The memory of J Dilla lives on. Earlier this week, Dilla's mother Maureen "Ma Dukes" Yancey-Smith announced that she will be publishing a new children's book titled The Life Story of James Dewitt Yancey. Focusing on the early years of Dilla's life and "inspired by the stories from his mother, family and siblings," the book will be available on November 22.
"I had a wonderful time in the studio doing that. It was exciting [...] That, I got to relive, doing this book," Ma Dukes told Peter Rosenberg on Hot 97 during her announcement. "Even though I actually lived it, it was wonderful to actually hear it... it kind of shined a light on my life because you don't think of what you do every day."
Proceeds from the book will go towards the James Dewitt Yancey Foundation and will also be available in audio format, narrated by Ma Dukes. You can take a look at the book and pre-order it now at the official J Dilla merch site.
This past year has seen—and will continue to see—a number of posthumous releases. Dilla's rap album The Diary was released back in April, and a recently unearthed mixtape from 1999-2000 surfaced in August. Looking ahead, Rappcats will also be dropping a new 12" vinyl titled The Middle Finger on October 5.
Watch Ma Dukes talk to Peter Rosenberg about the J Dilla children's book above.
