J Dilla

Donuts

First released2006

J Dilla recorded Donuts during 2005 while hospitalized and managing complications from lupus at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, using a laptop and equipment in his hospital room. The album was produced entirely by J Dilla himself, who created the beats and arrangements using music production software and samples from his vast collection of vinyl records. Dilla worked with engineer and collaborator Questlove during the final stages of production, with input from his mother Maureen Yancey. The production was characterized by his signature style of chopping and manipulating obscure soul, funk, and jazz samples with meticulous attention to swing and rhythm, often referred to as "swing programming." Released posthumously in February 2006, three weeks after Dilla's death in February 2006, Donuts became recognized as a landmark instrumental hip-hop album that showcased his production genius despite the severe physical limitations of his illness.