Description

Yancey Boys – Sunset Blvd. (2LP/CD Reissue) [King Underground KU123/KU125]

In 2008, just two years after the passing of James Yancey, also known as J Dilla, Mike Ross, the founder of Delicious Vinyl, presented a treasure trove of unreleased beats to J Dilla’s mother, Maureen Yancey, affectionately known as Ma Dukes. Frank Nitty, a close childhood friend and long-time collaborator of Dilla (of Frank N’ Dank), along with a group of confidants, lovingly sifted through this musical vault. Their mission: to pay tribute to their departed friend in the most heartfelt way possible.

With an abundance of instrumentals to choose from, Nitty and Dilla’s brother, Illa J, meticulously narrowed the selection down to around 50 tracks. These tracks served as the foundational building blocks for their debut album, “Yancey Boys,” released in 2013 and famously named “Sunset Blvd.” Upon its release, this LP quickly achieved classic status and earned recognition from tastemakers worldwide.

Despite the absence of J Dilla during the album’s creation, Frank and Illa J managed to tap into Dilla’s enduring creative energy while crafting “Sunset Blvd.” His indelible influence permeated the beats, forming the essential backbone of the tracks on the record. Frank noted, “Beyond the beats, his fingerprints were all over the record, in the guest artists we chose to ask for a feature, to the guys mixing and mastering, most of whom he had worked with before he passed.”

Originally released on wax in 2013 through Delicious Vinyl, both “Sunset Blvd” and its accompanying instrumentals have not seen a reissue until now. Thanks to the UK-based label King Underground (AKA KU), this seminal record, along with its instrumentals, is once again available to music enthusiasts and collectors.