The Dilla Swag Tee celebrates one of the greatest musical super producers, J Dilla.
J Dilla: An African-American record producer and rapper who emerged in the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene, as one third of the acclaimed music group Slum Village. Along with a wide range of other musical genres, he developed a passion for hip hop music and took up beat-making using a simple tape deck. In 1996, Slum Village recorded their debut album Fantastic, Vol. 1 and soon Dilla had a string of singles and remix projects. 2000 marked the release of Slum Village's Fantastic, Vol. 2, creating a new following for J Dilla as a producer and an MC. Articles in 2004 and 2005 confirmed rumors of Dilla's ill health and hospitalization, but the seriousness of his condition became public in November 2005 when J Dilla toured Europe performing from a wheelchair. It was later revealed that he suffered from thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (a rare blood disease), and possibly lupus. He worked with notable acts including A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, The Roots, The Pharcyde, Madlib and Common. J Dilla died on February 10, 2006, at his home in Los Angeles, California, three days after the release of his final album Donuts.