Customer Reviews

Donuts

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This isn't Dilla's best work, far from it really. Had he made this album when healthy, knowing his work ethic, raw talent, and what he was capable of, I'm guessing this would've probably taken him about a week or two to complete. He'd made 5 unreleased beat tapes in 2005 averaging at about 30 tracks each, a large part of each being Donuts-esque instrumentals. Many of them being in my opinion just as good if not better than Donuts itself which I just think proves that he could churn these things out like they were nothing to him. What makes this album so interesting is the backstory on it.

Jay made a good majority of Donuts in the hospital while getting treatment for a slew of fatal diseases he'd been fighting for over four years. Death knocking at his door and was still more concerned with making music. He had a true love for his art and let nothing get in his way from creating it. Even when he should've been at home in bed trying to get better, he was out in a wheelchair touring all across the world. Just pure dedication in every sense of the word. He lived and died for his music.

I feel that certain samples and song titles used and just Jay's whole overall approach with Donuts proves that he knew he wasn't long for this world and that this was the album he wanted to release as his last goodbye. Titles like "Don't Cry", "Last Donut Of The Night", "Bye", "Time: The Donut Of The Heart", and so on. It seems almost every lyric sample used on this album he used as a voice to his final thoughts on his life and death. A few examples -

"Save me" - Workinonit

"You're gonna need me one day, you're gonna want me back in your arms" - Stop

"Wake up world / Time is running out" - Glazed

"There comes a time" - Time: The Donut Of The Heart

"People the time has come" - People

"My family tree, is my history / That's right I'll die here, with the world's most popular visionaries / There's a lot of sincere confusion about just what the doctor said / Too much too soon" - Anti-American Graffiti

"It's alright, oh I'll get over it baby" - Dilla Says Go

"Just because I really love you" - U-Love

"Don't ever say" - Bye (the lyric and the song title put together turns into "Don't ever say bye")

"I give to you" - Last Donut Of The Night (again, combine the lyric with the song title and you get "Last donut I give to you" which leads into the final song of the album)

The list goes on, but I think the most eerie discovery I've made is the fact that the last track on the album, "Donuts (Intro)", was made with a sample of a song called "When I Die" by Motherlode. Using the lyrics "(When I die, I hope to be) the kind of man that you thought I'd be." I think you need to hear some of the actual songs he sampled in order to get a full appreciation for what this album is and what he was trying to say with it in so few words.

Donuts' intro and outro have switched places which I could see as some sort of metaphor for current life ending -> afterlife beginning or something along those lines. Not to mention the end of the outro loops right into the intro when played back to back, coming "full circle" not unlike a Donut, hence the title of the album.

This might sound like a stretch, but I think "Donut" represents a clock, and that once it circles around and reaches its ending point, it starts anew, such as life. It's tough to put into words, but the song title "Time: The Donut Of The Heart" and the whole thing with the intro and outro is what brought me to this conclusion.

I also believe him putting 31 tracks on this album and releasing it on his 32nd birthday was no coincidence either. Meaning, maybe he didn't believe he was going to live to see 32, so he ended the album on 31, the age he thought he'd be concluding his life on.

This is all personal theory. Still, speculation or not, I think it's obvious and believe 100% that this isn't just a series of weird coincidences. Whatever it is, it's pretty mindblowing knowing what we know now and as a result, I can't help but get chills listening throughout the whole album. It's haunting and profound.

Now, onto the actual review -

First, while I like the fact that every song on here is short enough that they end before becoming dull and repetitive, several could stand to be just a bit longer. Great songs like "The New" and "Light My Fire" are the shortest tracks of the whole album, both coming in at just a little over a half a minute.

There's also this rather annoying siren noise that comes in and out every now and then randomly all throughout the album. While it's not a total mood killer, it definitely wasn't necessary.

And last and most importantly, the way it was put together seems a little sloppy. Obviously intentional, it'd just be nice if the songs blended better making a smooth transition from one to the next rather than end so abruptly. It leaves the album without much of a steady flow and at times can take you out of the moment.

Then by the same token, you can look at it from a totally opposite point of view and say that the unpredictable direction Donuts takes you is what makes it so interesting and fresh. It keeps you on your toes from beginning to end never knowing what to expect. I honestly can't decide if I'd rather have it smoothed out or not change a thing. It's unusual, but I like it.

Regarding my theory on the album's hidden meaning, perhaps Dilla ended these songs so unexpectedly as a metaphor to life and how it can suddenly be cut short at any given moment, maybe? I'm probably overthinking it too much now, but stranger things have happened.

Taking everything mentioned above into consideration, I can still look past it's minor imperfections and give Donuts a much deserved 5 stars. Again, not Dilla's best, but certainly his most meaningful. May he rest in peace.

This isn't the type of scratch fest that Mixmaster Mike or DJ Q-bert puts out. It's a collage of influences and some mad scientist rendering of those influences. It's fun, quirky, cool stuff, with just the dash of soul that J Dilla was known for. Without a rapper in sight, this one's for anyone who likes their hip-hop served up with the philosphies of jazz and beat-mixing: take the lead, then swing it.

RIP, J Dilla. What a great note to go out on.

J Dilla a.k.a. Jay Dee passed away Friday, February 10, 2006 from complications from lupus. I started the review off this way because a lot of people don't know a lot about Jay Dee. Unless you were heavily in tune with the hip-hop scene, you may not have noticed his presence. As an early member of Slum Village, Jay Dee was instrumental in bringing older R&B and Jazz sound back to the forefront of hip-hop music. It has always been present in rap music, dating back to "Rapper's Delight" by the Sugarhill Gang. It's been continured over the years by deejays like Pete Rock, Jazzy Jeff, Dj Premier, and most notably Kanye West. Jay Dee continued this tradition in all the music he has produced for the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, Pharcyde, and Common. Donuts is his last release before his untimely death and serves up some of the best instrumental music to rock your head to.

It's virtually impossible for this to be like other reviews where you break down each track. Each track possesses it's own unique flavor. And even though there are some that will leave you perplexed, it still shows you the extensive amount of time it must take to find those tracks that make the cut. Jay Dee obviously did a lot of digging in the crates for some of these cuts. Still other selections are a blending of sounds and samples, almost putting you in the mind of techno or drum-n-bass music.

Those that appreciate the time and energy it takes to be a deejay and producer will be enlightened from the collection on Donuts. If anything, Donuts will serve as the starting point and inspiration for the growing number of deejays and wannabe producers in the game today. Jay Dee's respect in the game didn't come over night, but he never let go of niche once he found his place in the industry. He will be truly missed by those who know of him personally, those who knew of his work, and those who will come to know his music over the years to come. Be on the lookout for a future Jay Dee album from BBE this summer. R.I.P. Jay Dee.

I have read accounts of Dilla bedside, piecing together his music on equipment and records wheeled in by his crew. Workin on it for as long as he could at a time, and telling his doctor that he is proud of his work, and that all he wanted to do was finish the album. It is a testament to Dilla's dedication to the craft. This record is Dilla Dog's swansong, his symphony from the heart.

"Workinonit," the first proper track, showcases Dilla's ability to seamlessly blend together styles, this time psychedelia, rock n roll and hip hop, to head boppin effect. At three minutes, it sounds almost like a real song, but from there it takes a sharp turn to a Krishna-style mantra on "Waves," which manages to be funky, into a 30-second barbershop quartet version of the Doors' "Light My Fire," a 49-second Beastie Boys sample layered over classic trumpets, "Stop," a female-fronted soul joint, "People," commanded by an ethnic conga hand drum vibe, "The Diff'rence," a soul-trumpet stomp, "Mash," a beautiful piano loop over a beat that is equal parts chillout and hip-hop that gets better over time, and "Time: The Donut of the Heart," which features an evocative Jackson 5-ripped guitar line that has been copped by the Roots as an 8-minute Dilla tribute finale ("Can't Stop This") to their new record Game Theory.

It becomes apparent that Dilla is informed by all corners of the musical world, ruthlessly pieced together in a sonic collage of ear-splitting wonderment. In "Lightworks," a woman's voice spliced up to instruct you to "light up the spliffs" - signature DIlla swagger. The 5-song suite at the end, "U-Love," "Hi," "Bye," "Last Donut of the Night" and "Donuts (Intro)" is a clear goodbye straight from Dilla, told not from his voice but vicariously through his samples, with messages like "..just because I really love you," "don't ever say bye," "ladies and gentleman, I give to you (the last donut of the night) with love," and "when I die, I hope to be / The kind of man that you thought I'd be" layed out over piano and strings. In the last donut, the intro, Dilla is introduced as "tonight's guest" and then, with a single violin note, the curtains close and it's over.

Dilla makes it evident that he didn't want to leave this world, but he went out in the most respectable way possible. And that's love.

Real music.

Much like MF DOOM's Special Herbs and Spices collection, here J Dilla rounds up 31 great hip-hop sound bytes, with extremely limited rap that you MUST hear. Although this album has the most abrupt changes between tracks found in any album to date, which can throw many off into thinking they have bought an album that didn't get recorded properly, this is just a great experimental method of producing something unique, that could have sounded like [...], if it wasn't for J Dilla choosing the best selection of sounds heard outside of a Dan the Automator album. There are some kickin' beats here and if you are interested in the alternative Hip-Hop that is certainly the future of this genre, then make sure that you get Donuts at all costs. This album is fire.

When I heard that Jay Dee had passed away earlier this year, I went out and picked up his final release, 2006's "Donuts" instrumental album. I had been a fan of much of his production work in the nineties, especially his music made with the Pharcyde, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and Slum Village. I have always considered him one of the most talented producers in hip hop and his death was a real loss to the music community. But even that couldn't prepare me for what an awesome listen "Donuts" is. "Donuts" is really a joy to listen to. I could listen to these tracks for hours. These are really unlike any instrumentals I have ever heard. Whereas the regular rap instrumental becomes tedious with its sixteen bars, hook, sixteen bars, hook, bridge, and hook pattern, Jay Dee's have absolutely no pattern. These songs are perfect to listen to and really entertaining, and in most cases I think putting rap verses over them would almost ruin them. Dilla compiled 31 tracks for this album, and most are only about a minute and a half long, which is a perfect length, not too short but never allowing a dull moment. "Donuts" is one of my favorite music releases of 2006 and I highly recommend it to all.

Jay Dee's style on this album is very focused and unlike any of his other work I've heard with other artists. Instead of regular hip hop sounds, he is heavy on guitar instrumentals, which makes an awesome sound, some comes across like a sort of soul and indie rock fusion. His style sounds nostalgic of a musical era long past, but you can't quite put your finger on it. This is J-Dilla's trademark. The music is often so beautiful. Songs like "The Diff'rence" and "Time: The Donut of the Heart" sound like really heartfelt tunes. But Jay Dee is not just limited by traditional instrumentals, and he finds samples for his songs from all kinds of unlikely sources. He samples movie dialogue, television and radio commercials, and speeches to cater to his works. The vocal samples on "Donuts" are really interesting, funny to the point of being almost eerie. Many come from obscure 60s and 70s soul tunes, and the lyrics combined with the titles of the track make for an odd effect. It sounds like he is trying to convey a message. Even though most of the time they probably don't make sense, it creates a feeling like if you were to hear someone yelling but not be able to make out the words. "Lightworks" is the best example of this quality. You can tell Jay Dee had a lot of fun creating these tracks, and they really are a joy to listen to.

It's ironic that "Donuts" is Jay Dee's last musical statement, because although it is just an instrumental album, it's very representative of Jay Dee's career in whole. Like everything he did, this music is experimental, unique, and tinkered with until it was engineered to perfection. It's sad to think that this album might not be at all recognized if not for Jay Dee's passing, but I'm glad that finally a man and his work is at least a little recognized, especially after being slept on for so long. You need not be a rap fan to enjoy "Donuts," because very little of the album sounds at all like hip hop or comes of as anything really close to it. All kinds of music fans will enjoy "Donuts" for its great tracks and originality. Rest in peace to one of the best.

There's nothing at all wrong with this album, except that it's not an album at all. Donuts is essentially a beat-tape. It's ideas that were probably meant to be fleshed out at some point in the future. This is not an instrumental hip-hop album conceived and executed to stand on its own as a creative work. With rare exceptions, these are snippets, not songs. Granted, the snippets contained here are some of the last ideas we'll hear from a genius producer, but just realize what you're buying.

With that disclaimer out of the way, Donuts is one hell of a listen. If I still smoked weed, this would be my accompaniment of choice.

Even in abbreviated form, Jay Dee's production evokes moods. As a hip-hop fan, this essentially turns you into your own A&R as you imagine De La Soul on one track ("Two Can Win"), Biggie on another ("Stepson of the Clapper"), MF Doom on still another ("Mash"), and on and on. There are even two joints back-to-back ("Geek Down" & "Thunder") that I would love to hear Drama use on his next T.I. mixtape. But those are just some of my fantasy pairings. You'll come up with plenty of your own.

Dilla pulls a 45 King (a la "Wooden Horse" and "Hard Knock Life") with "Lightworks" where he transforms a quirky jingle into an undeniable hip-hop burner. Then there's "Time: The Donut of the Heart." This is a special case. A nice little sample goes bananas as Jay plays with the time signature to drive it right over the top.

Donuts is an incredible collection of music. As an insight into the creative process of one of hip-hop's most talented producers, it is invaluable. But it's still not an album.

Jay Dee was in the middle of blowing up when his life came to a tragic end, far too soon. Luckily, the 30-plus beats that make up "Donuts" provide a fitting tribute to the man who even the me-first Kanye West referred to (right on the CD cover!) as "a drum god."

Dilla's drums, however, don't necessarily take center stage on this beat collage. It's the chopped soul loops that are the main attraction. Bits of vocals and instrumental snippets slide in and out of the mix, creating a future-soul sound that would likely have launched the careers of plenty aspiring MCs.

While I personally prefer Madlib's "Movie Scenes" instrumental album to "Donuts," there's no doubt that this is worth adding to any hip-hopper's collection.

RIP Dilla.

It's kind of hard to mess up an instrumental album because, unless your beats are wack, there's pretty much very little margin for error. I think we all know that Jay Dee (aka J Dilla) doesn't make wack beats, so you pretty much know what to expect when you get this album. Let me tell ya, Dilla does indeed meet expectations. There are some real bangin' beats on this album. The first real standout to me was "Stop!", but it isn't the last. The album has 31 cuts and they all average out to about a minute and a half each with "Workinonit" being the longest (2:57) and ""Donuts (Outro)" being the shortest (0:12). Kind of like Madvillainy or that last Count Bass D joint (Begborrowsteel), but without the rapping.

So why four stars instead of 5? Well, the album does start out kind of slow with a passable (not wack) song here or there ("Waves" as well as a few others). Also, some of the tightest beats on the album are also some of the shortest ("The New" & "Stepson Of The Clapper"). Aside from those minor hiccups, the album is free of blemishes.

Despite a few passable cuts, Donuts is still a fine, fine release from J. Dilla. We all know the man can make beats, it's just a matter of execution and Jay Dee executes on this album perfectly. I think this would make an excellent addition to any music library and I recommend picking it up. Two thumbs up.

Standout Tracks: Two Can Win, Time: The Donuts Of The Heart, Stop! (My Favorite), Don't Cry, Stepson Of The Clapper, The Diff'rence, The Twister (Huh, What), Geek Down, and People

Norfeest aka One Man's Opinion

Feb. 10th Update: Just found out that J. Dilla (ne' James Yancey) has passed away. The world of hip hop has just suffered a huge loss. May all of our prayers be with his family and close friends. Rest in peace bro, you'll most certainly be missed.

Ahhh Jay Dilla. Not much to say that hasnt been said when it comes to his abilities in beat crafting and moving hip hop towards the future. Founder of Slum Village, easily the biggest influence on detroit hip hop in the past 10 years (sorry eminem) and one of the greatest producers of all time along the ranks of pete rock and peanut butter wolf. As far as this album goes, its pretty darn good. Switching his style a bit more to that of say, madlib with the jazzy loops but you can still clearly see that gritty detroit style beats jay dee has pioneered throughout his career. To make it short, if your a fan of his beats, buying this album is a no brainer.

R.I.P James Yancey aka Jay Dilla (1974-2006)