A candid indoor shot of a person with a beard wearing a grey-and-black baseball cap, a black long-sleeved shirt, and a silver chain. They are looking to the side with a concentrated expression. The background is filled with musical equipment and media, including a large upright bass, a drum cymbal in the foreground, and shelves packed with vinyl records and electronics. — J Dilla Credit: Roger Erickson / Stones Throw

James Dewitt Yancey would have been 52 years old this month. In 1997 the Detroit producer, who died on Feb. 10, 2006, made a choice that would change the course of hip hop and modern jazz: taking his drum machine off-beat.

The small tweak rippled through three decades of music to push organic and mechanical sound together, influencing beat making and pop music as we know it.

To mark the 20th anniversary of the famed hip-hop producer’s death, heads will coalesce in Ybor City where DJs Kelan and Dfaz play a B2B set of classics and exclusives by the legendary maestro.

Because Dilla shares a birthday with him performers at this open-aux event will also pay tribute to Japanese lo-fi hip-hop god Nujabes who also died too young on Feb. 26, 2010.

Tickets for the J Dilla Weekend Celebration with Deejay Kellan and DJ Dfaz at Crowbar in Ybor City on Sunday, Feb. 8 are only available at the door for $5.