J Dilla Fest is coming to the Grand Performances stage in Los Angeles on August 7, 2021. The free Saturday event with Fusicology will commemorate 15 Years of Dilla’s Donuts with special guest DJs and live performances by Talib Kweli with a live trio along with Frank N Dank with Illa J and The Beat Junkies DJ crew. Grammy winner Daru Jones will also serve as Music Director and drummer.

J Dilla Fest will celebrate the body of work from James Dewitt Yancey, who emerged from the Detroit hip-hop scene in the mid-’90s. Yancey passed away in 2006 after suffering for over three years with an incurable blood disease and a diagnosis of lupus. Stones Throw began working with J Dilla in the early days of his solo career in the early 2000s. He went on to collaborate with Madlib in the group Jaylib, and eventually released the solo album Donuts on Stones Throw in 2006, which has come to be regarded as one of his signature works.

The Grand Performances’ Summer 2021 lineup features tons of free performances in their newly renovated downtown LA location. Artists in this year’s lineup include Soulection, Katsu Oso, Brainstory, Cut Chemist and more from July-September. All performances are free and all ages are welcome! RSVP to J Dilla Fest and celebrate the life of this incredible artist with a live performance from Talib Kweli.

Location: Grand Performances

Address: 350 South Grand Avenue, Los Angeles, CA, 90071

Tickets free with RSVP

Photo credit: Brett Padelford