J Dilla left an imprint on rap that will never fade away. The crispy drums he used influenced people like Kanye West. Years later, he birthed the new generation of lo-fi producers. The Donuts producer’s influence continues to be heard in hip-hop nearly 15 years after his tragic passing. His collaborators and friends have shared his story and kept his legacy alive. However, for new fans who’ve yet to fully comprehend his genius, Hulu and FX are releasing a documentary titled, The Legacy Of J Dilla.
The upcoming documentary will make its debut on FX on April 7th at 10 p.m. Afterward, Hulu will upload it to their platform to stream on the same day. The New York Times will present the upcoming doc, which they describe as “an intimate portrait” of Dilla’s life and legacy. The documentary also includes exclusive access to his family. The Legacy Of J Dilla will certainly become a must-watch for hip-hop heads. It’s no doubt that it’ll explore his life and legacy in a way that hasn’t been done before.
The Legacy Of J Dilla Drops On April 7th
The documentary, which has been directed and produced by Christopher Frierson and Esther Dere, will include contributions from Dilla’s family and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding his estate and legacy following his 2006 death. “I’m a Detroiter, and I’m a fighter,” his mother, Maureen Yancey, says. “I will stay in there, and I will fight. I won’t let anybody put my son down, what I do for him down, because I’m here to lift up his music, his legacy.”
In addition to his forthcoming documentary, Questlove also has a documentary in the works based on the Welcome To Detroit artist. Dilla Time is described as “part biography, part musicology, and part musical meditation,” based on the 2022 biography, Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, The Hip Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm by Dan Charnas. “J Dilla was our teacher. And what he taught us was how to feel rhythm in a way we had never felt before,” Quest said. “I’m so honored to be a part of bringing his story to the world through this documentary.”