DJ Yella


Antoine Carraby, better known by his stage name DJ Yella, is an American DJ, rapper, record producer and film director from Compton, California. He was a member of the World Class Wreckin' Cru along with Dr. Dre. He later joined the pioneering gangsta rap group N.W.A.

Career

Along with Dre, Yella helped produce Eazy-E's debut album Eazy-Duz-It and the three N.W.A albums, with the first one being a compilation album translating into millions of sales. Along with Dre and Arabian Prince, Yella co-produced J.J. Fad's gold certified debut and also Michel'le's album and contributed to The D.O.C.'s 1989 album No One Can Do It Better. Jerry Heller, in his 2006 memoir Ruthless, witnessed Dre and Yella's work together, writing that the two had an almost eerie understanding, as they crafted high quality beats and productions with almost no words or full sentences needing to be spoken.
Yella remained close to Eazy and stayed on production duties at Ruthless Records after the acrimonious breakup of N.W.A. He produced J.J. Fad's second album Not Just a Fad, Yomo & Maulkie's album Are U Xperienced?, two tracks from Eazy-E's It's On 187um Killa, the gold-selling hit single Foe tha Love of $ from Bone Thugs-N-Harmony's Creepin on ah Come Up E.P., Menajahtwa's album Cha-licious, and tracks from H.W.A.'s Az Much Ass Azz U Want E.P., and oversaw Eazy's final album in 1995 after his sudden AIDS-related death.
Yella released his 1996 debut solo album One Mo Nigga ta Go on Street Life Records, featuring members of the Ruthless 'family tree' like Kokane, B.G. Knocc Out, & Dresta, rhyming over his productions.
After this record he retired from music to embark on a 12-year career directing and producing porn films. Yella says he produced more than 300 porn films.
In November 2011 Yella began working on a new album, entitled West Coastin', which was released in the summer of 2012.
Yella was played by Neil Brown Jr. in the 2015 N.W.A. biopic, Straight Outta Compton. He is portrayed as very interested in sex and women, and also as less aggressive than the other members and unwilling to engage in conflict with Ice Cube.

Discography

Selected works