He performed on Guru's 1993 jazz-rap album, "Jazzmatazz, Vol. 1, " and his recordings were sampled on more than 100 hip-hop songs by such performers as Black Moon, Nas, Ludacris and A Tribe Called Quest.

WSJ: Innovative jazz trumpeter Donald Byrd dies at 80

When his own rap trio Slum Village found a hit with their album Fantastic, Vol. 2, Yancey quickly became one of hip-hop's most sought-after producers.

NPR: Hip-Hop Producer, Rapper Jay Dee AKA J Dilla