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Taking the name of his debut album and turning it into a project, Illa J joins with Frank Nitt for the Yancey Boys and their debut release, Sunset Blvd.. Comprised of beats from Illa J's older brother J Dilla, the album doesn't necessarily celebrate the game-changing, Detroit hip-hop producer's life (he passed away in 2006 at the age of 32 from a lupus-like disease), but it does celebrate the vibe his records offered, as Illa and Frank join a smart, street-level series of MCs who swagger and stun over these soulful backing tracks. On the great "Fisherman," reverence is one thing ("Tell 'em like Dilla told em"), but fly kicks are another ("When I feel the beat with all my soul, fill the streets with my songs/Feel my feet on the road, call me Beatles Rubber Soul") as J-Rocc, Vice, and Detroit Serious join the Yancey duo for a vibrant hang session. Then there's the all-star posse of Talib Kweli, Niko Gray, and Rhettmatic, who turn Dilla's beat into what it demands, a seductive bedroom number called "Flowers." Clubs will instantly get cooler once the J-Rocc and Guilty Simpson electro-wonder called "Go and Ask the DJ" hits the speakers, while grown folks who don't get out as much get some serious headphone listening from veteran MCs like De La Soul's Posdanous ("Beautiful") and Common ("Quicksand"). Surprises come when the broken jazz of Dilla's beat meets the Yancey Boys at full steam on the proud and amazing "Without Wings," while the lesser-known J Pinder jumps on the A-list with some supreme macking during "Honk Ya Horn" ("To the Apollonian chick, with the Swisha and a tray/Twistin' the hay, good green like Michigan State"). Fans thinking these rare beats should be handled with more respect are missing the point -- and can seek out the instrumentals, which are available as a bonus or separately -- but those who approach this as fond memories on Friday night will find themselves smiling until the sun comes up on Monday. Good times, great rhymes, and excellent beats. Delicious Vinyl proudly releases Sunset Blvd, the new album from Yancey Boys, the group piloted by John "Illa J" Yancey and Frank Nitt. The dynamic new collection is built around previously unheard tracks created by Illa J's brother: the late, great J Dilla (James Yancey). With Frank Nitt's standing as J Dilla Music Catalog Curator and the official approval of Yancey Media Group, all productions on Sunset Blvd originate from The Lost Scrolls the stunning cache of beats Dilla left behind. With its rapturous single "Quicksand" featuring Common, Sunset Blvd also teams Yancey Boys with De La Soul's Posdnuos ("Beautiful"), The Pharcyde's SlimKid3 ("Rock My World"), and T3 of Slum Village ("Jeep Volume"), making it clear that the Dilla legacy is being represented by those who knew and collaborated with Dilla in his lifetime. Additional guests on Sunset Blvd include DJs Rhettmatic, C-Minus, and J Rocc (Beat Junkies) as well as rap roughneck Guilty Simpson and R&B strongman Eric Roberson. "We've created an album that would make Dilla proud," says Frank Nitt, who grew up with Dilla in Detroit. "But this isn't a nostalgia trip: Dilla's beats were so future-forward that they're right on time in 2013, and we've assembled the best artists possible to represent that." The road to Sunset Blvd has been paved with hard work and sweet inspiration. In 2008, Illa J began making music under the Yancey Boys banner, with the guidance of Delicious Vinyl Co-Founder Michael Ross and utilizing beats his elder brother left behind. Ross explains: "Putting together the first Yancey Boys album was a unique opportunity to keep it all in the family by giving young Illa J a jump off with unreleased beats of his late great brother. In addition,the record was a unique way to satiate Dilla's rabid fan base with a batch of undiscovered gems. On Sunset Blvd, Illa and Frank dive deep into to a new batch of stunning unreleased Dilla beats to take what we did on the first album to the next level."
Condition: NEW Sealed
TRACK LISTINGS
Disc 1
1 Dilltro (1:30)
2 Fisherman - Detroit Serious (3:49)
3 Lovin' U (4:00)
4 Go and Ask the DJ (4:01)
5 Jeep Volume (3:51)
6 Flowers - Niko Gray (4:36)
7 Honk Ya Horn (3:56)
8 Slippin' - Early Mac (3:35)
9 Without Wings (3:08)
10 Beautiful (3:37)
11 Quicksand - Dezi Paige (4:41)
12 Rock My World - Niko Gray (3:19)
13 The Throwaway (3:23)
14 This Evening (2:45)
Disc 2
1. - 14. Instrumentals
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