Detroit has proven that roses can truly grow from concrete. The hardscrabble city has produced some of America’s top musicians. Berry Gordy created a movement around the world with his Motown sounds. Aretha Franklin can still to this day make people tear up when she sings. Countless others like Stevie Wonder, The Temptations, Eminem and Alice Cooper have all called the Motor City home.
Illa J (real name John Derek Yancey), the revered underground MC who will be preforming tonight at The Wall, is a next-generation artist from Detroit.
Illa J has been surrounded by music his entire life. His father was a jazz bassist and his mother was an opera singer, and from an early age he found himself steeped in the family tradition.
Photo courtesy of Dssent
He watched videos every day, sang in the church choir, checked out his parents while they rehearsed for their a capella jazz group, helped his sister write songs and poetry and listened to his legendary brother make boom bap hip-hop beats.
That brother was J Dilla, one of the most respected producers in hip-hop history. J Dilla passed away too young in 2006, but left an amazing legacy of work with cream of the crop artists like The Pharcyde, Slum Village, Common, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul and Erykah Badu, to name a few.
At the age of six, Illa J joined his family’s church choir. At eight, he started writing his own poetry and songs to give to local girls. At 13, Illa J’s dreams started to come true when he recorded his first song in the studio with J Dilla.
Illa J remembers the day vividly.
“He sent me a limo to the house, and booked me a studio session. I’ll never forget that day because that was the beginning,” he said.
Illa J added that he knew from an early age that music would play an important part in his life.
“I realized after my brother died how short life is, so why not spend this time doing what I love?”
Illa J sees himself as a singer and songwriter who also raps. With two solo albums, two EPs, three collaborate albums, and a handful of mixtapes already released, Illa J’s catalog is growing.
His show tonight will mix songs old and new, with a focus on his latest release Illa J LP. He also promises to hold it down for the memory of his big brother and throw some surprises into the mix.
“I look forward to performing in Taiwan and it’s gonna be an amazing night, especially since it’s my first time there.”
■ Illa-J will perform tonight with Gordon, David H, DJs Chilly T, Vicar and Buzztop hip-hop dance crew, from 8pm to 10:30pm at The Wall, 200, Roosevelt Rd Sec 4, Taipei City (台北市羅斯福路四段200號B1). Admission is NT$1,000 at the door.
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