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J DILLA - Donuts

"The disc is a surprising collection of beat-tape leftovers, thirty-second song ideas, and generally fascinating slivers of insight into a creative mind at work" FADER

Two and a half dozen Hip Hop instrumentals from the producer of Common, Slum Village, Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul & Jaylib.

After quietly serving as a member of A Tribe Called Quest's production team and scoring hits for Busta Rhymes, De La Soul and Pharcyde, Detroit producer Jay Dee became known as a major hip-hop prospect by the end of the 90s. The hip-hop community took notice of his no-frills, breakbeat-heavy hip-hop style as he helped craft albums for Common, Q Tip, and the debut for his own group Slum Village. By the time of his major-label debut with Slum Village's Fantastic, Vol. 2 in 2000, Jay Dee was recognized as one of hip-hop's most admired and desired producers.

Assuming the name J Dilla, he joined the Stones Throw roster in 2003, formed Jaylib with fellow producer/MC Madlib, and released the album "Champion Sound". When Pharrell Williams was asked about his favorite hip-hop producer during a interview in 2004 he replied, "You may not know his name, but J Dilla, Jay Dee from Detroit."

Although J Dilla is respected mainly for his intrumental work, he has never crafted an entire album meant to be released insturmental until now. "Donuts" is accessible without being typical or easily defined: it's a hip-hop without MC's, electronic music that at times sounds like a 70s soul mixtape. Sady, J Dilla passed away on 10 Feb 2006, but til the very end he was doing what he did best ­ crafting hip-hop, soul and electronic music into his own sound. J Dilla leaves behind a body of work which will be loved and rediscovered for years to come.

J DILLA's "Donuts" is available through Stones Throw / Basement Digs, distributed by Creative Vibes

 

 

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