Pharcyde](https://open.spotify.com/track/0XgpiStoxq1IJncYlPrvZ5?si=28eb240bd2b04250&ref=dailydetroit.com)...

Or what Spotify tells me is my most played J Dilla track, ["So Far To Go."](https://open.spotify.com/track/4b6Vfi3nqr6B3BJKkwLmJr?si=69dcb19fa18145f9&ref=dailydetroit.com)