J DILLA - Donuts

Donuts is the second and final studio album by American hip hop producer J Dilla. It was released on February 7, 2006, by Stones Throw Records, on his 32nd birthday, just three days before his death.

Dilla's health began to decline following a tour in early 2002. He was diagnosed with thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP),^[a] spending the following years in and out of hospitals, including a stay at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in 2005 following a further diagnosis with lupus. He would continue to produce 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,^[b] 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.^[2] Pitchfork placed the album at number 38 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2006^[3] and at number 66 on their list of the top 200 albums of the 2000s.^[4] In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked the album at 386 in their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.^[5] It is regarded, by fans and critics alike, as J Dilla's magnum opus,^[6] a classic of instrumental hip hop, and one of the most influential hip hop albums of all time,^[7] with artists of many genres citing it as an inspiration.^[8]