''Dilla Time: The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla, the Hip-Hop Producer Who Reinvented Rhythm'' is a 2022 biography of

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

producer

J Dilla James Dewitt Yancey (February 7, 1974 – February 10, 2006), better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michiga ...

written by

Dan Charnas Daniel Louis Charnas (born August 30, 1967) is an American author, radio host and record company executive. He is considered to have played a role in the creation of hip-hop journalism. A native of New York City, Charnas graduated with honors f ...

. It chronicles the life of J Dilla until his death in 2006, as well as his posthumous influence on the music industry. Described as "equal parts biography,

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

, and cultural history," the book emphasizes J Dilla's signature rhythmic time-feel, which Charnas termed "Dilla time," and its wide-reaching impact on modern music. The book debuted on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' Best Sellers list, receiving widespread acclaim from critics and musicians.

Background

In 1999, writer

met

and

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

while the two musicians were working on Common's album '' Like Water for Chocolate'' at J Dilla's home studio in Conant Gardens,

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. Charnas cites this meeting as "the real origin of the book". As an associate professor at the

Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

, Charnas taught a course called "Topics in Recorded Music: J Dilla" that discussed J Dilla's musical techniques and influence. He began work researching and reporting for the book in 2017. Charnas interviewed over 200 friends, family members, and collaborators of J Dilla throughout the research process. In the book, Charnas aims to dispel several myths about J Dilla. For one, according to Charnas, many musicians reduce J Dilla's time-feel as simply "loose" and "not quantizing", but the book describes this as an oversimplification, detailing the nuances that defined J Dilla's technique. The book also debunks the misconception that J Dilla produced his 2006 album ''

Donuts A doughnut or donut () is a type of pastry made from leavened fried dough. It is popular in many countries and is prepared in various forms as a sweet snack that can be homemade or purchased in bakeries, supermarkets, food stalls, and franch ...

'' in the hospital, instead explaining that the album was born from an earlier beat tape and edited by Jeff Jank of

Stones Throw Records Stones Throw Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles, California. Under the direction of founder Peanut Butter Wolf, Stones Throw has released music ranging from hip hop to experimental psychedelic rock. ''LA Weekly'' ...

while J Dilla was in the hospital.

Cover artwork

''Dilla Times cover artwork was designed by

Rodrigo Corral Rodrigo Corral is a graphic designer and conceptual artist based in New York City. In 2002, Corral founded Rodrigo Corral Design studio to create iconic book jacket art for the publishing industry. Corral has created designs and conceptual art fo ...

. ''

'' listed it as one of the best book covers of 2022, calling it "an image that signals the zones of Dilla'smany talents while nodding to the relationship between that talent and work ethic (and beats)," also noting the exclusion of Charnas' name from the cover.

Reception

''Dilla Time'' was released to widespread critical acclaim, debuting at number four on ''

'' Hardcover Nonfiction Best Sellers list. ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' called ''Dilla Time'' "easily the best rap book of the year," describing the book as "not only a love letter to Dilla, but also a riveting immersion into the music of Detroit and the art of beatmaking." ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' listed the book as one of the best music books of 2022, describing it as "elegantly written and deeply sourced." Writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...

'', Liza Lentini praised the book, calling it "a portrait of a complex genius taken too young, as well as a glorious study of the music and culture he created." At the 2023 PEN Awards, ''Dilla Time'' won the

PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award for Biography The PEN/Jacqueline Bograd Weld Award is awarded by the PEN America (formerly PEN American Center) to honor a "distinguished biography possessing notable literary merit which has been published in the United States during the previous calendar year." ...

Film adaptation

On September 22, 2022, it was announced that

Questlove Ahmir K. Thompson (born January 20, 1971), known professionally as Questlove (stylized as ), is an American drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman (with Black Thought ...

would executive produce a feature

documentary A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

titled ''Dilla Time'', adapted from the book. The film will be co-directed by

Joseph Patel Joseph Patel (born 1972) is an American producer, director and journalist. He won an Academy Award in the category Best Documentary Feature Film for the documentary film '' Summer of Soul''. Life and career Patel grew up in the San Francisco ...

, who produced ''

Summer of Soul ''Summer of Soul (...or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)'' is a 2021 American independent documentary film about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival, directed by Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in his directorial debut. It had its world prem ...

'' with Questlove, and Darby Wheeler. The film will be produced in cooperation with J Dilla's estate, with Dan Charnas also serving as producer. The film has been described as "part biography, part

, and part musical meditation, featuring insight from some of the most influential and innovative voices of modern music."

References

2022 non-fiction books American history books American biographies Biographies about musicians Biographies about African-American people Hip-hop books {{J Dilla