Friday would have been the 51st birthday of J Dilla, known for producing songs for De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest, Common and more, but now it’s also J Dilla Day in Detroit.
“Words cannot describe how grateful we are for this declaration,” his daughter Ja’Mya Yancey said at a council meeting, per HipHopDX. “For years, he has been celebrated for the entire month of February all over the city, country and the world. My sister [Ty-Monae Whitlow] and I continue to try to uplift and honor his name and legacy, and this is such a monumental step to help us continue on the work he left behind.”
Case in point, the sisters also helped secure a street sign to honor their father.
“We were out here, on foot, getting signatures from people,” Yancey told FOX 2. “It was so good to see that people were like, ‘Oh yeah! I know exactly who you’re talking about. We’ll support it!’ He put his stamp on the map, everyone knows his stamp’s on the map, and now it’s official. It’s on the street!”
The J Dilla street sign is now at the corner of Nevada and Charest Street.
J Dilla passed away in 2006 at age 32 from cardiac arrest due to lupus-related complications.
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