On February 10th, 2006, the Hip-Hop community lost one of its most heralded and prolific stars. If that tragic date escapes the minds of some, that’s the day when James “J Dilla” Yancey lost his life to Lupus. Since then, his work has managed to live on through the lives of longtime friends and collaborators like Phat Kat, The Ummah, Slum Village, Guilty Simpson, A Tribe Called Quest, Kanye West, Soulquarians, Royce Da 5’9”, Frank-n-Dank, The Roots, Proof, Pete Rock, Busta Rhymes, Erykah Badu, Jaylib, and Talib Kweli. Even though the aforementioned artists have done their best to maintain the soul and spirit of the well-loved producer who was taken far too soon from this planet, nothing can ever recreate or fill the void, which is “Jay Dee.”

But when God sought out J Dilla to join him in the heavens to continue his production for all the fallen MC’s who’ve already passed through the pearly white gates laying in wait for a beat maestro of his caliber; he couldn’t have chosen a better angel to add to his ranks. Below the clouds, there is absolutely no way to measure his worth, but his flesh and blood literally still occupies studio space in the form if his younger brother, John “Illa J” Yancey.

Relocating from Detroit to California, the younger Yancey possesses all of the musical characteristics of his legendary sibling, along with a strong likeness. His debut project, Yancey Boys features production from big brother by way of tracks made over a decade ago, and never used. As history has shown, being related to someone who has achieved so much can often spell instant failure for those following behind them, but the baby-faced Hip-Hopper plans on re-writing that part of the story all while penning his own memoirs in the process.   
   

SixShot.com: As of now, you live in California right?

Illa J: Yup, yup…

SixShot.com: What made you move from Detroit to California?

Illa J: One of the main reasons that I wanted to come out here is because I went to school back in ’06 and when my brother passed, it just seemed like everything just turned around. When he passed he was still young, he was only 32-years-old, and I just realized that life is short, and I wanted to use my gifts until they’re not there anymore. So when I came out here, I went to a music store and bought a bass guitar, and I just went from there.   
 
SixShot.com: Was the Yancey Boys project something you were trying to put together for a while now?

Illa J: What’s crazy is that a lot people think I had the beats already, and I just walked into the office. Like I just had a bunch of [J] Dilla beats… [Laughing] But the first time I ever heard any of these tracks was back in the spring of ’07. I met up with Michael Ross, who is the president of Delicious Vinyl, because my mom was in town so he just came by to say hello—just to pay his respects and all of that. Then he handed me a CD with 38 tracks on it, and at that time he didn’t know if I did anything with music, but I told him that I did; actually my mom was telling him. So after that, he told me to pick one track on there, and we’ll see what it sounds like. That was around March of ’07, and the next time I even talked to him was January of ’08, I hadn’t talked to him for a whole year.

But he wanted me to actually do a compilation album with all the various artists that worked with [J] Dilla. All the tracks are from ’95-’98 and they’re all tracks my brother made when he was doing stuff for The Pharcyde and making remixes for Delicious Vinyl. From there, I played him a song that I made, and he said that he liked my voice, and he asked me to perform some joints at this event he was throwing. When I performed at that club, he wanted me to, it was right on my brother’s birthday, so it was perfect timing. After I was done performing, he liked it, and said that I should just do the whole album, and that’s where it started.       

SixShot.com: Over the years I’ve heard people say things like, “Such-and-such didn’t do that Dilla beat justice.” When you were putting the project together, did you ever worry about doing justice to his material?

Illa J: Nah, that never came across my mind because when I’m in the studio working, it’s all about the music at that point. What people don’t realize is that when I think of my brother, the music is not the first thing I think about. I think about “James,” my brother. Just things like sitting at the crib, and having contests to see who can do the best adlibs, and just silly sh*t like that. Those are the first things I think of when I think of my brother, and when memories come up. I also looked up to my brother as “J Dilla” too, but when I’m doing music I’m studying the snares, the high hats, listening to the bass lines, and all that other stuff. I throw all names and all of those kinds of things out the window. I just let the music speak, and just try to express myself as an artist.  
  
SixShot.com: You said that Michael Ross gave you 38 beats to listen to, and you used 14 of them for your album. So do you have the remaining beats, or did he hold onto them?

Illa J: I just have the ones I used for Yancey Boys, and the other ones are still with Delicious [Vinyl]. In a sense, this album was already halfway done because the production was already there. So when I was writing this album, I was letting the music speak to me and seeing what was best for the music, instead of just writing anything. The majority of times I write my music, I play it on piano first, and then I come with the melodies and hooks. But for this album since the production was already there, I kind of had to read the music and let the music speak to me.  

SixShot.com: Hypothetically speaking, lets say that you had the rest of that material in your possession, how would you go about using it? Would you collaborate with other artists, or keep it in the Yancey vault for as long as you could?

Illa J: There were certain tracks I liked, and that I wanted to record over, but I might not want to do another album with them. A lot of the tracks, I feel that he left for me just to listen to and get inspired by. Just to listen to all the hard work and dedication that he put into it. I do tracks from time to time, but as far as me doing another album; I have to express myself as an artist. On my next album it will a lot more of me, and I’m going to start from scratch, as opposed to it being pre-done.

As far as using the other tracks, if it happens to come to me then most likely. But I like to play out my music, and write songs. I would only use my brother’s tracks if it were the right thing; I’m not going to use it just to use it. So I may use some and I may not, but if I do, it has to be the right song. It has to be the joint.    
 
SixShot.com: Were you shocked or surprised on how he [Michael Ross] handed the 14 tracks over to you so easily?

Illa J: Well I already had the tracks, I just hadn’t talked to him in such a long time, and so I didn’t know what was going on. I didn’t know anything, but I just kept writing songs, and when he told me to do the whole album, I was happy. It was a little crazy for me because everything came around full circle. I remember sitting on the couch watching the ‘Drop’ video from ’95 by The Pharcyde, and I was thinking to myself how it was dope that my brother did that beat. I had no idea that I would be doing an album 13 years later with the tracks that he was making. It still bugs me out every time I think about it, and it’s just a blessing for it to happen this way. 

SixShot.com: Do you find it difficult maintaining your brother’s legacy while creating your own at the same time?

Illa J: Nah not really because at the end of the day—my brother’s legacy speaks for itself. As long as the love that he put into the music is still there, it will continue to live on. I feel honored to keep up my brother’s name, because at the end of the day, I’m grateful to have had a brother that opened up so many doors for me; and now I’m able to step outside and shine my own light now.

SixShot.com: But do you feel like your brother’s history might overshadow you as you try and do your own thing? Like do ever wonder if people perceive you as only being put on due to the fact that your brother is J Dilla?

Illa J: I know people think that I’m only doing music to get fame, which is stupid! [Laughing] You can be famous for some dumb sh*t. People think I was like, “Yo, I got some [J] Dilla beats so give me an album!” Come on man! What’s crazy to me is like, people used to KILL my brother critically, and now J Dilla is “The King Of Beats.” Everybody has to go through this as an artist, and some people will like it and some people won’t. At the end of the day, I’m doing what I love, and I love the situation that I’m in, and it’s all about moving forward everyday. I don’t think about all that other stuff, its just about putting my heart into the music.    
 
SixShot.com: What are some of your earliest memories watching your brother create?

Illa J: Everybody in my family is laid back, and it wasn’t like he was doing his stuff in front of everybody, he needed his space, and I respected that. We’re the type of family that doesn’t have to eat at the diner table together, you can go and get your plate, head to your room, and write a poem if you want to… [Laughing] But as far as a memory that sticks in my head: I remember one time where I didn’t know if I wanted to DJ or not, and I remember him giving me “Turntable 101” [Laughing]… He set up the turntables and the mixer and he was like, “Okay, practice.” I learned so much from that, because you can only teach somebody how to find what’s inside of them. You can’t force anybody into something; you can only make them realize what’s in them. So when he did that, it just showed me that I have to give it my all and go one hundred percent to perfect my craft and do the best that I can do, that’s pretty much what I learned from that.