Vortrag: Translating J Dilla

This talk explores the making of Dilla: The Timeless Tribute (2020), the only officially endorsed UK tribute to Detroit producer J Dilla, created in collaboration with the James Dewitt Yancey Foundation. Producer and educator James Kennaby (Vice beats) reflects on a seven-year process of composition, licensing, collaboration and release, involving 24 artists across seven countries.

Drawing on Dan Charnas’ concept of “Dilla Time”, the talk considers how Dilla’s distinctive microtiming reshaped rhythmic perception in hip hop and asks what it means to translate that temporal philosophy into a new production and cultural context. Rather than approaching tribute as imitation, the project is framed as an act of musical translation, negotiating groove, authorship, ethical collaboration and transnational circulation in the streaming era.

Through audio examples, production breakdowns and reflections on working directly with Dilla’s family, this session bridges scholarship and practice. It asks how independent producers can engage with hip hop legacy responsibly while sustaining creativity across borders.

Credits: Elvin Catley