Today is the the first official J Dilla Day in Detroit

Yesterday, the city honored the late hip-hop producer with a street sign.

Photo: Yamandú Roos/Instagram

Detroit is observing its first J Dilla Day.

On Tuesday, February 4th, the City Council passed a resolution from last August — which called J Dilla “one of the most influential musicians and music producers of our era” — to recognize him on his birthday, February 7th.

According to Axios Detroit, his daughter attended the officiation and told the council she was “grateful” for the decision. “My sister 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 with the work he left behind,” Ja'Mya Yancey said.

Yesterday, the city also unveiled a street sign in his name. J Dilla Street can be found on the east side of Detroit at the corner of Nevada and Charest Street — right across the late producer’s childhood home. The City Council voted to honor him with the street sign last October, after he was nominated a month prior. Four other Detroit natives were also commemorated, including Joseph Anthony "Amp" Fiddler, who helped give Dilla his start in music by letting him play with his Akai MPC.

This year also marks 10 years of Dilla Day L.A., the annual concert celebrating J Dilla’s life and legacy held in Los Angeles, where he spent his final years. His mother, Ma Dukes, will be hosting the 2025 edition taking place tomorrow, February 8th.

J Dilla was born James Dewitt Yancey in Detroit on February 7th, 1974. He began producing music in 1992 after meeting Fiddler and by the mid-1990s, he was remixing the likes of Janet Jackson, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Q-Tip, and more. In 1996, he formed the hip-hop group Slum Village with his longtime neighbors Baatin and T3. Dilla was known for his mellow sound defined by his idiosyncratic sampling style and organic rhythms, inpsiring a generation of beatmakers who continue to carry on his legacy. Questlove has also credited the artist for inventing neo-soul. On his 32nd birthday, he released his second studio album, Donuts, which is widely regarded as one of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time. He died three days later from a combination of lupus and a rare blood disorder called Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP).

Listen to Donuts below.