With everyone buzzing about the late & great producer + emcee extraordinaire J. Dilla due to the recent 10-year anniversary of his popular album, Donuts, North Carolina bred rapper Danny Blaze saw it as the perfect opportunity to make a tribute to record to one of his biggest influences. Taking a bit of a different approach, Danny named the record after Dilla, but used his real name.

“I wanted to thank J Dilla, who’s birth name is James Dewitt Yancey, for inspiring me to be the artist I am today,” says Danny Blaze. The record happens to also be produced by the late producer J. Dilla himself.

On the dedication cut, Danny rhymes:

“I never got to meet you in person / I think it would’ve been awesome if we could sit and just talk about your beats and your verses / I used to dream I could work with / You but now the closest I’ll get to that comin’ true is to listen to what you do on this CD I purchased”.

Danny also calls on the help of his partner in rhyme, Tab One, to help pay homage to Mr. Yancey.

Check out the dedication cut below and keep it locked on RESPECT for the North Carolina talent’s next release!

If you missed Danny’s latest, make sure to listen here on RESPECT. Paying tribute to people who are great at their respective crafts is not a new theme in Danny’s music. When the NFL season was heating up, Danny seized the opportunity to honor the quarterback on his home team, the Carolina Panthers, dropping the upbeat “Cam Newton” record which you can listen to here.

When things were getting real and it was announced that the Carolina Panthers were going to play in Super Bowl 50, Danny struck once again, this time relying on some help from fellow NC rappers, Will Wildfire and Drique London, for a well-deserved remix to “Cam Newton,” also available to stream here on RESPECT.

The post Danny Blaze & Tab One Pay Homage To J. Dilla On “Thank You Mr. Yancey” appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.