Donuts (album)

Donuts
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 7, 2006
RecordedSummer 2005
Genre
Length43:24
LabelStones Throw
ProducerJ Dilla
J Dilla chronology
Champion Sound
(2003)
Donuts
(2006)
The Shining
(2006)
Alternative cover
Original vinyl edition cover

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

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]

  1. ^ "Welcome to Paradise: The Timeless Unreality of Since I Left You?". Varsity Online. Archived from the original on October 31, 2022. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  2. ^ "Rewind: Donuts by J Dilla". TIDAL Magazine. Archived from the original on April 18, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  3. ^ "Staff Lists: Top 50 Albums of 2005 | Features". Pitchfork.com. December 19, 2006. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  4. ^ "Staff Lists: The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 100-51 | Features". Pitchfork.com. September 30, 2009. Archived from the original on June 8, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  5. ^ "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time". Rolling Stone. September 22, 2020. Archived from the original on October 1, 2020. Retrieved February 26, 2023.
  6. ^ "J Dilla: Donuts (45 Box Set)". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 13, 2018. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  7. ^ "A Decade Old, Still Fresh: How J Dilla Wrote the Future With 'Donuts'". Observer. February 9, 2016. Archived from the original on June 21, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  8. ^ O'Neill, Connor (February 10, 2016). "Life Is A Donut: Reassessing J Dilla's Legacy". Red Bull Music Academy. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2021.