A batch of unreleased J Dilla beats are featured on Sunset Blvd, the forthcoming album from the Yancey Boys. Due September 17, the new collection from Illa J and Frank Nitt includes the single “Quicksand,” which also features Common and Dezi Paige. “Quicksand” and “Fisherman,” another Sunset Blvd cut, will be released July 30.
De La Soul’s Posdnuos appears on “Beautiful” and former Pharcyde member SlimKid3 teams with the Yancey Boys on “Rock My World,” while T3 of Slum Village is showcased on “Jeep Volume.” Common, De La Soul and the Pharcyde all worked with J Dilla extensively. J Dilla passed away in 2006 from cardiac arrest, according to his mother, Maureen Yancey, as per the New York Times. She said he had been suffering from lupus and had been hospitalized for pneumonia, the Times says.
“We’ve created an album that would make Dilla proud,” says Frank Nitt, who grew up with Dilla in Detroit. “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.”
Other songs on Sunset Blvd include “Go And Ask The DJ” with Guilty Simpson and “Lovin U” featuring singer Eric Roberson.
Illa J is J Dilla’s brother. Frank Nitt is J Dilla Music Catalog Curator and oversees the official approval of material released by the Yancey Media Group, which is releasing Sunset Blvd in conjunction with Delicious Vinyl.
Illa J began making music under the Yancey Boys banner with the guidance of Frank Nitt 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 and Frank dove deep into these stunning unreleased Dilla beats to make an honest album with all the right collaborations.”
