This February marks the 10th anniversary of legendary hip-hop producer James Yancey's death. In celebration of J Dilla's legacy, a number of star-studded celebrations are being planned for what would have been the artist also known as Jay Dee's 42nd birthday weekend.
Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey, Jay Dee's mother, is hosting the second annual J Dilla Weekend in Miami February 5-7th. The festival's lineup features Bun B, Jay Electronica and Black Thought of The Roots among others, Hot New Hip Hop reports.
In addition to performances, Ma Dukes' memorial event also features an official James Yancey Record Exchange hosted by Discogs and Vinylhub. According to the event's Facebook page, the weekend-long festivities will also include producer panels, BBQs, photo/art exhibits and a number of other events celebrating the life and lasting influence of the Detroit-born artist.
The same weekend also marks the 10th annual edition of the J Dilla Changed My Life party series organized by The Doctor's Orders at Scala in London. The tribute event's lineup features performances from Illa J (Jay Dee's brother), De La Soul's DJ Maseo and the honoree's longtime MC, Phat Kat, among others, MixMag reports.
All proceeds from the UK event are going to the J Dilla Foundation as well as Lupus UK, DJ Mag reports. Ma Dukes founded the aforementioned foundation with the purpose of helping fund inner-city music programs and providing scholarships to students in need so they may attend schools with progressive music courses of study.
Yancey died at 32 from complications caused by Lupus and a rare blood condition. Donuts, which was released just days before his death, had been partially recorded in the hospital thanks to a portable studio.
Since then his estate has unearthed countless other tracks and he's seen a number of posthumous releases, many of which have been collected and released by Ma Dukes herself. Jay Dee's most recent posthumous release was an especially electronic-influenced collection titled Dillatronic, which dropped last October. Listen to "Dillatronic #7" below.
