Illa J Drops New Single ‘Not Ever’ On His Brother J Dilla’s Old Label

Illa J has dropped a new single called “Not Ever” featuring UK soul star Harleighblu which was released on J Dilla’s old record label, BBE.

On Thursday (May 4), the Detroit musician dropped the video which shows Harleighblu keeping a man tied up and in her possession so all of his attention can be on her. As for Illa J, he rapped a playful 16 bars over the melodic production.

“You ain’t gotta worry/he always got a game-plan/never gotta hurry/he always on time/always on the grind/you would think everybody is cuz everybody use that line,” he raps.

The video was shot by Illa J’s wife Sarah Samira Yancey. “Not Ever” is the first single off of Illa J’s upcoming self-produced solo album No Traffic. 

Check out the video below:

“Not Ever” was released on BBE (Barely Breaking Even) Music which is the same label where J Dilla released his first solo project Welcome 2 Detroit in 2001. 2006’s The Shining was another posthumous album that was also released on behalf of the late legendary producer through the label.

Illa J is the younger brother of legendary producer J Dilla. Since J Dilla’s passing in 2006, Illa J, along with his mother, Maureen Yancy, has worked diligently to keep his brother’s legacy intact.

related interview

Illa J: Not Just J Dilla’s Little Brother Anymore

February 5, 2016

In 2015, Illa J spoke with HipHopDX about how his self-titled album at the time was his turning point to step aside from his brother’s dominant shadow.

“I learned from my brother that no matter who I’m influenced by, make sure whatever I create comes out as me,” the rapper-producer said at the time. “It’s ok to be influenced by something, but you don’t want to do the same thing someone else did. I learned that from my brother. Now I’m like, I’ll like an idea but when I do it, it’s me. Yeah, you can say it was influenced by something, but you know it’s me.”

He continued: “Another thing is the pocket. It’s a certain swing in his music whether it was one of his soul beats or electronic beats. He had all types of styles. What all of his beats had in common was that there was a certain swing in the pocket that makes you feel a certain way. It’s all funky, though. Like you never want to go to the studio because you feel like to, you have to want to be there to be better. That’s what I learned from my brother was work ethic. It’s natural when you do something that you love.”