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- Date Released: November 4, 2008
- Genre: Hip-Hop/R&B
- Label: Delicious Vinyl / Audio Bee
The legendary J Dilla's little brother does the late legend proud
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We Say...
In the two years that have elapsed since underground legend J Dilla passed, dozens of rappers — among them Busta Rhymes, Jay Electronica and Q-Tip — have plundered his seemingly abyssal stock of unused beats. Yet only Dilla's younger brother, 21-year-old Illa J, can claim them as a birthright.
Upon relocating to Los Angeles from the family's hometown of Detroit, Illa J received the ideal housewarming present: a CD's worth of unused beats that his big brother (then known as Jay Dee) had recorded for Delicious Vinyl between 1995 and 1998. As one might imagine, the beats themselves take center stage ("DFTF" and "All Good," in particular). The elder Yancey brother concocts a simmering, smoky, soulful brew — a dream cross-section of his work on A Tribe Called Quest's Beats, Rhymes and Life, The Pharcyde's Labcabincalifornia, and Common's Like Water for Chocolate.
On the mic, Illa J might still lurk in his brother's long shadow, but with his laid-back, sing-song flow, he seems to intuitively know how to rock Dilla's soundscapes. Occasionally, this liquescent tone veers towards languor, but more often than not, Yancey Boys proves to be an impressive debut, one that would make big brother proud. -
They Say...
The title of rapper/singer Illa J's debut album refers to the man himself along with his older brother J Dilla, aka Jay Dee, the game-changing hip-hop producer from Detroit who passed away in 2006 at the age of 32. The beats on Yancey Boys are "all previously untouched Jay Dee gems" that were given to Illa J by Delicious Vinyl's founder, Michael Ross. Safe to say, the younger Yancey's first encounter with these tracks had to bring a heavy set of emotions, but with everything here being immediately recognizable as Dilla, the end result for the longtime fan is still one of ghosts and bittersweet memories. Nocturnal keyboards, elegant pianos, lazy beats, and the occasional Kraftwerk-like twist all combine to make warm soul music, but save the D'Angelo-like "We Here" and the more hip-hop highlight "DFTF," those final Dilla touches are missing, as they were on all those sketchbook-like bootleg beat tapes that have appeared since the man's passing. The younger Yancey's contributions are unsurprising lyrics that sing the praises of chilling or soul searching by wandering in circles. Worst of the latter is the perhaps ironically titled "Timeless," which kicks off the uncertain album with "I spent so much time living inside the bubble/I just wanna lay back and stay outta trouble/I think its time for me to break out of the shell/And I can't be afraid to fail." To his credit, his heavy workload includes putting the finishing touches on these lost tracks and figuring out how to pay tribute to his older brother while pimping his own potential. His solution is so understated and mellow that Yancey Boys ends up an interesting release for the Dilla faithful instead of Illa J's grand entrance.
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| 01. |  |
Timeless |
3:14 |
|
| 02. | |
We Here |
4:10 |
|
| 03. | |
R U Listenin'? |
4:18 |
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| 04. | |
Alien Family |
2:17 |
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| 05. | |
Strugglin |
3:23 |
|
| 06. | |
Showtime |
3:45 |
|
| 07. | |
Swagger |
3:33 |
|
| 08. |
Mr. Shakes (Skit) |
0:44 |
|
|
| 09. | |
DFTF |
4:25 |
|
| 10. | |
All Good |
3:05 |
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| 11. | |
Sounds Like Love |
3:25 |
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| 12. | |
Everytime |
4:32 |
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| 13. | |
Illasoul |
3:47 |
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| 14. | |
Air Signs |
3:25 |
|
14 Total Tracks, 48:03 Total Length
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Credits
- Peter Ambrose - Photography // Geoff Schroer - Engineer // Geoff Schroer - Mixing // Ari Raskin - Mastering // Dina Juntila - Graphic Design // Dina Juntila - Art Direction // Debi Nova - Guest Appearance // Frank Nitty - Guest Appearance // Alfred Hawkins - Logo Design // Affion Crockett - Guest Appearance
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