Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip- Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm by Dan Charnas
Hardcover, 480 pages
Published February 1st 2022 by MCD
4 out of 5
While often in the 90’s he was in the background and didn’t get credit, in hip-hop circles it was well known, especially by the end of the decade, that J Dilla (born James Dewitt Yancey) was one of the best. My introduction to Dilla came in the form of The Ummah. Beats, Rhymes and Life, the fourth studio album by A Tribe Called Quest was panned by some critics and purists at the time. I had the second track on that LP, ‘Get A Hold’, in constant rotation. The song is unreal. The beat is simple but not simplistic and SO incredibly mood evoking. Infectious. Meaningful. Timeless. And, Dilla Time is just that.
To witness and register the life and work of an artist as heavily respected as J Dilla is a daring ambition. On one hand … It is a love letter to Detroit, African (and African American) music history, and the underappreciated field of music technology, portraying Yancey as a conduit through which all of these contextual factors could synergize into a revolutionary style of hip hop music. On the other, it illustrates James Yancey’s humanity, following the ripples of his influence into the work of artists, and explaining the genius of Dilla’s production in a way that simultaneously captures the full depth of his production techniques in the context of American music and presents it in an accessible way that even casual hip hop fans (err music fans) can appreciate. Connecting the dots between black power, jazz, Detroit, techno, hip hop, musicology, racism in city planning and of course the man in question.
Sure, anyone can click through Wikipedia and a few interviews to get a J Dilla 101. However, what Dilla Time does so well is tell the story of his rise to stardom through the eyes of his friends, family, and revered contemporaries. There are so many fly-on-the-wall stories from the making of albums like Fantastic, Vol 2., Voodoo, Like Water for Chocolate, and Labcabincalifornia that music geeks will adore, as well as heartbreaking recollections of the moments surrounding Dilla’s tragic passing by those closest to him. It still breaks my heart that Dilla was working until the very end – his mother was helping him push the pads on his MPC because his fingers didn’t have the strength.
My mind is melting trying to imagine the research, dedication, and magic that it took to put all this together. Dan Charnas, a veteran of both the culture and industry of hip- hop, who has worked in radio and as a label executive, has created a novel that falls somewhere between music biography and musicology text. Dilla Time is a meticulously researched story that does the challenging work of organizing the complex timelines and detritus of a man who was seemingly in all places at once. It’s breezy reading, never drags, and the array of famed musicians and stars who play a part in the story make it sometimes feel like catching up with old friends you haven’t seen in a long time. If you’re a music fan, it’s a must own.