A huge announcement was made at the 9th annual DC Loves Dilla Concert Thursday (July 17) night.
According to Vibe magazine, it was revealed that the Smithsonian's new museum of African American History & Culture will have the legendary J Dilla's production equipment on display within its venue.
Stereogum reports the museum will include Dilla's MPC and his custom-made Moog synthesizer, one of the last Moog synths that Dr. Robert Moog personally built for someone.
Dilla, who was only 32 years old when he died in 2006, catapulted to stardom after producing for hip-hop stars like Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, The Roots, De La Soul, Common and A Tribe Called Quest.
"I feel it's necessary to raise the level of art appreciation in the hip-hop sector and honor my son James Dewitt Yancey, one of the most influential individuals in the history of hip-hop," Dilla's mom said in a Smithsonian press release announcing the donation.
Other musicians featured in the museum's popular-music collection include Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Lena Horne to Chuck Berry, George Clinton/Parliament Funkadelic and Chuck D.
"J Dilla's body of work is a testament to creativity and innovation, the very elements on which hip-hop was founded," said Timothy Anne Burnside, a popular-music historian for the National Museum of African American History and Culture, who worked with Yancey's mother to secure the J Dilla collection. "He was fearlessly dedicated to music, following in the footsteps of many musical greats; as a child he first danced to James Brown, and like Duke Ellington, he was uncannily versatile. It is in the company of the greats that he belongs."
According to a press release, items from various artists collections will be used in the "Musical Crossroads" exhibition, one of 11 inaugural exhibitions on view when the museum opens in 2016.
