J Dilla's Top 10 Donuts

When Donuts first came out, I think every hip hop listener was taking it as a curveball. It wasn’t a “hip hop album” per se, it was an instrumental album that contained a variety of flavours, like a box of donuts. One thing people couldn’t deny was how good it was. Highly regarded as one of the most important and best albums of the 2000-2009 decade, Donuts provided listeners a unique listening experience; one that seemed as if a radio was turned on and being turned from channel-to-channel every 85 seconds. It provided listeners with grips from every genre, while being able to intake the beauty and meanings attached to each track. Most importantly, it provided listeners a new way of listening to music. Hip hop fans especially, who have been notoriously closed minded and unwilling to change, were taken on this musical rollercoaster and were going to have a good time on it even without a catchy chorus or a witty punchline.
      Donuts acted like a C.S. Lewis novella, inviting the audience to step inside the wardrobe and experience a world beyond what they knew, and hopefully a world they would grow to love, enjoy, and want to stay in. To say that it was an outer-worldly experience would be correct, but to say that it was unlike J Dilla would be invalid. Donuts comes from a producer who constantly pushed the boundaries of hip hop, always tried new things, new sounds, and always incorporated a variety of tasty treats in each beat he produced. Unlike most producers, J Dilla was able to tell stories in his beats, sometimes forcing the emcees to step their game up remarkably. His beats more-or-less stole the show and really were able to stand alone.
      While the cover of the project shows only the defining grin of J Dilla himself, the album is overloaded with a mixed bag of emotions, attitudes, and atmosphere. There is no set picture one can frame over the 43 minute time span, and there is no need to. J Dilla sets the picture for you, and that smile, even when on the hospital bed making these no acclaimed beats, is the product of the completion of what may be one of hip hop’s finest masterpiece.
      Sit back and watch as Freddie C and I, Sean Deezill, return to form and present iHD readers with our opinions and explanations of J Dilla’s Top 10 Donuts.

Sean's list: 
Posted with J Dilla instrumentals

10. “Bye”
à Of course, right after “Hi.” is “Bye.” (both have periods after their title, by the way). Doesn’t it have that cliché end-song theme to it? Not that that’s a bad thing, in fact, it begins the end of Donuts perfectly in that Mr. Rogers type of way. It’s a friendly goodbye, hoping we had enjoyed our stay. The beat doesn’t slouch at all though, and it is proof that Donuts had never let up as an instrumental piece or as an artistic dynamic all together. The drums and the Isley sample is really gorgeous. Common did it justice on The Shining, not sure if what he did on Finding Forever matched that caliber though.

9. “Mash”
à A haunting and slightly unsettling piece of beauty that keeps on intriguing the listener as the song goes on. It's one of those songs that keeps you thinking as it keeps going, especially with the "don't be mash" notions from the voiceover. Do you think Doom and Guilty did this beat justice? It certainly presents a challenge to any emcee that would step to it, however, it could be a great beat to provide a concept to as well.

8. “U-Love”
à Sing that ish Ice Man, sing it. What a treat for those who haven’t heard Jerry Butler to hear Dilla bring this sample out and back these vocals up with perfectly timed horns, a relaxing and soothing drum rhythm, and various other instruments for any keen ear listener to feast on. It’s just a same that this Donut seems to end quicker than any of the others.

7. “Airworks”
à Even though my favourite moments of this donut come from the beginning (the vinyl skip intro) and toward the end (when a split second bleep of “Lightworks” can be heard), “Airworks” is similar to that of an artistic collage. The vocal sample is cunning and sharp, as every note hits home as it trails in and out. It's when It uncharacteristically flows off suit and vibrantly seems all over the place that it is at its best and it's also at this time that Dilla is more in control than ever with his production. Don't believe me? Revisit "Drop" and witness who perhaps mastered the unorthodox.

6. “Workinonit”
à It’s hard to pinpoint where the genius in “Workinonit” is at its peak. Is it the engine revs? Is it the “workinonit” clips throughout? Is it the in and out electric guitar strums? The longest Donut is also one that would most likely succeed beyond an instrumental, simply because it is fully in tact with vocal drops throughout, an intro, a climax, and a conclusion, and a spaced out ambition to take listeners to yet another musical dimension. This Donut set the bar remarkably high for the rest of the disc.

5. “Stop”
à I do love the way Khrysis flipped this same Dionne Warwick sample up, but something about Dilla’s “Stop” really screams a really cinematic and epic romantic scenario. The structure is really the most beautiful part about it, simply because the climax is built up and when it delivers (“you better stop! And think about what ya doin”), “Stop” is at its most satisfying. It comes to a marvelous close with the electric guitar backing Warwick’s voice. It’s really, really nice.

4. “Gobstopper”
à No lie, I could listen to this beat all day. Sure, it’s possibly the most repetitive Donut; it has the same pattern, there’s no surprise inside of it, and it sets the record straight from the beginning via the horns. But, those horns are so perfect. They don’t hit as hard as “Glazed,” and they aren’t as timely used as heard on “The Diff’rence,” but they are so satisfying, so enjoyable, and so soulful that they beg to be heard over and over again. They pack an emotional punch and the horn throughout is a nice touch to add a little additional flavour.

3. “Two Can Win”
à This is perhaps the most addictive Donut, let’s say the Krispy Kream of the batch. Yes, we all see you repeating “only one can win, only one can win.” Yes, we’ve seen those same lyrics on your Twitter, Facebook, and MSN. We don’t blame you at all. The message is instilled in the song and The Sylvers vocals throughout would in most cases be somewhat annoying and redundant. I can’t picture this song being any different though. Note the irony of the lyrics (and original song title of the sampled song) and the title Dilla gave it. Hmm…

2. “Lightworks”
à In retrospect, it took time for “Lightworks” to grow on me. Further in retrospect, I can't understand why. What may be Dilla's tastiest Donut has been blessed with the likes of Q-tip, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, and MF Doom. And unsurprisingly, the beat even with all that talent on it, still remains the star of the show. It's fast pace while being so smooth and hard hitting. Those stick-on-stick-like drums are so perfectly timed and the various ingredients (the alarm horn, vocal sample, Dilla’s adlibs) are marinated in so evenly that not one bit of this donut is over-sprinkled. The spacey elements give it this futuristic feel, and the Dharma Initiative-type (shout out to all my lost fans) of introduction set the tone for what really is an instructional video on dope beat making. One has to wonder though, is the vocal sample really saying "light up a spliff?" ha.

1. “Time: The Donut of the Heart”
à This is without a doubt my favourite Donut and arguably one of Dilla’s best beats. We were lucky to have this beat graced by Black Thought on Game Theory, but this beat could always stand alone as a strong two minute zone out. The emotion pours out all over this track and without saying anything, it tells listeners entire stories; stories of heartbreak, uprising, victory, defeat, and education. It tastes good however you want to eat it, and only a select amount of beats hold this kind of depth and proverbial nature. How perfect of an “end credits” song would this be? 

Freddie's List: 
Posted with the original samples



1. "Lightworks"
Of course this is the number one rank, this is one of Ma Dukes’ favorite Donuts.  MF Doom used it on his song of the same name, one of the highlights from Born Like This. 

2. "Workinonit"
Great example of the production style that made J Dilla and Madlib popular: a lot of samples, a lot of stuff going on, and yet it all comes together like all these clips were made for each other.

3. "Stop"
I LOVE the Dionne Warwick sample, absolutely love it. Sprinkle in a little Jadakiss and some scratching, “Stop” works wonderfully as an instrumental by itself instead of being rapped over. 

4. "Geek Down"
I’m a sucker for any beat that incorporates “UFO” by ESG.  Ghostface later rips it to shreds on “Murda Goons.”

5. "Time: The Donut Time of the Heart"
Aptly titled, as it’s seemingly the most heartfelt of the Donuts. The Roots wisely chose this Donut to use as their J Dilla tribute, “Can’t Stop This.”

6. "Gobstopper"
Not a complex beat, and it is rather repetitive, but it begs to be rapped over.  Big Pooh of Little Brother used it for “Plastic Cups,” and even Joe Scudda brings his A-game on it.

7. "The Diff’rence"
The piano gets put to work on this one, I would LOVE to see someone rip the first minute of this Donut.

8. "The Twister"
Another beat with a lot going on.  I nominate Ghostface to start rapping when the flute kicks in at 0:21.  Tell me that wouldn’t cause a scene from your speakers.

9.  "Thunder"
There’s something thuggish about that piano, like it’s menacing.  I want to hear Prodigy on it for some reason.

10. "Bye"
This beat has the almost-cliché  “heartfelt song at the end of the album” feel to it, but in a good way.  Talib Kweli used it for “I Feel You.”

By:
Freddie C. & Sean Deezill

*To purchase the Donuts album click here.