Frank Nitt, who grew up with Dilla in Detroit, is the Chief Curator of the late producer's music catalog and oversees the official approval of material released by the Yancey Media Group.

"On Sunset Blvd, Illa [J] and Frank [Nitt] dove deep into these stunning unreleased Dilla beats to make an honest album with all the right collaborations.

By avoiding the tendency to wallow in the past or to define itself in opposition to contemporary rap, it joins the ranks of albums from Camp Lo and Black Milk, two other former backpack acts who updated their formula successfully this year, breaking free of the cliches that had held them back and making genuinely engaging hip-hop music.

reviewer Kevin Jones gave the album a seven out of ten, saying: "Though some of the beats are thought to date back to the producer's Pharcyde period, Sunset Blvd.

maintains a general freshness and lingering sense of soothing familiarity, while the energetic vocal contributions make for a complete album that does the Yancey name justice for both Illa J and his legendary older brother.

"[9] David Jeffries of AllMusic gave the album four out of five stars, saying: "Fans thinking these rare beats should be handled with more respect are missing the point -- and can seek out the instrumentals, which are available as a bonus or separately -- but those who approach this as fond memories on Friday night will find themselves smiling until the sun comes up on Monday.