Illa J Hip Hop 7 Artikel

“John Yancey” is the second album Illa J will release on Jakarta Records, following the successful release of Home last year. The project is the second collaboration with Los Angeles based producer Calvin Valentine, who once again contributed all of the production for the long player. While “Home” was largely inspired by Illa’s native city of Detroit, “John Yancey” now focuses on his time in California.

“(This album is) Definitely more personal than all of my projects, nothing specific, but I basically talk about about the ups and downs of all my relationships over the past 10 years, still grieving about my bro, etc. This one is trippy because the first single comes out a day before my 32nd birthday and the original title was 32 because this is a special year to me because my brother died at that age so it had a lot of meaning. But it makes sense that it ended up being called John
Yancey because for so long in my career I felt like I was tryna be me and my brother, and I'm finally
at peace, like I'm not J Dilla's younger brother Illa J, I'm James younger brother John.”

While the story of the album might have changed, there are certain continuities as well, built around the strong foundation of the combination of Illa’s voice and Calvin Valentine’s soulful sample based production. The previous album already saw Illa J incorporate more singing into his raps and he goes down this path even further: “I wanted to emphasize the singing but use more of my natural singing voice, as well as rap more than on Home.” In regards to the music,
Calvin wanted to make the project sound “a bit more polished where Home was purposely rough around the edges.” Still, the production remains soulful and rich with layers to leave things interesting for the listener, the more spins you give the record.
The cover was created by Robert Winter, a Cologne based photographer who was also behind the visual appearance of Home.

Back in 2008 Delicious Vinyl issued a pairing that was just meant to be with multi-talented Illa J rhyming and singing over a treasure trove of previously untouched Jay Dee gems, a full-circle collaboration and a whole new beginning in the story of the musically exceptional Yancey brothers...The vinyl on this release will now be available for the first time in years. When Jay Dee passed away from complications relating to lupus in February 2006, he left behind an extraordinary legacy of production work, including hits for Common, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes. In addition to the hits, he left behind a mother lode of previously untouched beats that dates from his time working on the Pharcyde’s sophomore album “Labcabincalifornia” (1995). As Delicious owner and founder Michael Ross explains, “From ‘95 through ‘98 Jay Dee was my go-to guy for hot beats and remixes. He was always making beats, always. So there was a select amount of tracks that he composed for me during that time, tracks as good as anything he’d done, only they never got used. When I finally met Illa J, I gave him a CD containing those unreleased beats.” It was a case of pure serendipity, since 21-year-old Illa J had just relocated to Los Angeles and constructed a studio built around Jay Dee’s own recording equipment, dubbing it Yancey Boy Studios in tribute to their fraternal bond. “Dilla was twelve years older than me,” Illa J says. “So back in the day in Detroit I was just a little kid, sitting on the stairs in our house, watching him make those first beats for Slum Village. I always felt my brother’s tracks and had an instinct for what I wanted to do over them. One of the things I learned from my brother is that you don’t get that much time, so make the most of it. That’s why I’ve decided to dedicate my life to doing what I love: music. To work with Delicious Vinyl, the label that released those hits my brother made with The Pharcyde (“Runnin’” and “Drop”) is really special.” Michael Ross says, “It’s like Jay Dee made these tracks with an extrasensory purpose, so that Illa J could make this album. There is no question that this is exactly what they were meant for. These beats belong to Illa J, they’re his birthright.”

Entirely produced by Jay Dee aka J Dilla!

“John Yancey” is the second album Illa J will release on Jakarta Records, following the successful release of Home last year. The project is the second collaboration with Los Angeles based producer Calvin Valentine, who once again contributed all of the production for the long player. While “Home” was largely inspired by Illa’s native city of Detroit, “John Yancey” now focuses on his time in California.

“(This album is) Definitely more personal than all of my projects, nothing specific, but I basically talk about about the ups and downs of all my relationships over the past 10 years, still grieving about my bro, etc. This one is trippy because the first single comes out a day before my 32nd birthday and the original title was 32 because this is a special year to me because my brother died at that age so it had a lot of meaning. But it makes sense that it ended up being called John
Yancey because for so long in my career I felt like I was tryna be me and my brother, and I'm finally
at peace, like I'm not J Dilla's younger brother Illa J, I'm James younger brother John.”

While the story of the album might have changed, there are certain continuities as well, built around the strong foundation of the combination of Illa’s voice and Calvin Valentine’s soulful sample based production. The previous album already saw Illa J incorporate more singing into his raps and he goes down this path even further: “I wanted to emphasize the singing but use more of my natural singing voice, as well as rap more than on Home.” In regards to the music,
Calvin wanted to make the project sound “a bit more polished where Home was purposely rough around the edges.” Still, the production remains soulful and rich with layers to leave things interesting for the listener, the more spins you give the record.
The cover was created by Robert Winter, a Cologne based photographer who was also behind the visual appearance of Home.

"Singing was always a big passion for me..I was always fascinated at all the acrobatic vocal runs some singers do with their voice. To me it's an athletic thing and I definitely see myself as a vocal athlete..and for that deeper understanding of my voice that I now have I have to thank my vocal coach Betty Lane. She literally helped me to push out the voice that had been waiting there for years, ready to come out, like "John use me, I'm your voice" and It was always a goal of mine to make a project that showcases my singing. I see myself as a singer songwriter first, I just grew up in the generation of rap, so the 2 styles just fused together naturally. I started writing poems around 8 or 9 years old, then songs, and then raps. I eventually put it all together…22 years later...the journey to my heart , through all the ups and downs of my career trying to discover my voice, who I am, all my travels around the globe. It all leads back to Home, in the most literal sense. The house I’m sitting in front of on the video for "Home" is the house my parents brought me home to as a baby. So for me it’s like going back to the original source, the original purpose. That purpose for me is to sing. That's why this album is so special for me...and Calvin made the perfect soundtrack for me to take you on a soulful stroll through my hometown, Detroit Michigan aka Motown. Hope you enjoy! As Dank would say.."Bless up!!!!!!!!""

Illa J

Entirely produced by Jay Dee aka J Dilla!

produced by Jay Dee aka J Dilla!