Tag: illa j

Illa J – Yancey Boys [Exclusive]

Ryan Maxwell • November 15, 2009 • Comments (5)

It must be a constant catch-22 situation for Illa J. Hailed as an incredible upcoming artist in the Hip-Hop world is quite the tag for anybody to be proud of. However there’s a shadow of a legendary older brother in the form of J Dilla assosiated with Illa J everywhere he goes. In all credit to Illa J he works constantly to identify himself as a unique recording artist, and pays homage to his older brother in the new album Yancey Boys. Using beats exclusively by J Dilla, Illa J releases a soulful and heartfelt release to keep J Dilla’s name alive.

Illa J is currently a member of Slum Village and was drafted in 2007. Since then, his personal profile has become stronger, and Yancey Boys was the outcome of hard work and studio time towards the end of 2008. Delicious Vinyl Records handed Illa J the disc of beats to use at his will, which was executed perfectly. The single with Guilty Simpson called “R U Listening” was a great example of production at its finest, and two artists who deserve to honour J Dilla’s name. Using a sample from De La Soul in the beat, it sets the bar for the rest of the album.

“Sounds Like I’m In Love” is one of my personal favourites on the album, which featured beautiful vocals and really defines the chill-out track. Illa J’s soothing voice complements the beat and just creates another great track to listen to. “DFTF” is a fans favourite on Yancey Boys, and for good reason too. More superb sampling and production work from J Dilla makes it so easy for Illa J to create a good track. The chemistry is good, and almost unimaginable if J Dilla was still here today.

The album is worth a pickup from fans who want to honour J Dilla, and really reflect on his time as a musician in an illustrious career. It’s not the best album of the year, nowhere near. But it’s something a lot of fans will quite easily be able to repeat for the immediate future, and always throw on in the future.

It must be a constant catch-22 situation for Illa J. Hailed as an incredible upcoming artist in the Hip-Hop world is quite the tag for anybody to be proud of. However there’s a shadow of a legendary older brother in the form of J Dilla assosiated with Illa J everywhere he goes. In all credit to Illa J he works constantly to identify himself as a unique recording artist, and pays homage to his older brother in the new album Yancey Boys. Using beats exclusively by J Dilla, Illa J releases a soulful and heartfelt release to keep J Dilla’s name alive.

Illa J - Yancey Boys

Tags: illa j, yancey boys

Category: Exclusive

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Dekk x Illa J – Airplane Remix [Music]

Ryan Maxwell • November 15, 2009 • Comments (2)

We previously reviewed the Illa J – Yancey Boys album review on Hip-Hop Kings which was met with a very positive response. We were contacted by Dekk who wanted to showcase the remix of Illa J’s new single Airplane. The original has had a massive radio response and did equally well on the blogs. Dekk stepped in and made a more uplifting, and club-suited remix that is just as pleasing as the original. The remix is official, and has been co-signed by Illa J on his MySpace page. You can listen to Dekk x Illa J – Airplane Remix on the player below.

Dekk x Illa J - Airplane Remix

Tags: airplane remix, dekk, illa j

Category: Music

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Illa J – Sounds Like Love [Music]

Ryan Maxwell • September 24, 2009 • Comments (2)

As Hip-Hop Kings previously reported, Illa J releases the second single from his debut album “Yancey Boys” called Sounds Like Love. This is another great example of Hip-Hop meets Soul, as the angelic sounds of Debi Nova complete the track. Illa J is the younger brother of the late J Dilla who supplied the beat for the single. You can listen to Illa J – Sounds Like Love on the player below.

Illa J - Sound Like Love

Illa J - Sounds Like Love

Tags: debi nova, illa j, J Dilla, sounds like love, yancey boys

Category: Music

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Illa J – Sounds Like Love [Video]

Ryan Maxwell • September 12, 2009 • Comments (2)

It’s difficult to be the shadow of a Hip-Hop legend, however Illa J won’t let the label stop him progressing in the rap world. The younger brother of the late J Dilla, Illa J has teamed up with Debi Nova for their collaborative single “Sounds Like Love”. After joining Slum Village in 2008, Illa J not only plans to celebrate his brothers contribution to the Hip-Hop game, but mark his own name in the industry. You can watch the video of Illa J and Debi Nova – Sounds Like Love on the player below.