Though Dilla Day is observed each February, Yasiin Bey--the artist formerly known as Mos Def--is extending the celebration by a quarter of a year. This June 11, Bey will hit indigo at London's O2 arena to pay tribute to the late producer and MC, rapping over nothing but Dilla tracks in the process. (indigo is a 2,700-person capacity room within the much larger O2 facilities.) Early tickets for the show, which is being presented by Soundcrash, are available now. Bey has released two official songs over Dilla beats, "History" (the Talib Kweli-featuring song from 2009's The Ecstatic) and "Sunshine Screwface."

Under the Mos Def moniker, Bey has been releasing solo albums since 1999's Black on Both Sides, though Black Star, his collaboration with Talib Kweli, came out the year before. Quickly garnering a reputation as one of New York's foremost MCs, he nevertheless abandoned the sensibilities of his debut in the mid-2000s, focusing on more experimental fare. His 2009 LP, The Ecstatic--one that sported production contributions from the legendary Madlib--was seen by most as a retrn to form. Dilla passed away in 2006, immediately after the release of Donuts, considered by many to be one of the finest soul albums of the decade. 

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