As I remarked on Facebook, this is bigger than you think. The National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington D.C. is still under construction but when it’s ready for visitors, Jay Dee fans will be excited for a new stand dedicated to the Detroit maestro.
In a press release on Friday, the Smithsonian Institute announced “the donation of significant artefacts from the family of award-winning hip-hop artist and producer, James “J Dilla” Yancey”. The artefacts in question are his customised Minimoog Voyager (made by the late Bob Moog and as seen in J Dilla’s Crate Diggers episode) and his MPC3000LE. From the streets of Conant Gardens to a section of the largest museum complex in the world, this is a massive chapter in the story of Dilla.
Stream a clip of the announcement below.