J Dilla's legacy continues

For those who don't know about J Dilla:

J Dilla (James Dewitt Yancey) was a Detroit producer and MC who lost a battle with a deadly blood disease close to 3 years ago, right after his 32nd birthday. Some consider him the greatest beat-maker to ever touch the boards; he was part of the group Slum Village, did production almost officially for A Tribe Called Quest, and was even blessed enough to work with Tupac, Biggie, and Janet Jackson.In my opinion, he was the greatest and most unappreciated hip hop producer to ever live.

ANYWAY...

Dilla has a younger brother who calls himself Illa J. When his older brother died, Illa J talked about carrying his brother's torch, and I've been watching him ever since. Today, his first studio album, Yancey Boys, hit the shelves.


The album features some unreleased Dilla beats accompanied by Illa J's vocals, as well as some production from Illa J himself. Illa J isn't all the way there yet, but he's only 20 years old.

The album is slow and Illa J's rhyming skills are still developing, but it's exciting because Dilla's music still continues to live on almost 3 years after his death, and we're still hearing music from him we've never heard before. You can be sure that Illa J won't let us forget his big brother's name.