TO GET HANG OUT WITH MICKEY
AND MINNIE.
NOW OUR UNIQUELY DETROIT
STORY IS ABOUT ONE DETROITER
WHO HAS LEFT A LASTING
LEGACY ON THE MUSIC
INDUSTRY.
Tati: MANY CALL HIM ONE
OF THE BEST PRODUCERS EVER,
INCLUDING A MEMBER FROM THE
ROOTS FROM "THE TONIGHT
SHOW" WHO WORKED WITH HIM A
LOT.
THIS WEEK PHOTOGRAPHER ALEX
ATWELL SHOWS US WHY J
DILLA IS UNIQUELY DETROIT.
CHECK IT OUT.
YOU KNOW A DETROIT DUDE
WE COME IN WE TAKE OVER
STUFF.
J.D., JAY DILLA.
EVERYTHING IN THE UNIVERSE
MADE JAY DILLA AND DECIDED
TO MAKE HIS OWN FREQUENCY.
HE WAS LIKE A MAD SCIENTIST.
THE BEST THAT'S ALL I CAN
SAY MY IDOL.
HE WAS DANGEROUS.
HE WAS LIKE A TRIPLE THREAT
EVERY CHAMBER MAN HE
MASTERED.
D.J., PRODUCER, EMCEE.
HOW DID DETROIT KIND OF
HELP SHAPE HIS SOUND?
WE ALL GREW UP HERE IN
THE CITY HE WAS INFLUENCED
BY TECHNO.
DETROIT HIP IS A MIXTURE OF
ALL DIFFERENT KINDS OF
SOUNDS.
TECHNO, OF THE MUSIC THAT
CAME FROM HERE.
WHAT ELSE WOULD WE EXPECT
FROM MOTOWN'S GRANDCHILDREN.
I MEAN HE WAS DOPE IF YOU
WERE PERFECT YOU.
IT'S JUST AN ART.
D.N.A. WE INHERIT WITH US
COMING FROM THAT WE ADD A
STANDARD TO IT.
YOU KNOW WE DID.
WHAT'S WHAT MADE HIM
UNIQUE?
HE'S THE PRODUCER'S
PRODUCER.
HE WAS DOING STUFF LIKE I
SAID NOBODY COULD FIGURE OUT
HOW HE WAS DOING IT.
IT SO WAS LIKE WHEN YOU'RE
IN MUSIC OR IN THE MUSIC
INDUSTRY, AND YOU WANT TO
STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME OR
AHEAD OF THE CURVE YOU'VE
GOT TO GO WHERE THE BEST AT.
AT THE BEGINNING IT WAS THE
CLAPS.
YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
IT WAS JUST SOME HARD SNARE
JUST CRACKING SNARE.
JUST THAT BOUNCE.
JUST THAT DILLA BOUNCE.
WHEN YOU HEARD THAT BOUNCE
YOU KNOW YOU COULDN'T
CONFUSE THAT WITH NOBODY.
HIS BASS LINE HAD YOU NEVER
HEARD IT BEFORE.
YOU HEAR IT AND YOU JUST
HEARD HIM JUST NOT JUST
TAKING IT AND PLAY IT HE
WOULD PLAY IT CHOP IT UP
REPLAY IT.
LIKE I SAID YOU GOT A WHOLE
NEW DOWNTOWN.
ALWAYS HIM REINVENTING THESE
NEW SOUNDS AND THESE NEW
PATTERNS.
SO I MEAN THAT'S WHAT JUST
MADE HIM ONE OF A KIND AND
UNABLE TO COPY.
HE WAS WAY AHEAD OF HIS
TIME.
HE KIND OF REINVENTED THE
WILL WHEN IT CAME TO
PRODUCTION.
IT WAS LIKE YOU COULDN'T
REALLY SEE WHAT HE WAS
DOING.
HE WOULD GO BACK THERE.
TAKE THE HEADS PHONES ON AND
OFF HIT THE BUTTON, WOW.
YOU ARE LIKE WOW.
10 MINUTE COMES ON.
WHAT MADE HIM SO GOOD OR
SO DIFFERENT?
DEDICATION.
HE LIVED AND BREATHED ATE,
SLEPT MUSIC.
EVEN TO HIS LAST DAYS HE WAS
IN THE HOSPITAL BED FIGHTING
FOR HIS LIFE BUT STILL DOING
BEATS.
LUPUS MAN, LUPUS.
IT RAN AND RAN IN HIS
FAMILY.
HE HELD ON AS LONG AS HE CAN
KEPT DOING HIS MUSIC KEPT
DOING WHAT HE LOVED ALL THE
WAY TO THE END.
WE'VE HAD SOME AMAZING
MUSICAL TALL COMMENT OUT OF
THE CITY WHERE DOES HE RANK?
HE DEFINITELY RANK UP
WITH ALL THE GREATS.
I STILL HAVEN'T HEARD
ANYTHING LIKE IT.
WHEN HE CAME HE
REINVENTED THE WHEEL.
BLESSED TO BE IN THE
PRESENCE OF THAT.
HIM JUST COMING INTO OUR
LIVES AND SHOWING US HOW TO
BE ORIGINAL AND BEING ON
YOUR OWN SHINING WHEN DOING
YOUR" THING.
ETERNALLY IN HIS GREAT.
HE WAS GREATEST WHEN
HE ALIVE HE'S STILL THE
GREATEST IN DEATH.
YOU STILL HAVE PEOPLE TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT HIS FORMULA TO
THIS DAY WHICH I FEEL LIKE
THEY NEVER WILL.
HE WILL BE REMEMBERED AS THE
MICHELANGELO OR THE PICASSO
OF HIP-HOP.
THAT'S WHAT THEY'LL CALL
THEY'LL SAY DILLA HE WAS THE
REAL DEAL.
Chuck: JOINING US LIVE
NOW D.J. BUTTER, RONNIE
REAGAN YOU GOT TO SHOW US
THE BILL OF YOUR HAT.
I CAUGHT A LITTLE GLIMPSE OF
THAT.
THERE'S DILLA RIGHT UP
UNDER THERE.
OFFICIAL J. DILLA
MERCHANDISE.
IN THE PIECE THE LAST
KIND OF WORD WAS NOBODY
COULD EVER DUPLICATE WHAT HE
DID.
BUT HE WAS LIKE A GENIUS, I
THINK THAT WE'RE OVERLOOKING
IT'S NOT LIKE YOU CAN GO AND
FIGURE OUT THE FORMULA
RIGHT.
EXACTLY.
Tati: FOR PEOPLE WHO
DON'T KNOW TELL US SOME OF
THE PEOPLE WHO J. DILLA DID
WORK WITH?
A LOT OF PEOPLE.
FROM THE ROOTS, TO ERICA
BADEUA.
JANET JACKSON, BUSTER
RHYMES.
TRIBE CONTEST.
Tati: COMMON.
CAMEO.
THE LIST GOES ON.
LET'S TALK ABOUT THIS
WHEN YOU SEE HOW HE WORKED
WITH PEOPLE I FELT LIKE ONCE
HIS PRODUCTION KIND OF TOOK
IT TO ANOTHER LEVEL AND THEN
THEY WERE ABLE TO GO
HARD-CORE MAINSTREAM.
COMMON JUST WON AN OSCAR.
DID YOU GUYS FEEL LIKE YOU
KNOW THIS IN HIS CAREER.
DEFINITELY.
HE HAS SOME SPECIAL DRUMMING
MACHINE THAT NOBODY ELSE WAS
DOING.
I GUESS HE KNEW THE INS AND
OUTS OF THE DRUMMING MACHINE
THAT REFLECTED IN HIS MUSIC.
A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN'T REALLY
DUPLICATE WHAT HE DO.
Chuck: SO WHAT'S GOING ON
NOW YOU JUST GOT BACK FROM
EUROPE, RON.
YOU HAVE BEEN TOURING THERE
FOR HOW LONG?
IT WENT HUGE THERE?
SINCE 1998, MY FIRST TIME
EVER BEING ON A PLANE WAS
HEADED TO PARIS.
OPENING UP FOR D'ANGELO,
ACTUALLY.
YEAH, JUST GOT BACK LAST
NIGHT FROM LONDON.
WE HAD AN IN ANY EVENT
LONDON THAT WAS SOLDOUT.
YEAH.
JUST BEEN DOING IT.
Tati: WOW.
SO THERE'S A DILLA EVENT
THIS WEEKEND HERE AND IN
PARIS, TOO.
TELL US ABOUT IT.
THAT WAS A FEW DAYS AGO.
THE EVENT HERE IS YOU CAN
CHECK US OUT AT
DILLATROIT.COM STARRING MY
MAN FAT CAT RIGHT HERE
RONNIE EURO, SIMPSON.
JUST A LOT OF GUYS WE GREW
UP IT'S MORE OF AN INTIMATE
SETTING.
DILLA'S REAL FRIENDS.
THAT'S WHAT WE CAPTURE.
Chuck: WHAT DOES THAT
MEAN WE HAVE TALKED ABOUT
HIM AS A PRODUCER YOU SAY A
FRIEND.
WHAT WAS HE LIKE AS A FRIEND,
A REGULAR GUY?
VERY FUNNY GUY.
WE HAD A LOT OF INSIDE
JOKES.
I MEAN WE HAD A LOT OF
INSIDE JOKES.
HE'S A VERY FUNNY GUY.
SHY.
HE WAS IN HIS OWN LITTLE WAY.
HE WAS AN ALIEN IN HIS OWN
LITTLE WAY.
Chuck: BUT AS AN ARTIST
TO WORK NEAR HIM OR NEXT TO
HIM WAS HE A GIVING GUYS.
HE WAS VERY GIVING.
I REMEMBER TIMES WHERE I
WORKED WITH HIM HE'S ALWAYS
KIND OF CATERED TO WHAT YOU
WERE DOING.
HE WOULD SAY ACTUALLY THE
FIRST TIME I ACTUALLY WORKED
WITH HIM.
HEY MAN, RELAX, RELAX YOU
GOT THIS.
HE WAS TEACHING.
HE SAID YOU WOULDN'T BE
HERE IF I DIDN'T THINK YOU
HAD WHAT THE TAKES.
HE REALLY DID LIKE DONUTS
IS THAT TRUE?
YEAH, THERE WAS ALWAYS
DONUTS IN THE STUDIO.
HIS UNCLE HERM ANDnd A
TRIBUTE TO HIM IT WAS CALLED
DILLA DELIGHTS.
ONE MORE SHOUTOUT FOR THE
EVENT.
DILLATROIT.COM THIS
FRIDAY FIRST AND
IT'S GOING GOING TO BE A