It was the winter of 2006 and iconic beatmaster J Dilla was in and out of the hospital. With his previous chart-topping performances with artists like Common, The Roots, Mos Def, Janet Jackson, and Busta Rhymes in the rearview mirror, and his health quickly deteriorating due to a rare terminal blood illness, Dilla got to work on what would be considered his magnum opus– a 43-minute album stuffed full of 31 instrumental hip hop tracks that showcased his incredible ear for complex hooks and sample arrangement. The end result of those hospital sessions was nothing short of spectacular, tidy vignettes of ear worms that pushed the concept of hip hop instrumentation, a menage a troi of funk, soul, and progressive rock that swirled together in imaginative sonic bliss. J Dilla would unfortunately die a mere three days following the release of Donuts, but the album’s impact would be felt for decades to come.
Standout Songs: “Workinonit”, “Stop”, “The Diff’rence”, “Time: The Donut of the Heart”, “Don’t Cry”
