Jay Dee Aka J-dilla

After quietly serving as a member of A Tribe Called Quest's production team, the Ummah, Detroit producer Jay Dee quickly became known as a major hip-hop prospect at the beginning of the early 2000s. The hip-hop community took notice of his no-frills, breakbeat-laden classic hip-hop style after he helped craft albums for Common (Like Water for Chocolate), D'Angelo (Voodoo), and Q Tip (Amplified), in addition to other projects of lesser profile. When Fantastic, Vol. 2 -- the long-awaited major-label debut album by Jay Dee's group, the trio Slum Village -- finally appeared in 2000, Jay Dee was no longer a secret, suddenly having become one of hip-hop's most admired and desired producers. His growing reputation and impressive resume presented him with the opportunity to release a solo album in early 2001, Welcome 2 Detroit, an album featuring a number of underground Detroit rappers. Jaydee is also known as J-dilla and as half of JAYLIB (Jaydee & Madlib)... and worked with a.o. Busta Rhymes, The Pharcyde, De La Soul, The Beatjunkies, Common, Jazzanova and Artfull Dodger.