Dilla Day 2023
Dilla Day is an annual worldwide celebration the life of J Dilla and the impact he had on generations of musicians, artists and for us, skateboarders. This year, we celebrated with our neighbors, The Tastesmokers BBQ to get together with good music, good food and good friends to share how Dilla impacted our lives and beyond.
"Geek Down" The Life and Legacy of J Dilla By Professor Andrew Mcintosh:
"I used to say that I moonlighted as a DJ and that my real job was being a professor. I now realize that their isn't much difference between the two" - Andrew McIntosh aka DJ Arm18.
To kick off the night, DJ Arm18 (some of you may know him as Professor Andrew McIntosh) schooled us all on everything James "J Dilla" Yancey. The presentation began in Detroit where James came up and the experiences that helped shape his sound. It went into the details his music career and the effect he had on hip-hop before and after his passing. A true masterclass on everything J Dilla.
Watch the full "Geek Down" presentation by DJ Arm18 here:
J Dilla's Impact On Music, Hip-Hop and The LV: A Roundtable Discussion.
To explain how J Dilla's music has influenced hip-hop culture all the way out here in the Lehigh Valley, the evening included a conversation with Arm18, Cap Cee, T the Human, Andy Po and hip-hop legend Mr. Len of Company Flow. They discussed how Dilla effected the music industry and beyond from their unique perspectives.
Watch the full round table discussion here:
Fall In Love: An Homage To J Dilla By Regional Producers & MC's
Dilla left an indelible mark on the music world. His sound continues to influence future generations including musicians in the LV who might have still been in diapers when he passed.
We were honored to have such a diverse group of local artists come share how Dilla impacted them before they performed. The line up of producers and emcees included an opening tribute by Quartez, owner of The Tastesmokers, EBT Josh, RJ Tha Guru, Running To Utopia, Safiyah Hernandez, T the Human and Black Dre.
Dilla's artistry also inspired the renowned family of mixed media artists, Maltas Con Leche who painted an incredible homage to J Dilla over the course the evening. The evening closed out with an emcee and B-Boy cypher all set to a setlist of J Dilla classics played by Cap Cee.
Dilla Day would not have been possible without Arm18, Cap Cee, Quartez, Veronica of the Tastesmokers BBQ & the entire Homebase team who supported this event. Thank you to everyone involved and everyone who came out to celebrate the life of J Dilla.
We'd like to think J Dilla would be honored that his music brought together what was ". . .probably the most diverse crowd in the Lehigh Valley."
Dilla Day photos available here:
Photo and Video by: Quintin Fernandez