Yancey Boys
Yancey Boys | ||||
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Los Angeles, California) | ||||
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 | ||||
Yancey Boys is the debut
Background
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.[3] "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.[5]
Critical reception
Review scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
SXSW Music | [12] |
XLR8R | (7/10)[13] |
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."[6] 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."[7]
Track listing
All tracks produced by Jay Dee (aka J Dilla) except "Mr. Shakes", which is a skit performed by Affion Crockett; all tracks co-produced by Illa J and Mike Floss.[14]
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
---|---|---|---|
1. | "Timeless" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:11 |
2. | "We Here" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 4:09 |
3. | "R U Listening?" (featuring Guilty Simpson) | John Yancey, James Yancey, Byron Simpson | 4:19 |
4. | "Alien Family" (by Frank Nitt) | James Yancey, Frank Bush | 2:17 |
5. | "Strugglin'" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:23 |
6. | "Showtime" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:45 |
7. | "Swagger" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:33 |
8. | "Mr. Shakes (Skit)" (aka Affion Crockett) | Affion Crockett | 0:44 |
9. | "DFTF" (featuring Affion Crockett) | John Yancey, James Yancey, Affion Crockett | 4:23 |
10. | "All Good" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:05 |
11. | "Sounds Like Love" (featuring Debi Nova) | John Yancey, James Yancey, Deborah Kader | 3:25 |
12. | "Everytime" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 4:32 |
13. | "Illasoul" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:47 |
14. | "Air Signs" | John Yancey, James Yancey | 3:25 |
Total length: | 47:58 |
Sample credits
This section possibly contains original research. (April 2024) |
- "Timeless" contains a sample of "Healing Force" by Don Pullen.
- "We Here" contains samples of "Silhouette" by L.A. Express; "Trans Europe Express"[15] and "Metal on Metal" by Kraftwerk.
- "R U Listening?" contains samples of "North Beach" by George Duke and "Much More" by De La Soul & Yummy Bingham.
- "Alien Family" contains a sample of "Windy C" by 100% Pure Poison.
- "Showtime" contains a sample of "Aquarius" by Sérgio Mendes.
- "Mr. Shakes (Skit)" contains a sample of "Für Elise" by Ludwig Van Beethoven.
- "DFTF" contains samples of "The Colorado Trail" by Dave Grusin; "You're Gettin' a Little Too Smart" by Detroit Emeralds; "Passin' Me By" by The Pharcyde.
- "All Good" contains a sample of "The Look of Love" by Ray "Funky Trumpet" Davis.
- "Sounds Like Love" contains a sample of "See You Later" by Flip Nunez.
- "Everytime" contains a sample of "Is This What Feeling Gets?" by Diana Ross.
Personnel
Credits for Yancey Boys adapted from AllMusic[16] and from the album liner notes.[14]
Musical personnel
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Additional personnel
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References
- ^ "iTunes - Music - "We Here" by Illa J". iTunes. 26 Aug 2008. Retrieved 7 Nov 2013.
- ^ "iTunes - Music - "Sounds Like Love" - EP by Illa J & Debi Nova". iTunes. 26 May 2009. Retrieved 7 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b "iTunes - Music - Yancey Boys by Illa J.htm". iTunes. 4 Nov 2008. Retrieved 7 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b "J Dilla | Yancey Boys Instrumentals | Stones Throw Records". Stones Throw. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b Paine, Jake. "Illa J To Release Album Produced By Brother J Dilla". HipHop DX. Retrieved 11 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Yancey Boys - Illa J | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b Thomas, Adam (4 Nov 2008). "Illa J - Yancey Boys | Read Hip Hop Reviews, Rap Reviews & Hip Hop Album Reviews". HipHopDX. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b eA (4 Dec 2008). "Illa J: Yancey Boys | The Underground Hip Hop Authority | Hip Hop Music, Videos & Reviews | KevinNottingham.com". KevinNottingham.com. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b Heaton, Dave (18 Feb 2009). "Illa J: Yancey Boys | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ "Sonink Music | Review of Yancey Boys by Illa J". Sonink Music. 29 Oct 2009. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ Fawcett, Thomas (19 Mar 2010). "SXSW Music - Review Illa J - Music - The Austin Chronicle". AustinChronicle.com. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b Arnold, Eric K. (11 Nov 2008). "Yancey Boys | XLR8R". XLR8R. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.
- ^ a b Illa J (2008). Yancey Boys (Media notes). Delicious Vinyl.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (November 18, 2008). "Illa J: Yancey Boys". Pitchfork.
- ^ "Yancey Boys - Illa J | Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 Nov 2013.