J Dilla Cooks Up Donuts

• Zach Vowell
• Pitchforkmedia.com
• December 15, 2005

2005 hasn't been too kind to J Dilla, but that hasn't stopped the top-notch Detroit-born hip-hop producer from taking care of business. Throughout the year, rumors circulated that Jay Dee (as Dilla was known during his days producing for A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and Slum Village) was hospitalized, possibly more than once, for a still-undisclosed serious illness. As he later confirmed with XXL this summer: "I was in ICU, with all types of tubes. It was crazy."

But things might be taking a turn for the better: Stones Throw has announced that on February 7, they will release Donuts, Dilla's debut solo album for the label (he was one half of Jaylib with you-know-who). Stones Throw is also working out the details for a fan club 45 on 7" vinyl, and another 12" as well. On top of that, another J Dilla LP, The Shining, will appear courtesy of BBE on January 31.

As for Donuts, the album boasts 31 instrumental tracks, with all but one clocking in under two minutes. Call it a goldmine if you're a DJ, or a mixtape of original material if you're not. Either way, you may just find yourself thanking whoever it was in Jay Dee's crew who wheeled in the "portable sound system, including turntable, samplers, and small boxes of vinyl" while he was in the hospital. Now that's charity, and here's the instant karma:
01 Donuts (Outro)
02 Workinonit
03 Waves
04 Light My Fire
05 The New
06 Stop
07 People
08 The Diff'rence
09 Mash
10 Time: The Donut of the Heart
11 Glazed
12 Airworks
13 Lightworks
14 Stepson of the Clapper
15 The Twister (Huh, What)
16 One Eleven
17 Two Can Win
18 Don't Cry
19 Anti-American Graffiti
20 Geek Down
21 Thunder
22 Gobstopper
23 One for Ghost
24 Dilla Says Go
25 Walkinonit
26 The Factory
27 U-Love
28 Hi.
29 Bye.
30 Last Donut of the Night
31 Donuts (Intro)