Donuts

Album Summary

Donuts is the second studio album by the American hip hop producer J Dilla, as well as the final album to be released in his lifetime. It was released on February 7, 2006, by Stones Throw Records, on his 32nd birthday, just three days before his death. Produced in 2005, it is an instrumental hip-hop album structured in an infinite loop, consisting of 31 tracks with 34 different samples from rock, jazz, and soul. Dilla's health began to decline following a tour in early 2002. He was diagnosed with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and lupus; he spent the following years in and out of hospitals, including a stay at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2005. He continued producing music in his free time. Conflicting accounts exist regarding the recording of Donuts; one states Dilla produced the album at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, while another, presented by writer Dan Charnas, states it originated as a homemade demo tape that was later finalized by Stones Throw art director Jeff Jank. Donuts received widespread critical acclaim for its dense, eclectic sampling and its perceived confrontation of mortality. Pitchfork placed the album at number 38 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2006, and at number 66 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at 386 in their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It is regarded by fans and critics alike as J Dilla's magnum opus, a classic of instrumental hip-hop, and one of the most influential hip-hop albums of all time, with artists of many genres citing it as an inspiration.

Read more on Wikipedia