(AllHipHop News) J. Dilla’s younger brother Illa J recently dropped a new EP titled 4 Past Mid Nite, which the young rapper/producer said shows his growth as an all-around artist. According to Illa J, born John Yancy, his latest album, which follows 2008’s Yancy Boys, showcases the direction he seeks to go as a complete artist. “This album we have a sense of direction,” Illa J. said. [We are] kind of stepping away from the box, just on the real, the Dilla box that I was in. [We are] going just a little bit left, but still Hip-Hop, still soul.”Illa J’s 4 Past Mid Nite was produced by Detroit’s own Young R.J., a longtime student of J. Dilla who has worked with artists like Slum Village, Young Buck, Lloyd Banks, Dwele and others.”He’s a very underrated producer,” Illa J. said of Young R.J. “They still don’t realize, this is me saying this as Dilla being my brother. If anybody he was truly passing the torch to, I hate to this this, [but] it really would be R.J.”Illa J’s 4 Past Mid Nite EP is available for purchase at all digital retail outlets via the Ne’Astra Music Group.
