The Mission of The J Dilla Foundation is to help fund inner-city music programs, and provide scholarships to students attending schools that have progressive music curricula.
The foundation was started by Maureen Yancey, mother of acclaimed producer James “Jay Dee aka J Dilla” Yancey. J Dilla was a Grammy award winning record producer and artist who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip-hop scene in Detroit, Michigan. According to NPR.org, he was one of the music industry’s most influential hip-hop artists, working for big-name acts such as Erykah Badu, Busta Rhymes, Common and Janet Jackson.
J Dilla passed away in 2006 after long suffering with Lupus and the rare blood disease TTP. “Dilla was about love in many formats,” Maureen states. “One of the things he wanted me to do with his legacy was to use it to help others… kids who were musically gifted but had little hope due to poverty.” It is the foundation’s hope that by funding and encouraging such progressive music curricula, young prodigies, and music enthusiast alike will have the tools and support they need to flourish and become successful within the entertainment industry. The importance of urban music in academia is also heavily stressed.
The foundation encourages styles such as hip-hop, R&B, and soul to be studied and cultivated in higher learning institutions along with other celebrated genres such as classical, jazz, and rock. Maureen proclaims, “The J Dilla Foundation seeks to be a staple in the movement for progressive music education. We also hope to be leaders in the efforts to enhance and develop arts programs in urban communities.”
