DJ Battlecat on Honoring the Life of J Dilla with the Upcoming DILLA JAZZ Celebration

DJ Battlecat helped shape the sound of West Coast rap. His work as a KDAY mixmaster, musician, and producer for artists like Domino, Snoop Dogg, and Tha Eastsidaz certifies him as a California rap titan. Now, he’s tasked with honoring another one of the genre’s trendsetters. One of the chief architects of DILLA JAZZ, DJ Battlecat is teaming up with a bevy of J Dilla’s collaborators and disciples to present live jazz- and hip-hop-flavored recreations of some of the late Detroit producer’s iconic beats, including seminal work with A Tribe Called Quest, Busta Rhymes, Common, and others. As DJ Battlecat readies for the DILLA JAZZ concert July 18 at The Ford in Los Angeles, he’s grateful for the opportunity to pay tribute to one of rap’s most acclaimed producers. In our Q&A below, Battlecat reflects on the late musician’s brilliance, discusses the emotional experience of encountering Dilla’s equipment, and working with other artists to present the upcoming event.  What makes Dilla a noteworthy producer? Dilla is such a great producer for many reasons—for one, the way he selected parts of records that others wouldn’t in order to create his own material. His melody selection was just awesome. I knew that...