Donuts (2006)

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.

Background

Following the release of two albums with Slum Village, J Dilla left the group to focus on his solo career. In 2001, he released Welcome 2 Detroit. Shortly after, he got signed by MCA. However, the label shelved his second solo album. During that period, he also started working with Madlib, with the duo releasing Champion Sound in 2003 through Stones Throw. In the process, he befriended people running the label and continued working with them, releasing Donuts through the label.

J Dilla's health started declining after a tour in January 2002, when he had been diagnosed with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP), a rare and incurable blood disease. He spent the next years in and out of hospitals. In 2004, after an invitation from his friend and collaborator, rapper Common, J Dilla moved from his hometown of Detroit to Los Angeles. A few months later, when his condition worsened, he asked his mother to move to Los Angeles to help him. After he was diagnosed with lupus, he spent most of 2005 in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, continuing to create music in his free time.

Production

Hints of Donuts emerged as early as 2001, during J Dilla's interview with DJ and record label owner Gilles Peterson, while promoting his debut solo album, Welcome 2 Detroit (2001). When asked about the direction of the album, J Dilla emphasized that listeners should expect something completely new.

Two different accounts exist regarding the recording of Donuts; according to the popular version, J Dilla worked on the album at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. According to this narrative, most (or a small part) of Donuts was recorded at the hospital, using a portable turntable and Boss SP-303 sampler. Throughout the years, J Dilla shared his latest work with friends and colleagues using short demo records, called "beat tapes". He played one of them, titled Donuts, to Madlib and Peanut Butter Wolf, the founder of Stones Throw, who then shared it with other members of the label. All of them loved it, but Eothen "Egon" Alapatt, Stones Throw's general manager, did not want to release it, since he thought J Dilla should instead work on a sequel to Champion Sound. Peanut Butter Wolf convinced him that they should release an instrumental album, as J Dilla was unable to record vocals due to his deteriorating condition. They brought vinyl records, portable turntables and samplers to the hospital, allowing J Dilla to work on the album. Concerns over compensation began to arise as Stones Throw was a small company at the time. The label agreed on a deal where it was going to own Donuts as an asset while allowing J Dilla to sell his beats from the album to other artists.