James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006)Better known by his stage name J Dilla or Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. He began his career as a member of the group Slum Village, and was also a driving force in the production trio The Ummah. Yancey started his career under the name Jay Dee (based on his initials) but used the name J Dilla from 2001 onward. Many critics believe J Dilla's work to have had a major influence on his peers and that he embodied the neo soul sound, playing a defining yet understated role during the sub-genre's rise (roughly from the mid-90s to the early 2000s). LA-based Producer and MC, Madlib, began collaborating with J Dilla, and the pair formed the group Jaylib in 2002, releasing an album called Champion Sound in 2003. J Dilla relocated from Detroit to LA in 2004 and appeared on tour with Jaylib in Spring 2004.

J Dilla's illness and medication caused dramatic weight loss in 2003 onwards, forcing him to publicly confirm speculation about his health in 2004. Despite a slower output of major releases and production credits in 2004 and 2005, his cult status remained strong within his core audience, as evident by unauthorized circulation of his underground "beat tapes" (instrumental, and raw working materials), mostly through internet file sharing. Articles in publications URB (March 2004) and XXL (June 2005) confirmed rumors of ill health and hospitalization during this period, but these were downplayed by Jay himself. The seriousness of his condition became public in November 2005 when J Dilla toured Europe performing from a wheelchair. It was later revealed that he suffered from TTP, a rare blood disease, and possibly Lupus.
J Dilla or Jay Dee (real name: James Dewitt Yancey) was born in 1974. He was a hip-hop producer and DJ, raised in Detroit (Michigan) but moved to Los Angeles (California) to live with his mother after being diagnosed with the immune-system disease Lupus in 2003.

Dilla had formed the trio Slum Village and made his name with Common, A Tribe Called Quest, and as Jaylib in which he collaborated with Madlib. He was also a member of the production team The Ummah with Q-Tip and Ali Shaheed Muhammad.

His last album released during his lifetime, "Donuts", was released on Stones Throw on 7th Feb 2006, Dilla's 32nd birthday, and the first one in years he didn't spend in hospital. Three days later, on February 10th 2006, he died at his home in Los Angeles, California. According to his mother, Maureen Yancey, the cause was cardiac arrest.

The founding of the J Dilla Foundation was announced in May 2006 by his mother Maureen Yancey, to honour her son's legacy and to help raise awareness and funding for Lupus research by organizing continued events to aid underprivileged children gain quality arts training, primarily in the field of music.