J Dilla‘s legacy continues to live on after having a street named after him in his home city of Detroit, much to the delight of some of his closest collaborators and admirers.
The late producer, who died in 2006 after suffering from the rare blood disease TTP, now has his own street not far from his family home in Conant Gardens, where he honed his craft in the basement studio and recorded much of his early work.
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A ceremony was held on Thursday (February 6) as the corner of East Nevada and Charest was officially renamed “J Dilla Street.”
“This is long overdue for my father,” Dilla’s daughter Ja’Mya Yancey said at the event, per FOX 2 Detroit. “He left it up to us his family to continue to make sure that his genius was not left behind or forgotten about. And that’s exactly what we are doing, have been doing, and will continue to do.”
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“We were out here on foot getting signatures from people and it was so good to see,” she added. “People were like, ‘Oh yeah, I know exactly who you’re talking about, I sure will support it.'”
Dan Charnas, the author of the acclaimed book Dilla Time, was also in attendance and celebrated the honor on Instagram.
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“A great morning in Detroit. A lot of people worked very hard to get to this moment, the first real official recognition of the work and legacy of James Dewitt Yancey from the City of Detroit,” he wrote alongside photos of the street sign being erected.
“Much respect and admiration to his daughters [Ja’Mya Yancey] and [Ty-Monae Whitelow]. To [Joylette Hunter] who did the heavy lifting, and to [Detroit councilwoman Mary Sheffield] who shepherded this process. To the folks at the James Dewitt Yancey Estate, and to [Questlove], [Common], [Pete Rock], [Karriem Riggins] and [Jessica Care Moore]. If you nurtured or worked with Dilla, you helped to get this done, too.”
Questlove, who is currently developing a documentary on the beat-making maestro, added in his own Instagram post on the occasion: “Happy 51st Birthday Dilla. You are missed & your music still provides a comfort some 19 years after your exodus.”
Fellow Soulquarian Common, one of Dilla’s closest collaborators and friends, theorized that the icon would be looking down fondly from above.
“Detroit! No doubt Dilla smiling,” he wrote on his Instagram Stories.
The street renaming coincides with J Dilla also being awarded his own day in Detroit.
It was announced in a city council meeting earlier this week that February 7, his birthday, would hereby be known as “J Dilla Day” in the Motor City.
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“Words cannot describe how grateful we are for this declaration,” Ja’Mya said at the meeting. “For years, he has been celebrated for the entire month of February all over the city, country and the world.
“My sister [Ty-Monae] 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.”
The proclamation cites Dilla’s masterful work as a producer that “transcended genre and influenced not only Hip Hop and electronic artists but also pop, soul, classical and jazz musicians.”
The late producer is one of five historical figures from Detroit who are being bestowed the honor of a street name alongside his mentor and fellow producer Amp Fiddler, former Detroit Piston Earl Cureton, civil rights leader Horace Sheffield Jr. and murdered local man Vincent Chin.
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There is also a street in Montpellier, France that is named after Dilla.
