Illa J is a rapper/producer straight out of the D. He also happens to be the brother of the late — great — Iconic producer, J Dilla (no big deal or anything). John Derek Yancey aka Illa J just dropped his second LP entitled, “ILLA J LP” on Bastard Jazz Records.
Music is definitely in his blood. His mother was an Opera singer and Jazz bassist – and we all know his brother. If you didn’t know, he isn’t new to the music game. Besides his dope (Dilla produced) solo material, he part of one the later iterations of hip hop group Slum Village.
His new LP has a total of 11 tracks and was produced entirely by Potatohead People. One of my favorite tracks on the album is called, Universe. It’s the common guy sees a girl he likes – and tries to get with her scenario. What makes this one so different is the beat. It is such a feel good song from start to finish.
Strippers is the title of another song on his LP. At first I was caught off guard because I couldn’t see him making a song about strippers. Even though a lot of the songs that are dedicated to strippers are disrespectful, this is one is tasteful. He has great wordplay: “I be the apple of their eye/that’s why they call me the Mack.” At the end of the song he says, “Oh this a** is ridiculous.” It’s funny because it came out of nowhere, but it also fits with the song.
Illa J hit a gold mine with this. Every song on his LP is a hit when it comes to lyrics and beats. I’m glad that someone told me about Illa J because now he has a new fan. When it comes to hip hop, nowadays it’s hard to find songs that have lyrics that make sense. When it comes to “ILLA J LP” I know people will love it, once they give it a listen. I look forward to hearing more from Illa J.
