J Dilla's Brother Illa J Argues That Kanye Wouldn't Be as 'Big as He Is' If Producer Was Still Alive

Illa J has some pretty strict rules on what makes someone a music producer.

In a recent episode of AnecDope, the rapper, singer, and producer spoke about his brother, J Dilla’s legacy and touched on one of today’s biggest artists, Ye, formerly know as Kanye West.

“I don’t think Kanye is as big as he is if my brother still alive,” Illa said at around the 36:50 minute mark. “I’m sorry. Kanye needs seven producers. If you look at the credits, there’s like 20 producers on one track.”

He continued, “It’s a thing to make beats and then it’s a thing to producer. Yeah, you’re making some crazy stuff, but we’re talking producer, man. Quincy Jones is still the goat. That’s a real music producer. Most people are beat makers, if we’re being real.”

Andrew Barber of Fake Shore Drive shared this clip on X, pointing out in a second tweet that Ye “already had two multi-plat albums, chart-topping singles, and three Grammys by the time he passed” to a fan who said that Illa was right.

Dilla and Yeezy worked together before he died in 2006, with Common recently recalling a time when the pair met in Los Angeles. At that point, West was already sampling the Detroit producer’s drums on his beat tapes—and Dilla ended up giving Ye some drums for a record.

“I promise you, Ye was like, [the drums were] the golden chalice,” Common told Hot 97 earlier this year. “Dilla had a lot of love for Ye. And Ye had love for Dilla. It was great to see somebody who was as great as Ye just be like, ‘Dilla gave me these joints!’”