J Dilla’s groundbreaking approach to hip-hop made new waves in the industry, with a ripple effect still felt today, nearly two decades after his death. It’s a tough legacy to grasp, but Detroit-based Shinola meets the mantle with a triple-header of a collection featuring a record bag and two innovative new timepieces.
The Shinola x J Dilla Capsule Collection, available today via Shinola, brings together both a modern luxury icon and a Detroit staple from decades past (the collection was designed and produced in partnership with the J Dilla Estate). For an iconic producer and rapper who teamed with the likes of Erykah Badu, Janet Jackson, Common, and A Tribe Called Quest in addition to releasing acclaimed solo music, it’s a fitting celebration of someone Shinola calls a centerpiece of Detroit culture. The collection also bolsters Shinola’s Great Americans Series, which has previously celebrated the likes of Jim Thorpe and Muhammad Ali.
The luxe yet accessible offering was designed to toast “J Dilla’s extraordinary musical legacy that has shaped modern music as we know it,” the watchmaker and lifestyle brand said, calling the hip-hop legend part of “the true essence of Detroit culture.” Shinola has worked to shape the city itself across the past decade-plus, producing watches in Cass Corridor near Jack White’s famed Third Man Records while also opening the opulent yet approachable Shinola Hotel and celebrating the likes of Detroit’s role in space exploration.
To ring in the collaboration, Shinola previously paired up with Detroit native and multi-platinum superstar Big Sean in an inspiring release annoucement video celebrating the Motor City and J. Dilla’s astounding legacy. J. Dilla’s career saw his rise from Detroit’s ’90s underground rap scene into what Shinola calls part of the “foundational heartbeat of modern music,” one with his personal MPC housed in none other than the Smithsonian Institution.
The collection, in addition to two striking and intricate watches, also includes a handsome leather record bag with a J. Dilla-embossed front. The hardware within the timepieces themselves is plenty impressive, bolstered beyond the colorful exterior of each timepeice, as the Shinola x J. Dilla Chronograph (available now for $1,095) features a cassette tape dial nodding to some of Dilla’s first beats made on “pause tapes.”
The Shinola x J Dilla Skeleton, on the other hand, features a rare skeletonized movement from Shinola, along with a dial celebrating wavy shapes and colors in a nod to an analog signal. Both watches rest on handsome blue leather straps in a further nod to Shinola’s craftsmanship and heritage-minded focus.
J Dilla’s legacy is an enduring one, and Shinola’s latest Great Americans debut celebrates that legacy in fine form. Capturing the impact of a native son of Detroit also requires a sense of care for the future: Two refined, groundbreaking watches and a record bag built to last seem to meet the moment accordingly. Shop the Shinola x J Dilla Capsule Collection as of today at Shinola.
