Although not necessarily a household name, the multi-talented Young RJ has had quite a distinguished career. One-half of Slum Village’s reincarnation (with T3), as well as the group B.R. Gunna (alongside fellow double threat Black Milk), the J. Dilla protégé has an impressive resume. As a producer, he’s worked with De La Soul, Little Brother, and 50 Cent to name a few.

He began rapping more regularly circa 2012, dropping S.V. albums Evolution a year later and Yes! in 2015. His upcoming LP Blaq RoyalT will mark his first solo release, however, and if his appropriately titled new video single is any indication, it will be well worth the “WAIT.”

Illa J Welcomes Listeners Into His & J Dilla’s Childhood Home (Video)

On the self-produced single, featuring the one-and-only Pete Rock and Detroit’s own Boldy James, RJ and the latter kick verses about struggling to attain success and escape the streets without compromising their integrity. The beat utilizes the same sample as a cherished 20-plus year-old Outkast groove. The “Soul Brother Number Uno,” on the other hand, reminds listeners that he’s as deadly on the mic as he is with the beats, spitting a dope 16 bars about his two-decade legacy as one of Hip-Hop’s most decorated figures. “One day I had a dream that I’d be legendary,” he sets it off. “But wait, that’s not a dream, I’m 20 [years] in already.”

Elzhi-Era Slum Village Rip The Mic In A Never Before Released 2002 Freestyle (Audio)

Look closely, and one can see J. Dilla’s daughters making cameos in the video.

Blaq RoyalT, also featuring De La Soul and BJ The Chicago Kid, will drop this summer (with no specific release date set, as of yet).

About Ready Or Not: “Ready Or Not” is Ambrosia For Heads’s platform for showcasing new videos and having you, the people, decide whether they are ready for primetime. Each week, AFH will showcase music from artists on the verge, looking for their seat at the table among Hip-Hop’s elite.