Yancey Boys
| Yancey Boys | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by Illa J | ||||
| Released | November 4, 2008 | |||
| Recorded | 1995–98 (Beats, production) 2008 (Vocals, mix) at Yancey Boys Studio (Los Angeles, California) |
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| Genre | Hip hop, R&B, soul | |||
| Length | 47:58 | |||
| Label | Delicious Vinyl | |||
| Producer | Michael "Mike Floss" Ross (exec.), Stacey Kim (co-exec.), Jay Dee | |||
| Illa J chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Yancey Boys | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   |
| HipHopDX | |
| KevinNottingham.com | (75/100) |
| Pitchfork Media | (6.3/10) |
| PopMatters |   |
| Sonink Music |  |
| SXSW Music | |
| XLR8R | (7/10) |
Yancey Boys is the debut studio album by Detroit-based rapper/singer Illa J, featuring production from his late brother Jay Dee, also known as J Dilla. The album was released on November 4, 2008 under Delicious Vinyl. The beats were created from 1995 to 1998 during Jay Dee's tenure with Delicious Vinyl. The album's release was supported by two singles – "We Here" and "Sounds Like Love" featuring Debi Nova. Recording sessions for the album took place at Yancey Boys Studio in Los Angeles in 2008.Stones Throw Records released a digital instrumental version of the album in 2009.
The album's title is a tribute to the family name, and also because the album overall was produced by instrumentals composed by the older brother, while the vocals where provided by the younger brother. In the wake of Dilla's death, the unused tracks were given to Illa J by Delicious Vinyl's founder, Michael "Mike Floss" Ross. "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, only they never got used. When I finally met Illa J [in 2007], I gave him a CD containing those unreleased beats," said Michael Ross.
Upon its release, Yancey Boys was met with generally favorable reviews from music critics. AllMusic's David Jeffries gave the album three out of five stars, saying: "To his credit, his heavy workload includes putting the finishing touches on these lost tracks and figuring out how to pay tribute to his older brother while pimping his own potential. His solution is so understated and mellow that Yancey Boys ends up an interesting release for the Dilla faithful instead of Illa J's grand entrance." Adam Thomas of HipHopDX also gave the album a three out of five, saying: "Yancey Boys is no classic. However, it's an enjoyable ride that is filled with some great J Dilla production. Illa isn't the most talented, but he does show glimpses of potential in and around the album, which was truly been billed more around his brother than him from the start. The only problem is that in the future, he won't have his older brother to have his back in times of musical trouble. Even so, it's an earnest and sincere attempt from Illa to pay respect to his brother through one of the things that connected them, and in these times, that should mean enough."
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Wikipedia