In the modern era there is no hip-hop producer more iconic than J Dilla. Tragically taken from us in 2006 at the age of just 32, in his lifetime the one born James Yancey fundamentally altered the course of hip-hop music and many other genres besides. Not since the coming of The RZA had a beatmaker appeared on the scene who balanced the hefty whomp of boom-bap with such a painterly approach to sampling.
Born and raised in Detroit, Dilla came up as one third of Slum Village - a group Q-Tip once earmarked as the successors to A Tribe Called Quest’s jazz-rap throne. While he proved himself an adept MC, it soon became apparent that Yancey’s real talent was for production, and by the mid-90s he was turning in instrumentals for the likes of The Pharcyde, Busta Rhymes and De La Soul. The new millennium saw J Dilla leave Slum Village and fly solo, releasing a string of EPs and LPs in the following years. Notable releases from this period include, the ‘Ruff Draft’ EP, ‘Champion Sound’ (made in tandem with spiritual cousin Madlib) and ‘Welcome 2 Detroit’.
The fact that J Dilla’s legend has only grown in the aftermath of his death is partly to do with some of his finest records have been released posthumously. ‘Donuts’, an album released just three days before his passing, is a masterclass in the arts of sampling and programming that recalls everything from ‘Paul’s Boutique’ to DJ Premier. ‘The Shining’, which came a few months after his death, elongated the ‘Donuts’ vignettes into masterful tracks and featured contributions from D’Angelo, Common and Pharaohe Monch. Numerous further collections of material, both previously-available and unreleased, have been made public in the subsequent years. 
 
Tracklist:
	
		
			
			
Donuts (Outro)
			
		
		
			
			
Workinonit
			
		
		
			
			
Waves
			
		
		
			
			
Light My Fire
			
		
		
			
			
The New
			
		
		
			
			
Stop
			
		
		
			
			
People
			
		
		
			
			
The Diff'rence
			
		
		
			
			
Mash
			
		
		
			
			
Time: The Donut Of The Heart
			
		
		
			
			
Glazed
			
		
		
			
			
Airworks
			
		
		
			
			
Lightworks
			
		
		
			
			
Stepson Of The Clapper
			
		
		
			
			
The Twister (Huh, What)
			
		
		
			
			
One Eleven
			
		
		
			
			
Two Can Win
			
		
		
			
			
Don't Cry
			
		
		
			
			
Anti-American Graffiti
			
		
		
			
			
Geek Down
			
		
		
			
			
Thunder
			
		
		
			
			
Gobstopper
			
		
		
			
			
One For Ghost
			
		
		
			
			
Dilla Says Go
			
		
		
			
			
Walkinonit
			
		
		
			
			
The Factory
			
		
		
			
			
U-Love
			
		
		
			
			
Hi.
			
		
		
			
			
Bye.
			
		
		
			
			
Last Donut Of The Night
			
		
		
			
			
Donuts (Intro)
			
		
	
 
Label: Stones Throw
Cataloegue Number:  STH2126LP