Sunset Blvd. | ||||
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Studio album by Yancey Boys | ||||
Released | October 29, 2013 | |||
Recorded | 1995–1998 (beats, instruments) [1] 2012–2013 (vocals, DJ scratches, mixing) | |||
Genre | Hip hop | |||
Length | 50:11 | |||
Label |
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Producer |
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Illa J chronology | ||||
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Frank Nitt chronology | ||||
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Singles from Sunset Blvd. | ||||
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Sunset Blvd. is the debut LP by Detroit-based hip hop duo Yancey Boys (Illa J and Frank Nitt),released on October 29,2013 by Yancey Media Group in conjunction with Delicious Vinyl and distributed through Traffic Entertainment Group. [2] The record is built around a recently unearthed batch of music created by Illa J's late elder brother,James "J Dilla" Yancey. [2] The album features the latter's past collaborators like De La Soul's Posdnuos,Slum Village's T3,Common,The Pharcyde's Slimkid3 and Talib Kweli. [3] Additional guests on Sunset Blvd. include DJs Rhettmatic,C-Minus,and J. Rocc as well as rapper Guilty Simpson and R&B singer Eric Roberson. [4]
John "Illa J" Yancey is J Dilla's younger brother. Frank Nitt,who grew up with Dilla in Detroit,is the Chief Curator of the late producer's music catalog and oversees the official approval of material released by the Yancey Media Group. [5] In the spirit of further paying tribute to the legacy of J Dilla,in 2012,Illa J and Frank Nitt have teamed up to form a new hip hop duo named after Illa J's original Dilla-produced album Yancey Boys (2008). [6] [7] Illa J began making music under the Yancey Boys banner with the guidance of Frank in 2008. "Putting together the first Yancey Boys album was a chance to put Illa J on the map and keep it in the family," says Delicious Vinyl co-founder &CEO Michael Ross. "On Sunset Blvd,Illa [J] and Frank [Nitt] dove deep into these stunning unreleased Dilla beats to make an honest album with all the right collaborations." [2] As Frank Nitt states:"We've created an album that would make Dilla proud. But this isn't a nostalgia trip. Dilla's beats were so future-forward that they're right on time in 2013,and we've assembled the best artists possible to represent that." [2]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
Exclaim! | (7/10) [9] |
Pitchfork Media | (7.3/10) [10] |
Upon its release,Sunset Blvd. opened up to generally favorable reviews from music critics. Pitchfork Media's Jonah Bromwich gave the album a 7.3 out of ten,saying:"Sunset Blvd. refuses to let itself be colored by regret. This is the most joyous record that we've seen from Dilla's disciples since the producer's death in 2006. By avoiding the tendency to wallow in the past or to define itself in opposition to contemporary rap,it joins the ranks of albums from Camp Lo and Black Milk,two other former backpack acts who updated their formula successfully this year,breaking free of the cliches that had held them back and making genuinely engaging hip-hop music." [10] Exclaim! reviewer Kevin Jones gave the album a seven out of ten,saying:"Though some of the beats are thought to date back to the producer's Pharcyde period,Sunset Blvd. maintains a general freshness and lingering sense of soothing familiarity,while the energetic vocal contributions make for a complete album that does the Yancey name justice for both Illa J and his legendary older brother." [9] David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars,saying:"Fans thinking these rare beats should be handled with more respect are missing the point -- and can seek out the instrumentals,which are available as a bonus or separately -- but those who approach this as fond memories on Friday night will find themselves smiling until the sun comes up on Monday. Good times,great rhymes,and excellent beats." [8]
On August 27,2013,the lead single,"Quicksand," featuring longtime J Dilla collaborator Common,and Dezi Paige,was released as an EP along with "Fisherman" on the B-side,featuring guest performances from J Rocc of Beat Junkies,Vice and Detroit Serious. [11]
All tracks include beats produced by J Dilla. [1] [2]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Dilltro" (featuring Dank) | 1:30 |
2. | "Fisherman" (featuring J. Rocc, Vice and Detroit Serious) | 3:49 |
3. | "Lovin' U" (featuring Eric Roberson) | 4:00 |
4. | "Go and Ask the DJ" (featuring Guilty Simpson and J. Rocc) | 4:01 |
5. | "Jeep Volume" (featuring T3 and C-Minus) | 3:51 |
6. | "Flowers" (featuring Niko Gray, Talib Kweli and Rhettmatic) | 4:36 |
7. | "Honk Ya Horn" (featuring J. Pinder) | 3:56 |
8. | "Slippin'" (featuring Early Mac) | 3:35 |
9. | "Without Wings" | 3:08 |
10. | "Beautiful" (featuring Posdnuos and Botni Applebum) | 3:37 |
11. | "Quicksand" (featuring Common and Dezi Paige) | 4:41 |
12. | "Rock My World" (featuring Slimkid3 and Niko Gray) | 3:19 |
13. | "The Throwaway" | 3:23 |
14. | "This Evening" | 2:45 |
Total length: | 50:11 |
Credits for Sunset Blvd. adapted from AllMusic [14] and from the album liner notes. [15]
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The Pharcyde is an American hip hop group, formed in 1989, from South Central Los Angeles. The original four members of the group are Imani, Slimkid3, Bootie Brown, and Fatlip. DJ Mark Luv was the group's first disc jockey (DJ), followed by producer J-Swift.
Slum Village is an American hip hop group from Detroit, Michigan. The group was formerly composed of the rappers Baatin (1974–2009), T3, and rapper / producer J Dilla (1974–2006). J Dilla left in 2001 to pursue a solo career with MCA Records. Elzhi joined in his absence, after which Baatin also left due to health complications.
Welcome 2 Detroit is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist J Dilla, released on February 26, 2001. The album followed his group Slum Village's critically acclaimed Fantastic, Vol. 2, and kicked off BBE's "Beat Generation" series.
Donuts is the second studio album by the American hip hop producer J Dilla, released on February 7, 2006, by Stones Throw Records. It was released on his 32nd birthday, just three days before his death, making it his final album to be released during his lifetime.
Ruff Draft is an EP reissued as a studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper J Dilla released under the moniker "Jay Dee". It was originally released in February 2003 as an EP, by his then-newly founded label, Mummy Records, and distributed by Groove Attack, a German record label. In 2007, Ruff Draft was extended, remastered, and posthumously re-released as a "solo album" by Stones Throw Records. The re-release sold 8,049 copies in its first week, J Dilla's largest first-week sales as a solo artist.
Champion Sound is a collaborative album by the duo Jaylib, consisting of producers J Dilla and Madlib. The album was released in 2003 and is considered a classic in the underground hip-hop scene. The title track, "Champion Sound", features a sample from the 1978 film The Deer Hunter and showcases the duo's signature blend of soulful beats and intricate rhymes. The album also features guest appearances from Talib Kweli and Percee P.
J-Swift is a Spanish music producer responsible for songs with groups on the Delicious Vinyl label. He has produced the hip hop groups The Pharcyde and The Wascals.
Beat Konducta is an 8-album series released by hip hop musician Madlib. "Beat Konducta" is also an alias which Madlib uses. The series began officially in 2006 with the release of Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes. The album was stylistically a companion to J Dilla's Donuts, which was released the month before, 3 days prior to Yancey's death. He has since followed with Beat Konducta Vol 3-4: Beat Konducta in India in 2007 and Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to...(Dil Cosby and Dil Withers Suite) in 2008, which is a tribute to Yancey. Although the 2010 release Beat Konducta in Africa is an installment of the Madlib Medicine Show series, it is also considered a part of the Beat Konducta series.
The Shining is the third studio album by American hip hop producer and rapper J Dilla, who died on February 10, 2006. The Shining was incomplete at the time of J Dilla's passing and was posthumously completed by producer Karriem Riggins. Discounting the instrumental album Donuts, The Shining was the first full-length solo release by J Dilla since Welcome 2 Detroit five years earlier, and as such was highly anticipated. It was released on August 22, 2006, through BBE Records. It was his final album with his creative input, and an instrumental version of the album followed its release shortly afterward.
Delicious Vinyl is an American independent record label founded by Matt Dike and Michael Ross in 1987 and based in Los Angeles, California.
Byron Dwayne "Guilty" Simpson is an American rapper and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan whose recording career spans more than 20 years. He is signed to Stones Throw Records, and is known for being one of the late producer J Dilla's favorite rappers.
Jay Deelicious: The Delicious Vinyl Years is a compilation album that catalogues hip hop producer J Dilla's early production career. The album showcases Dilla's first work with Pharcyde, and consequently, his rise to fame with other artists. As well all proceeds from the sale of this album will be given to his mother, Maureen Yancey.
Trevant Hardson, best known by his stage name Slimkid3, is an American rapper from Los Angeles. He is a founding member of The Pharcyde.
Cydeways: The Best of the Pharcyde is a greatest hits album by Los Angeles hip hop group The Pharcyde. It was released November 14, 2001. The album features songs by the four emcees; Fatlip, Slimkid3, Imani and Bootie Brown from their first two albums Bizarre Ride II the Pharcyde and Labcabincalifornia while they were signed to label Delicious Vinyl.
Jonathan Ernest Laine is a Washington DC–based Hip hop producer and drummer.
James Dewitt Yancey, better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer, composer and rapper. He emerged during the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan, as a member of the group Slum Village. He was also a member of the Soulquarians, a musical collective active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He additionally collaborated with Madlib as Jaylib, releasing the album Champion Sound. Yancey's final album was Donuts, which was released three days before his death.
The Diary is the sixth and final studio album by American hip hop recording artist J Dilla. It was originally intended for release in 2002 via MCA Records under the title Pay Jay. This long-lost album is the final batch of unissued material that J Dilla had assembled for release during his lifetime. It also represents his first rap album released since Ruff Draft (2003) and Champion Sound (2003). Unlike previous full-length releases – from Jay Stay Paid (2009) to Dillatronic (2015) – all edited with unreleased instrumentals, The Diary is a collection of Dilla's vocal performances over his production and that of other producers, such as Madlib, Pete Rock, Nottz, Hi-Tek and Karriem Riggins among others. It also features vocal performances by Snoop Dogg, Bilal, Kokane, Frank n Dank, Nottz, Kenny Wray and Boogie. Recording sessions for the album took place from September 16, 2001, to April 2, 2002, at The Spaceship in Clinton Township and Studio A in Detroit, and it was mastered by Dave Cooley at Elysian Masters in Los Angeles.
John Derek Yancey, better known by his stage name Illa J, is an American rapper, singer, producer and songwriter from Detroit, Michigan who has released two albums on Delicious Vinyl Records. He is the younger brother of the late hip hop producer, and rapper J Dilla, and a former member of hip hop group Slum Village. He also released a collaborative album as Yancey Boys along with Frank Nitt. Illa J's second solo album ILLA J came out via the Brooklyn based record label, Bastard Jazz.
Yancey Boys is the debut studio album by Detroit-based rapper/singer Illa J, featuring instrumental 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.
Yes! is the eighth studio album by studio album by American hip hop group Slum Village. It was released on June 16, 2015, via Yancey Media and Ne'Astra Music Group. Recording sessions took place at RJ Rice Studios in Farmington Hills. Production was handled by members Jay Dee and Young RJ. It features guest appearances from Bilal, BJ the Chicago Kid, De La Soul, Jon Connor, J. Ivy and Phife Dawg.
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