by Dan Charnas
First published 2022
J Dilla transformed popular music through a new sense of rhythm that he crafted on drum machines. Dan Charnas traces the Detroit producer's journey from his childhood musical gifts through his work with artists like D'Angelo and Erykah Badu to his death from a rare blood disease at thirty-two. Though Dilla never achieved mainstream fame during his lifetime, his influence spread to superstars like Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson. After his death, he became revered by musicians from Robert Glasper to Kendrick Lamar. Charnas connects Dilla's story to the broader history of American rhythm, from Motown soul to funk, techno, and disco. The book draws from over 150 interviews to show how Dilla's seemingly loose beats were actually the work of a perfectionist devoted to his craft. Through visual graphics and detailed analysis, Charnas teaches readers to understand rhythm in new ways, revealing how one artist's fusion of human and machine time created a musical language that continues to shape contemporary sound.
Genres: biography, popular-science, african-american, non-fiction, music, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: biography, music
Setting: Detroit, Michigan
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
480 pages · Hardcover · MCD