In life, the most devastating thing that can happen to a human being is the loss of a loved one. Many cultures have an assortment of ways to honor those that will forever live in their memories and hearts, since they’re no longer able to be with them from a physical standpoint. For example, down in New Orleans, they treat a funeral like a parade celebrating the person’s existence, and making sure their name won’t die in vain.

Taking a page from that playbook is John Yancey, the younger brother of James Yancey or in other terms, Illa J the younger brother of J Dilla. The younger sibling bares a striking resemblance to that of his late great producer-brother, and he does his best to pay tribute to him by using a handful of untouched beats all produced by the highly respected beatsmith for his project Yancey Boys.
 
Just as technology allowed Natalie Cole to perform the ‘Unforgettable’ duet with her famous dad, Nat King Cole, the past also meets present with this album as well. All 14 tracks come from a catalog of material that is as pure as the Virgin Mary herself. While there isn’t an MC alive that wouldn’t be salivating at the to chance rock over a Dilla track, younger bro is first in line.

The musical odyssey begins with Illa J stretching out his singing chops on ‘Timele ss’ behind Dilla’s patented drums and a piano loop. From there, he goes into full MC mode on ‘We Here.’ The song itself sounds like an underground Hip-Hop version of a club banger, but the Detroit native reminds people whom he’s related to with lines like, “This is Mr. Clean, Mr. Listerine/Krispy Kreme Doughnuts go nuts/go nuts/hold nuts.” 

‘Strugglin’ contains that raw element J Dilla used to incorporate by leaving a beat “as-is” instead of going back in and trying to dress it up with a bunch of bells and whistles. Over the simple but plentiful track, Illa J runs through the life of a starving artist including the ups and most certainly downs. ‘Swagger’ might give listeners the feel of a few early Slum Village records, but the 21-year-old makes it his own with clever metaphors, “Run through ya city like a Amtrak/y’all still in the amniotic sack/I just turned 21, Blackjack.”

‘DFTF’ is a boy-meets-girl story featuring Affion Crockett and a voice sample of Fatlip during his verse on Pharcyde’s classic song ‘Passin Me By.’ Illa J gets a huge helping hand from longtime J Dilla collaborator Guilty Simpson on ‘R U Listenin?’ On it, Illa J starts things off by laying the foundation for the MC with the gruff flow to come in with lines like, “Sleep with divas/and serve these whack rappers like pizzerias/you get sliced on the mic, I’m so nice/the major sh*t you said is bout as common as cold ice.” 

Other head-nodding brother-to-brother partnerships include the couple-oriented ‘Sounds Like Love,’ featuring Debi Nova the spacey grooves of ‘Everytime,’ and the Horoscope-themed ‘All Signs.’ Of course Illa J is no J Dilla, so to start off with unnecessary comparisons wouldn’t be fair to a person that obviously has the utmost respect for his brother’s work, while trying to create a lane for himself in the process.

Yancey Boys is one of those projects where people can once again experience the genius of one of the greatest producers the Hip-Hop community has ever known, and also have the opportunity to listen to someone that sounds so close to him vocally, it’s flat-out scary. Illa J’s material complements his brother’s production from all angles, as he makes sure the Yancey name will remain in Hip-Hop circles for a long time to come.