"Dilla needed this ... think of all the people driving down Woodward Avenue seeing his name up on the marquee," Yett says. "This is a big deal and it's long overdue. Whether we fill it up or not, it's about setting that tone where you can put on dress clothes and celebrate Dilla. This is a wake-up call."

Detroit rapper Guilty Simpson, a longtime Dilla pal, spends much time in Europe, seeing Dilla fanatics in each city, put things in a kind of perspective. 

"I've noticed other cities have made bigger celebrations in his name and it used to make me upset, but now I understand that this is the way it is," Simpson says. "The true celebration is his music and the impact it has. To travel and see his impact is a true gift though. Dilla is loved worldwide."

Friday, Feb. 10, at the Fillmore, 2115 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-961-5450; featuring special guest Busta Ryhmes, Jay Electronica, Phife Dawg (A Tribe Called Quest), Phat Kat, Danny Brown, Guilty Simpson, Nick Speed Orchestra, DJ J-Rocc, DJ Dez, Chuck Inglish (Cool Kids), Fat Ray and Boldy James; doors at 8 p.m.; $25.

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