Dilla Time

The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm

By: Dan Charnas, Jeff Peretz - contributor

Narrated by: Dan Charnas

Length: 14 hrs and 52 mins

Publisher's summary

This program contains examples of J Dilla's music performed in the story by drummer Nate Smith and is accompanied by a bonus PDF of maps, photos, guides, and more.

"This book is a must for everyone interested in illuminating the idea of unexplainable genius.” (QUESTLOVE)

Equal parts biography, musicology, and cultural history, Dilla Time chronicles the life and legacy of J Dilla, a musical genius who transformed the sound of popular music for the 21st century.

He wasn’t known to mainstream audiences, even though he worked with renowned acts like D’Angelo and Erykah Badu and influenced the music of superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. He died at the age of 32, and in his lifetime he never had a pop hit. Yet since his death, J Dilla has become a demigod: revered by jazz musicians and rap icons from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar; memorialized in symphonies and taught at universities. And at the core of this adulation is innovation: a new kind of musical time-feel that he created on a drum machine, but one that changed the way “traditional” musicians play.

In Dilla Time, Dan Charnas chronicles the life of James DeWitt Yancey, from his gifted childhood in Detroit, to his rise as a Grammy-nominated hip-hop producer, to the rare blood disease that caused his premature death; and follows the people who kept him and his ideas alive. He also rewinds the histories of American rhythms: from the birth of soul in Dilla’s own “Motown,” to funk, techno, and disco. Here, music is a story of Black culture in America and of what happens when human and machine times are synthesized into something new. Dilla Time is a different kind of book about music, a visual experience with graphics that build those concepts step by step for fans and novices alike, teaching us to “see” and feel rhythm in a unique and enjoyable way.

Dilla’s beats, startling some people with their seeming “sloppiness,” were actually the work of a perfectionist almost spiritually devoted to his music. This is the story of the man and his machines, his family, friends, partners, and celebrity collaborators. Culled from more than 150 interviews about one of the most important and influential musical figures of the past hundred years, Dilla Time is a book as delightfully detail-oriented and unique as J Dilla’s music itself.

©2022 Dan Charnas and Jeff Peretz (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Critic reviews

2022, New York Magazine Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

2023, PEN Literary Award - Winne, Winner

2022, Kirkus Reviews Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

"[Dilla Time] do[es] what good music books should: send you back to the source material . . . Dilla Time is an important piece of music writing, affording its African-American subject the respect that the rock establishment has long accorded its white heroes."—The Economist

“Educational without being overbearing, emotional without turning saccharine, Dilla Time is a must-read not only for fans of Yancey, but anyone with a deep love for hip-hop or Black music, full stop.”—The Ringer

“It’s no ordinary book. . . equal parts biography, musical analysis and cultural history delving deep not only into Dilla’s history and music but also into the histories of rhythm and his hometown of Detroit.”—Variety

Superb and long overdue.

Props to Dan Charnas for an incredible book. So many questions answered and dots connected. Dilla is truly our Genius in Hip Hop. Long Live James Dewitt Yancey!!!!

Beautiful… straight up BEAUTIFUL…

This story was enthralling. It did for me what all great books or stories are supposed to do: make me forget what’s going on in my life and make me care, just for a few moments, about something else. This book damn sure did that. Thank you… “What up though!?” 🙌🏾🙌🏾🙌🏾❤️

required reading for any J dilla fan

I thoroughly enjoyed this book.... the detail used to tell Dilla's evolution as a beat creator was insightful and connected many historical dots. 5 out of 5.

Incredible

One of the best books about music I’ve ever had the pleasure to read. It’s a work of love. My head spins just thinking of the research that had to go into this. Incredible.

I loved this book!!

This shit is so insightful to the life and music of Dilla. I didn’t start appreciating the man’s music until 2002 so I was late to jump on the Dilla dick like so many before me and even way more after he died. But I’m not writing this to tell you that I was bumping Dilla before you. I’m writing it to implore you to read this gem of a book. If you want to be a fly on the wall in the basement in Detroit, then read this book. If you want to be in the car when James is having a heated conversation with a girlfriend, then read this book. If you want the facts about the beef between Ma Dukes and House Shoes, then read this book. If you want a detailed explanation of what Dilla time actually is, then…. You guessed it, read this book. 👍👍2 thumbs way up.

Loved it

It was very interesting learning about the history of hip-hop music. J Dilla inspired a whole generation of musicians and producers, and it is clear why.

Just get it

Love the truth and history in this book.
Great for any music fan. Amazing story of a city, music, and a man that changed everything.

I always knew there was a reason

As a kid, I heard the Pharcyde run instrumental, and I kept it on loop. Never understanding why. When I first heard bosa nova Sergio Mendes, I loved it—never knowing why. This book unlocked it for me. Most importantly, it showed me that Dilla is the common thread among my favorite artist—roots, Kanye, Kendrick, etc. For a music nerd like me, this book filled a puzzle piece I never knew I needed. Highly recommended

Well done!

Thoroughly written with insight from many peers and relatives. One question, didn’t producer Nottz collaborate with J Dilla as well?

When you gonna make a movie

I really enjoyed this book. It was like a cross between the blindside (the book, not the movie) and the autobiography of… it was poignant and sad. I’m glad James D. Yancey lives on and will live forever as long as good music is made. I never realized how much J Dilla influenced my tastes and proclivities in music. I can literally point to any record from the 90’s and my favorite song(s) we’re produced or performed by J Dilla. And I was not aware. Even now, I gravitate to the music that was influenced by him. J Dilla will live forever. Make a movie about this book. Or… a series. So we get the whole picture.