As most of you all well know it was the incomparable J Dilla's birthday over the weekend and his day was a montage of tributes and well wishes to the now deceased MC. In my opinion Dilla is one of the greatest producers of all time and defined the sound of the new hip hop that came out of the MidWest at the time including the Platinum Pied Pipers, Slum Village, Kanye West and Common amongst others. He has heavily influenced De La Soul, Q-tip, A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Dwele and almost every other "underground" hip hop sound you heard in the late 1990's and since. His passing due to Lupus was a tragedy for music lovers everywhere but his will is carried on in the Dilla Foundation and in the hearts of all of those he has touched with his genius. Check out a tribute here from BlindI as well as look out for more on Dilla on the blog as we celebrate his life. - Dre
