Questlove of The Roots on the sixth anniversary of Dilla’s death, talks to XXL about why Jay Dee was so amazing
It was six years ago that J Dilla lost his fight with lupus and TTP. The Detroit native had already left a lasting mark on music, but seemed to only be scratching the surface of what he was capable of. Dilla lent his touch to tracks for A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Common, Mos Def, Slum Village, The Pharcyde, and, of course, The Roots, among others. The Philadelphia-based band’s drummer, Questlove, was a good friend of Dilla’s. He also happens to be one of the most knowledgeable, talented and celebrated musicians that hip-hop has to offer, having worked with everyone from hip-hop icons like Jay-Z to mainstream darlings like John Mayer and Christina Aguilera. He also thinks that his friend was the greatest rap producer of all time.
