DJ Jazzy Jeff to headline Montreal Loves Dilla 2021

Montreal Loves Dilla, an annual event honouring late hip hop legend J Dilla, has announced the lineup for its 15th anniversary edition. Due to ongoing pandemic restrictions, the Artbeat-organized function is going digital for 2021:

May be an image of text that says 'ARTBEATMONTREAL MONTREAL LOVES DILLA VONN DIRECT LIVE STREAM MONTREALLOVESDILLA.COM DJ JAZZY JEFF (MAGNIFICENT HOUSE PARTY: DILLA EDITION) SKRATCH BASTID. Û”ASH'U DR MAD VLOOPER MODLEE PRO-V MANZO EPHIKS TOAST DAWG MAGNANIMOUS SEVDEE GUEST OF HONOR MA DUKES MAGNANIMOUS 4:00SEVDEE JAZZY JEFF DAWG EPHIKS CONVERSATI WITH DUKES JAZZY JEFF SKRATCH BASTID BASTID HOUR MA DUKES SEVDEE Û”SH'U VLOOPER SCOTTC PRO-V DJMANZO EPHIKS MODLEE DRMAD MAGNANIMOUS AND MORE SPECIAL BEAT DJ SETS CACTUS Senulch'

Among the highlights are local DJs Shash’U and DJ Mad, turntablist extraordinaire Skratch Bastid and none other than DJ Jazzy Jeff serving as the headliner.

Montreal Loves Dilla 2021 will also feature a conversation with Dilla’s mother, Ma Dukes. Ma Dukes has previously appeared live at the in-person events, as has Dilla’s brother, Illa J, who lived in Montreal for a number of years.

This year’s edition is PWYC, with proceeds going towards the J Dilla Foundation. The mission statement of the charity is to “strive to make a better tomorrow for today’s youth.”

Image result for ma dukes — Ma Dukes alongside Jarobi White of A Tribe Called Quest

J Dilla was born on Feb. 7, 1974. His avant-garde production style helped shape the careers of the Pharcyde, Slum Village and A Tribe Called Quest, among others. Dilla passed on Feb. 10, 2006, just days after his 32nd birthday and the release of Donuts, his second studio album. According to Ma Dukes, Dilla died of cardiac arrest and had also been battling lupus and pneumonia.

In a recent interview, Busta Rhymes revealed to have over 300 J Dilla instrumentals in the vault. The producer earned a posthumous credit on Rhymes’s “Strap Yourself Down,” which was featured on his album Extinction Level Event 2: The Wrath of God.

Montreal Loves Dilla 2021 goes down on Saturday, Feb. 6 from 1 p.m. to 3 a.m. The event can be streamed here. Read Cult MTL’s 2016 interview with headliner DJ Jazzy Jeff here.

For more music coverage, please visit our Music section.