Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm
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- Create Date：2022-04-08 01:16:41
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Dan Charnas
- ISBN：1800751745
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Summary
'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 twenty-first century。
He wasn't known to mainstream audiences， and when he died at age thirty-two， he had never had a pop hit。 Yet since his death， J Dilla has become a demigod， revered as one of the most important musical figures of the past hundred years。 At the core of this adulation is innovation: as the producer behind some of the most influential rap and R&B acts of his day， Dilla created a new kind of musical time-feel， an accomplishment on a par with the revolutions wrought by Louis Armstrong and James Brown。 Dilla and his drum machine reinvented the way musicians play。
In Dilla Time， Dan Charnas chronicles the life of James DeWitt Yancey， from his gifted Detroit childhood to his rise as a sought-after hip-hop producer to the rare blood disease that caused his premature death。 He follows the people who kept Dilla and his ideas alive。 And he rewinds the histories of American rhythms: from the birth of Motown soul to funk， techno， and disco。 Here， music is a story of what happens when human and machine times are synthesized into something new。
This is the story of a complicated man and his machines; his family， friends， partners， and celebrity collaborators; and his undeniable legacy。 Based on nearly two hundred original interviews， and filled with graphics that teach us to feel and see the rhythm of Dilla's beats， Dilla Time is a book as defining and unique as J Dilla's music itself。
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 twenty-first century。
He wasn't known to mainstream audiences， and when he died at age thirty-two， he had never had a pop hit。 Yet since his death， J Dilla has become a demigod， revered as one of the most important musical figures of the past hundred years。 At the core of this adulation is innovation: as the producer behind some of the most influential rap and R&B acts of his day， Dilla created a new kind of musical time-feel， an accomplishment on a par with the revolutions wrought by Louis Armstrong and James Brown。 Dilla and his drum machine reinvented the way musicians play。
In Dilla Time， Dan Charnas chronicles the life of James DeWitt Yancey， from his gifted Detroit childhood to his rise as a sought-after hip-hop producer to the rare blood disease that caused his premature death。 He follows the people who kept Dilla and his ideas alive。 And he rewinds the histories of American rhythms: from the birth of Motown soul to funk， techno， and disco。 Here， music is a story of what happens when human and machine times are synthesized into something new。
This is the story of a complicated man and his machines; his family， friends， partners， and celebrity collaborators; and his undeniable legacy。 Based on nearly two hundred original interviews， and filled with graphics that teach us to feel and see the rhythm of Dilla's beats， Dilla Time is a book as defining and unique as J Dilla's music itself。
Reviews
Sabin Prentis Duncan
，
Dan Charnas did his homework。 I am a native Detroiter and a hip-hop fan whose sense of musicality within the culture corresponds with Dilla’s rising influence。 It is from that perspective that I express great gratitude for this careful， meticulous， and detailed documentation of a musical giant。 It’s a testament to Dilla’s craft that his legacy and influence continue to grow。
Mik
，
J。 Dilla has become one of the most celebrated figures in hip-hop， yet there hasn't been a proper chronicle his life， career， and influence on popular music。 Dan Charnas had a huge task in front of him with "Dilla Time"， but he masterfully put together one of the most detailed music biographies that has been published。For one， Charnas' recount of Dilla's life and career feels thorough， but cohesive。 Built on interviews of close to 200 individuals （as well as research from published interviews an J。 Dilla has become one of the most celebrated figures in hip-hop， yet there hasn't been a proper chronicle his life， career， and influence on popular music。 Dan Charnas had a huge task in front of him with "Dilla Time"， but he masterfully put together one of the most detailed music biographies that has been published。For one， Charnas' recount of Dilla's life and career feels thorough， but cohesive。 Built on interviews of close to 200 individuals （as well as research from published interviews and public documents） Charnas immerses the reader at every aspect of Dilla's life。 From Dilla's early days producing in the basement of his peers， to his final days spent composing his masterpiece that would become "Donuts"， this aspect of the story in "Dilla Time" feels incredibly realized。 There is a listening guide you can find here that includes the music that Charnas mentions in the book as well。 It's fantastic， and I've included the link here。 Even when I put the book down， I felt totally connected with Dilla's discography。 Tip: Use the YouTube playlist as the listening guide， rather than the Spotify or Tidal one！ The YouTube playlist includes tracks that are not available on larger streaming platforms。There are more moving parts to the narrative of "Dilla Time" that Charnas takes a deep dive into。 Music theory （ex: answering the question of what exactly does the term "Dilla Time" mean？） and African diaspora are just as important into who Dilla's roots as a man and a musician。 Charnas acknowledges that， and these sections never felt out of place。 "Dilla Time" deserves every bit of YOUR time and money， especially if you call yourself a fan of hip hop， or music nerd。 A worthy book for the greatest to ever do it。 。。。more
James
，
A lot of effort went into it that is for sure
Ben
，
Ever since I heard about Dilla Time's release early this year， I knew it would be an unforgettable experience。 It's such a rare opportunity to learn what makes such a special musician tick， but Charnas lays it out in full detail。 Adding the musicology chapters about the evolution of rhythm and time was a bold， but excellent choice， cementing Dilla's impact in that department。 In these chapters， he makes use of really engaging visuals and even guides readers auditorily by encouraging toe-tapping， Ever since I heard about Dilla Time's release early this year， I knew it would be an unforgettable experience。 It's such a rare opportunity to learn what makes such a special musician tick， but Charnas lays it out in full detail。 Adding the musicology chapters about the evolution of rhythm and time was a bold， but excellent choice， cementing Dilla's impact in that department。 In these chapters， he makes use of really engaging visuals and even guides readers auditorily by encouraging toe-tapping， verbally counting， and going through the same process of listening to Dilla samples as James himself would have。 I also appreciate Charnas' honesty when it came to acknowledging certain people's wrongdoings instead of ignoring them， as it makes me empathize with them as if I knew them personally。 Most importantly， the theme of time and humans' connection to it is central to all aspects of this story， adding more to the tragic portions about the end of his life。 Even though I love Donuts， I'm glad the author spent more time dissecting the medical situation and less on the music itself; that chapter really changed my perspective on the album。 It's sad realizing that the artist who could manipulate musical time like no other lived such a short life on this earth。As a fan of plenty of the artists involved， I got exactly what I wanted。 In particular， learning about D'Angelo， Questlove， and Pino's journey in creating Voodoo felt so special。 Dilla Time has inspired me to uncover more about the artists I'm less familiar with as well， encouraging me to pay attention to specific rhythms and choices directly stemming from Dilla's work。 This book was so enjoyable to read and I'm grateful to Dan Charnas and J Dilla for weaving together generations of musical history that fans will enjoy for years to come。4/5 。。。more
Melina Laganas
，
Easiest five stars ever。 Best biography I've read。 Easiest five stars ever。 Best biography I've read。 。。。more
LaShana
，
Wow， just Wow！！ If you are a music lover， then this book needs to be on your TBR list。
James
，
Charnas is just a great biographer。 The James he paints is brilliant， sad， difficult: a person with exquisite autodidactic taste in music who also struggles to treat other humans with basic respect and dignity， especially women。 This book made me love Erykah Badu more than I already did。Once Charnas and Peretz taught me what Dilla Time was， I heard it everywhere， in lots of my favorite music。 There's a playlist on Spotify that someone made that has all of the songs mentioned in this book and it' Charnas is just a great biographer。 The James he paints is brilliant， sad， difficult: a person with exquisite autodidactic taste in music who also struggles to treat other humans with basic respect and dignity， especially women。 This book made me love Erykah Badu more than I already did。Once Charnas and Peretz taught me what Dilla Time was， I heard it everywhere， in lots of my favorite music。 There's a playlist on Spotify that someone made that has all of the songs mentioned in this book and it's so good， I want to play it all the time。 。。。more
Theo R-O
，
Must read if you possess an even passing interest in music。 Part history of / ode to Black Detroit， part music theory （but it’s fun I swear）， 100% bio of one of the unrecognized creators of our modern culture。 Special thanks to FSG for my copies， esp JH。
Jesse Shatsky
，
One of my favorites ever。 I was already a Jay Dee stan， but this book added a dimension to my fandom and admiration for the goat that I would have never otherwise captured。 No reason for me to try to write more about how great and influential Dilla was - just read the book。 Highly recommend it as an audiobook - though I honestly think Charnas could have done even more to pair the listening experience with some of the concepts covered。 I know these are covered as supplementary materials but I wou One of my favorites ever。 I was already a Jay Dee stan， but this book added a dimension to my fandom and admiration for the goat that I would have never otherwise captured。 No reason for me to try to write more about how great and influential Dilla was - just read the book。 Highly recommend it as an audiobook - though I honestly think Charnas could have done even more to pair the listening experience with some of the concepts covered。 I know these are covered as supplementary materials but I would have preferred to just have them as a part of the audiobook。 。。。more
Anna Alexander
，
An impressive book that mixes music journalism， biography， and musical theory。
Riley Cooke
，
New favorite biography。。。 blends such wide-ranging topics as musicology， beatmaking technology， soul/funk/R&B/hip-hop history， geography， medicine， estate laws， etc。， alongside personal accounts and anecdotes told compassionately and even-handedly。 RIP Jay Dee
Chris Breitenbach
，
A deep dive into the artistry， technique and all too-short life of James Dewitt Yancey。 And， thankfully， this is superbly written and deeply engaging。 If you're like me， you'll pull up a Dilla playlist and listen along， nodding your head to those limping， off-kilter beats and marvel as you read。 A deep dive into the artistry， technique and all too-short life of James Dewitt Yancey。 And， thankfully， this is superbly written and deeply engaging。 If you're like me， you'll pull up a Dilla playlist and listen along， nodding your head to those limping， off-kilter beats and marvel as you read。 。。。more
John Port
，
I knew nothing about J Dilla。 Except for hearing about his influence from NPR's "To the Best of Our Knowledge"and a few obscure references， that's my knowledge。 I also have a limited knowledge of rap and hip hop。。。Jay-Z， Dr。 Dre， Eminem， Kanye is it for me。 I was fascinated by the story of J Dilla。 The way he worked。 What inspired his beats。 Who he decided to work with。 His wide ranging influence in music。 There was a lot of music terminology。 I have enough music knowledge to follow along， but p I knew nothing about J Dilla。 Except for hearing about his influence from NPR's "To the Best of Our Knowledge"and a few obscure references， that's my knowledge。 I also have a limited knowledge of rap and hip hop。。。Jay-Z， Dr。 Dre， Eminem， Kanye is it for me。 I was fascinated by the story of J Dilla。 The way he worked。 What inspired his beats。 Who he decided to work with。 His wide ranging influence in music。 There was a lot of music terminology。 I have enough music knowledge to follow along， but plan to go back and review the PDF that was included with the audio book。 The book was a mix of Dilla's family and professional life。 The challenges of success in both。 How his family and friends have carried on his legacy after his death。 It's evident from the interviews that J Dilla was influential to hip hop and rap。 With my limited knowledge of the music， it's not as clear to me。 I look forward to listening to J Dilla's music and learn why what he did was so important。 This book is a great start to understanding his influence。 。。。more
Alex Mackavitz
，
Mmaaaann…。。This book is absolutely worth a read if you’ve heard of hip hop and you’re a fan of love。
Miggy
，
This biography is as researched as any。 The amount of detail going into James Yancey’s life was actually mind blowing。 From a casual fan， the story I had in my head of J Dilla was far from reality。 Anyone who is into producing music can take a lot from this book。
Kelly Jones
，
I struggle to write a review that does this incredible story and writing justice。 This book does an impeccable job following the life （and afterlife） of J Dilla and his contribution to the music industry。 It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about music history or production， the author explains everything in an accessible manor。 It doesn’t matter if you’re a hip hop fan or not this story in gripping in its humanity and history。 I’m honestly just sad it’s over， I could not get enough。
M。i。
，
Kudos to Charnas， for this beautifully crafted book on what is surely a definitive approach to the life and after life of a man widely considered in hip-hop circles as one of its best producers if not the best。This one especially feels therapeutic。 So many angles to break down but I think what I appreciate the most about it， is how Charnas breaks down the music like a science。Too often， hiphop as with black art， isn't given the type of reverence it needs。 Yet when you look at the methodology beh Kudos to Charnas， for this beautifully crafted book on what is surely a definitive approach to the life and after life of a man widely considered in hip-hop circles as one of its best producers if not the best。This one especially feels therapeutic。 So many angles to break down but I think what I appreciate the most about it， is how Charnas breaks down the music like a science。Too often， hiphop as with black art， isn't given the type of reverence it needs。 Yet when you look at the methodology behind the way the music is crafted， these men and women are way ahead of their time。 And in Dilla's case， he basically manipulated time to achieve his goals。I got into Dilla late， so to me， its an act of discovery now， going around trying to find his work。 But one thing I'm pleasantly surprised by， is that much of what is known as lofi music was inspired by him。 I was already keyed into him that way before I knew he was the architect 。。。more
Scott
，
Once the author was done unnecessarily explaining what hiphop was and how it began， it became a great read。 I keep noticing this with hiphop biographies， why do they think readers need to be told the genre's origins everytime？ Aside from that， this is a very in-depth about eras and tracks of his career， and super detailed on the technical side of why he was such a great producer。 Once the author was done unnecessarily explaining what hiphop was and how it began， it became a great read。 I keep noticing this with hiphop biographies， why do they think readers need to be told the genre's origins everytime？ Aside from that， this is a very in-depth about eras and tracks of his career， and super detailed on the technical side of why he was such a great producer。 。。。more
Carlos Martinez
，
Ultimate modern cliché to be a Dilla-nerd， but that's a cross I bear。 This is a really lovely and detailed study of his life and impact。 Made me cry more than once！ Ultimate modern cliché to be a Dilla-nerd， but that's a cross I bear。 This is a really lovely and detailed study of his life and impact。 Made me cry more than once！ 。。。more
Jonas
，
Dan Charnas has a very unique background among music journalists that makes him preeminently qualified to write about such a complicated person as J Dilla: besides a journalist， he's also worked in the music industry in production and marketing for some very famous hip-hop artists and labels。I was a fan of "The Big Payback" and was very excited to read this biography about James Dewitt Yancey， more famously known as hip-producer producer and éminence grise， J Dilla。 This book did not disappoint; Dan Charnas has a very unique background among music journalists that makes him preeminently qualified to write about such a complicated person as J Dilla: besides a journalist， he's also worked in the music industry in production and marketing for some very famous hip-hop artists and labels。I was a fan of "The Big Payback" and was very excited to read this biography about James Dewitt Yancey， more famously known as hip-producer producer and éminence grise， J Dilla。 This book did not disappoint; his meticulously researched book about J。 Dilla's cross-cutting influence and imprint on hip-hop music production in the mid to early aughts is comprehensive， authoritative， and treats the subject with the seriousness it rightfully deserves。His technical discussion of J Dilla's elongated rhythms， beat emphasis in unusual points in the meter， and production methods was well above my head （and most people who don't have a strong musical background）， but I highly suggest reading the book along with J Dilla produced songs that he mentions throughout to gain a better appreciation of his musical genius。 。。。more
Bri Dodwell
，
Maybe "exhilarating" is a strange word choice for this book？ But that's what binging it was for me （listened to the 15 hour audiobook at 1。5x， finishing in 10 hours over the course of 3 days）。 I've known J Dilla as a prolific producer whose life was tragically cut short and was familiar with his work。 But I had never thought too much about the man himself or what makes a Dilla track so special and singular。 This does a masterful job of not only breaking down the man， the method， and the music bu Maybe "exhilarating" is a strange word choice for this book？ But that's what binging it was for me （listened to the 15 hour audiobook at 1。5x， finishing in 10 hours over the course of 3 days）。 I've known J Dilla as a prolific producer whose life was tragically cut short and was familiar with his work。 But I had never thought too much about the man himself or what makes a Dilla track so special and singular。 This does a masterful job of not only breaking down the man， the method， and the music but also the historical and geographical context of how it all came to be。My only minor quibble is that I really wish the audiobook had brief snippets of the actual music referenced in it。 I'm not a lawyer but I understand there are likely myriad copyright and licensing issues that made this impossible （it also would've probably made an already decently long audio recording even longer）。 I only discovered the Dilla Time YouTube playlist after I had finished the book and it would've been nice to have the musical references as I went without pausing and leaving the book。 。。。more
James
，
Superb biography
Jordan
，
A stunning work of biography， journalism， and accessible musicology。 A truly Robert Caro-level undertaking that entailed 190 interviews over four years。 Also acts as a sort of corollary to Charnas’ The Big Payback， which detailed the history of the business of rap - i。e。， mainstream hip-hop。 This is the history of the other side of the coin。 Absolutely essential。My only issue with the book is that it doesn’t give us much in the way of Dilla’s interiority。 We see what he did but we don’t get much A stunning work of biography， journalism， and accessible musicology。 A truly Robert Caro-level undertaking that entailed 190 interviews over four years。 Also acts as a sort of corollary to Charnas’ The Big Payback， which detailed the history of the business of rap - i。e。， mainstream hip-hop。 This is the history of the other side of the coin。 Absolutely essential。My only issue with the book is that it doesn’t give us much in the way of Dilla’s interiority。 We see what he did but we don’t get much of who he was on the inside。 I know that’s a difficult row to hoe， especially with a journalistic endeavor like this where getting inside someone’s head could be construed as editorializing or coloring outside the lines。 Still， I hoped I’d come away with more of a concept of how Dilla felt and thought。 。。。more
Evan Landman
，
As a long time Dilla fan， this book really nails and clarifies a lot of stories and received wisdom that have circulated in the fan community for a long time。 It’s a meticulously researched story that does the challenging work of organizing the complex timelines and detritus of a man who was seemingly in all places at once。 It’s breezy reading， never drags， and the array of famed musicians and stars who play a part in the story make it sometimes feel like catching up with old friends you haven’t As a long time Dilla fan， this book really nails and clarifies a lot of stories and received wisdom that have circulated in the fan community for a long time。 It’s a meticulously researched story that does the challenging work of organizing the complex timelines and detritus of a man who was seemingly in all places at once。 It’s breezy reading， never drags， and the array of famed musicians and stars who play a part in the story make it sometimes feel like catching up with old friends you haven’t seen in a long time。Anyway as a record of the man， Charnas has done an outstanding job。 His summaries of the music theory readings of Dilla’s work are clearly presented。 It’s maybe a little too weighted towards the jazz school interpretations of Dilla’s rhythmic innovations， but there’s still lots in here that is more grounded in the production process itself， and how producers （and not just Dilla-influenced jazz players） have adopted his methods as standard practice in the years since。 Worth it for any hip hop fan。 。。。more
Robel Kassa
，
Absolutely stellar。
Demone Carter
，
Dan Charnas does an incredible job of unpacking the man， the mythology， and the music of J Dilla。
Joe Lovinger
，
Easiest five stars I’ve given！ My mind is on the floor trying to imagine the research， dedication， and alchemy it took to put all this together。 And then to make it so clearly and compellingly written？ Impossible。 Except it really happened and it’s this book。 Proud to be an alum of the same school as Charnas。
Bob
，
Not perfect but if only all music biographies were this thorough and passionate。 Worth it for the opening section alone that provides an entertaining education on the he connections between black power， jazz， Detroit， techno， hip hop， musicology， racism in city planning （！） and of course the man in question。 The clear insight into the music is really well executed throughout。 The management of the extensive cast of characters is also impressive。 Sometimes the detail is a little overwhelming and Not perfect but if only all music biographies were this thorough and passionate。 Worth it for the opening section alone that provides an entertaining education on the he connections between black power， jazz， Detroit， techno， hip hop， musicology， racism in city planning （！） and of course the man in question。 The clear insight into the music is really well executed throughout。 The management of the extensive cast of characters is also impressive。 Sometimes the detail is a little overwhelming and one gets the sense there was no editor in command of the content enough to suggest where to edit。 I also found the stories of those influenced by Dilla after he passed to be… of varied interest levels。 But again， there is a lot of work and love in this book。 。。。more
Richard
，