Illa J

Following the death of his sibling, Detroit producer and MC Jay Dee, John Yancey, known professionally as Illa J, withdrew from Central Michigan University, overcame longstanding reservations, and began working openly as both an MC and a producer. Earlier reluctance to match the extraordinary abilities of his older brother had kept him from venturing far, yet broader recognition arrived through his lip-synced appearance in the video for Jay Dee’s “Won’t Do” and through the Dilla Changed My Life tour, which brought performances before Jay Dee admirers around the world. Recording work soon followed, with contributions from Karriem Riggins, Guilty Simpson, Black Milk, and Little Brother’s Big Pooh. An independently issued EP appeared in 2007, consisting largely of his own productions apart from the track “Me and My Brother,” which Jay Dee handled.