Saw it twice now and it’s still one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen because we all started listening to J Dilla on RUclips or DSP and that began our love for his music. I try to listen to everything under the sun that he made and to see the equipment he used to make it preserved in its own section in the same room/building meant for history makes me shed a tear. Also his synth is in the Smithsonian too.
@@TheWutangclan1995man I’m kinda upset for you that you missed out on RUclips back in 2012-2015 where there was a bunch of unreleased/unknown J Dilla beats being uploaded. Now most of them vids are gone and slowly being released.
3:25 - Donuts (Outro) & Workinonit 6:20 - Waves 7:30 - Light It 7:45 - The New 9:30 - Stop 12:39 - People 13:32 - The Diff’rence 15:53 - Mash 17:52 - TIME: THE DONUT OF THE HEART 18:40 - Glazed 20:38 - Airworks 23:29 - Lightworks 25:22 - Stepson of The Clapper 25:52 - The Twister (Huh, What?) 28:20 - One Eleven 29:04 - Two Can Win 31:45 - DON’T CRY 33:54 - Anti-American Graffiti 35:41 - Geek Down 36:29 - Thunder 37:28 - Gobstopper 39:05 - One For Ghost 41:25 - Dilla Says Go 42:02 - Walkinonit 43:39 - The Factory 46:45 - ULOVE 48:00 - Hi. 49:20 - Bye. 52:08 - Last Donut of The Night 53:09 - Welcome to The Show
You should check out Nujabes. Another legendary producer who changed the game, died too early and was influenced by Dilla, he was like his hero. And coincidentally they were born on the same day, not just the same day like on different years, but the exact same day on the exact same year. His album Modal Soul is a classic, he basically pioneered the “lo-fi chill hop” type beats that you see plague RUclips now in “lo-fi beats to study to compilations” but his stuff was layered and thought out.
never looked up the lyrics to it but it's such a great sample to fasten onto his ability to take a sample and turn it into something else. saying "you sing it and i'll show you how my voice has made it unbelievable" is incredible given that jdilla then takes his voice after the sample "sings it" and makes it into something unique and wonderful
I'm James' sister Martha, I just want you to know that you did a wonderful job with this! I've seen a lot of negative so THIS one is so positive, honest. And just listening (I rarely do it) but this is inspiring. This experience is everything I think he could have ever hoped for. Take care! ❤️
Never in my life would I have expected that someday in the comments section I would meet the person Illa jay sings about on the brother beat.... Illa J - Air Signs, blessings to you and your whole family. My cousin once showed me a Jay dilla and that's how my music game started. Thank you. what a life
The track Hi has an interesting story. During an interview, Dilla’s mother recalled a night where J Dilla was in a delirious state and he told her he saw Ol Dirty Bastard from the wu-tang clan. ODB would tell him something along the lines of “When you see the red bus, don’t take it, take the white bus instead.” So it’s theorized that Hi is based off of this experience because the lines “Standing at the bus stop and I hear a voice behind me” “I hadn’t heard that voice in such a long time”
This was very challenging to edit. I try to cut about 40-50% of the music to prevent from getting blocked. But I did my best to make Dilla proud. Also, I did not put timestamps from track to track since the whole album is an experience from beginning to end. I assume someone will put stamps in the comment somewhere. Give those wonderful people a thumbs up for me 👍
MF DOOM rapped over a few beats from Donuts. According to a couple of Stones Throw hazy recollections, right after Dilla died Doom showed up and said that Dilla had appeared to him in a dream saying, “We gotta collab”.
48:40 Here's something you probably didn't know about 'Hi.' The dialogue sampled in the beat is intended to reflect a story Dilla's mother told him. Apparently, Dilla was out of it, in a dazed state, and seemed to be talking to hallucinatory figures. When his mother asked him who it was, Dilla said it was Wu Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard, who had died a couple of years before. ODB advised him not to take the "red bus", which would send him to Hell. Instead, ODB said to wait until the "white bus" came.
Hearing “Time: The Donut of the Heart” for the first time was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with music. I was in awe of the nostalgic, sad, uplifting, and inspiring feelings that 1 minute and 37 seconds gave me. One of my favorite songs ever
two can win is actually about dilla himself, he had two wives and two different families. He made time to go visit both a lot, and they met at his funeral. The book talks about that aspect of his life a lot
One of the beautiful aspects of Dilla’s production, is that he didn’t quantize it. So it feels much more real and alive. It has imperfections in timing, just slight, basically imperceptible, but there nonetheless. Makes it more like a band playing.
bob, i just want you to know that you should never feel bad for getting emotional over your perceived meaning. I think thats totally ok, considering this album is such a trip of a emotions, i think it's totally valid to feel however you feel about him, because the context does add a lot of emotional weight to why he choose the samples he did and what message he wanted to get across through each one. I think it's really cool how Dilla was able to interpret the art he was listening to while in the hospital, and flip them in a way so that the listeners of Donuts could feel his interpretations of those things (by flipping them), which reflected his final days and his feelings about his last moments on earth. It was his craft he had mastered, and it's very powerful that he was able to create a final musical message out of it to leave the world with. So I think it's perfectly valid to get emotional about this album, because it really is all of his final emotions poured into it, in the way he knew how to express them... which was through his music. < 3
I appreciate it. I don't mind getting emotional over music. I guess I just want people to know that the ideas floating around in my head are just that - ideas - and I don't want viewers confusing my own experience to what may or may not be intentional within an album.
If someone's interpretation comes form appreciation and being genuine, there is no bad interpretation. Real artists, even if they are strict in their structure and morals, do love interpretations, because they themselves were inspired by other artists and, in turn, interpreted them themselves. It's a wholesome feedback loop of the love of self expression and love.
This album has always had a deep spiritual effect on me. This album feels like reminiscing on all aspects of life the noise, confusion, beauty, love, modesty, gratefulness. Dilla says so much in this album without saying a word. He communicates through a wall of homage of his musical dna. Like a farewell letter from a man who is part machine. Leaving this world with a message of love, togethernes, acceptance and blessing. Thank you Bob for taking your time to listen to this Life is a donut. It just keeps going. U start where u end. U end where u start.
No hate, but the idea that Dilla got that signature feel by simply not quantizing is largely a myth. There's a book that goes in depth on his techniques called Dilla Time
After this I'd kill to see your reaction to a Nujabes album. Kindred spirits him and Dilla. Same birthday! Both brilliant producers whose careers were cut tragically short.
@@alqxik cus besides Nujabes he’s already gotten a lot of requests which he will get to yes cus he’s awesome but that just means it puts Nujabes at a low point in the list
Also I forgot to mention in my other comment that donuts isn’t just a silly title. It refers to both the shape of the vinyl record he splices up, and symbolises the concept of a “cycle”. The cycle probably refers not only to the “loops” he uses in his production, but also the albums itself is a “donut” or a infinite loop as it begins with an “outro” and ends with “welcome to the show.” To me this is a positive message about how his end is just a biggining and how his influence and impact live on every time some one spins his record. Sorry I’m rambling
Also how in life were just doing donuts doing what we enjoy. He was doing donuts constantly going through records finding samples and making beats. Rinse and repeat. Same ish everyday cus we love it.
My number 1 artist of all time , his producing was way ahead of his time , when you realize what technology was back then and he made all these masterpieces, it’s insane , R.I.P to the legend , my inspiration to making beats myself
Got heavy into this album around the same time someone from my past was killed and the music and the samples just made that easier. It’s like he may have wanted it to be not only healing for his own death but universally.
I had a similar experience, lost a good friend to an overdose. I truly believe that without this album I would likely be gone myself. Dilla is really something special.
"When I die, I hope to be - a better man than you thought I'd be". I put off this album in my teens. I mean, I was listening to Nujabes, and I had heard some of Dilla's work before and thought it was cool like the other [adult swim] bumps in that playlist at the time, but I didn't really give the album the full loop around listen that it deserved. And I knew a bit of the story (TTP, lupus), but I didn't think much of it at the time. I'm 25 now, I've gone through some stuff, career hasn't taken off the way it should have, college didn't necessarily work out the way I wanted it to, family drama, adult drama, just heavy stuff, whatever you want to call it. And my life is good - I'm healthy, roof over my head, I have a decent enough job, and I have the means to really do whatever I want within reason - but there was a point where I was causing myself more grief from the blame and defeat I was placing on myself, thinking about where I should be in life, or where I wanted to be, and how I felt so defeated in between (and I still feel that a bit, but I'm shaking it off with therapy and otherwise good habits). I put on the album straight through maybe 4 months ago, headphones, beer in my hand, and I was floored by how astonishing it was. Granted, my taste in music is a lot wider now than it used to be, but there's so much talent on display here - it really is that difficult to do the sampling on an MPC at the level Dilla was. And anyone who's come close, now and in the future, will tell you this man was it by far. It was work then, and it's work now, even with the technology we have today. And then Welcome to The Show comes on. I don't think I'll ever hear that track and not cry. The pit that he was in, just stuck in a hospital bed making music to the last minute, and the whole time he knows his death is coming soon - it's tough. Knowing that a parent is going to see their son wither with a slow and painful death while they surpass them, it's traumatizing. It has to be. This whole album is just him trying to figure it all out from a philosophical standpoint, between his physical and emotional pain, and from his work ethic of making and remaking tracks constantly to what we have now. And through it all, he blossoms. I think that's what gets me every time - I know it's coming the way he knew his time was. Knowing those Motherlode lyrics and how he chose it to ask whether he was a good person through all of his suffering is [*******] difficult to comprehend. But thank goodness Dilla was funny, because I get to cry happy tears once that intro goes out, the outro comes in, and I can listen to it all over again. It's a celebration of life, and more than that, it's hope.
There are a lot of romanticized stories regarding the creation of this album. Supposedly very little of this was actually worked on from his hospital bed. He did do a little of it there though as well as some of the beats for his album The Shining from what I've heard. Not to downplay the power of this project by any means, because obviously he knew his condition at the time of making this, and I can't imagine how heavy that weighed on him, and I hear his vulnerability on full display here along with a range of pretty much every human emotion possible. There is a book called Dilla Time that was recently released, and it dispels a lot of myths surrounding him. It's a great read if you're curious to know more about what made Dilla tick. It's very honest, gives background on his musical upbringing, gets into detail about family and friends, exposes some of his flaws, and once I finished it, I felt even more of a connection to the man's music. He's often viewed as some enigmatic superhuman genius madman producer, but learning about his human side made him way more interesting for me. This guy is my favorite Hip Hop beat maker ever, and his influence can be heard in so many genres of music these days. Huge loss.
Commenting since I saw no one mention it, I love the siren sample throughout the album. For so long I didn’t even process it as such, but it’s so iconic to the album and one of the reasons that this album’s always a delight to revisit. One of my favourite albums, such an incredible sound.
@@KardiFan2000 yeah i know what you mean, i ment more in the themes of the album, it being an ambulance siren. Sorry I kinda made it seem using the siren themselves were incredible; still J Dilla is still an incredible producer though.
Dilla actually made most of the Album before he was really sick. I discovered this by watching interviews with those closest to him. They actually had played the tape in their cars and shit but they didn’t really know what to do with it. Then, Dilla refined it, completed it in the hospital.
Great video. Not many people have made the analysis as deeply as you made. You make excellent points. In particular, the structure of the album and how in the sparse lyrics which were chosen for Donuts, just how poignant the messages are. How can you not be trying to say something with your last moments. R.I.P James Dewitt Yancey.
If you're interested, several of these tracks have been rapped over by prominent artists. For a handful: Ghostface rapped over One for Ghost (Whip You With a Strap) and Hi (Beauty Jackson), Nas over Gobstopper (The Season), The Roots over Time: The Donut of the Heart (Can't Stop This), Common over an extended version of Bye (So Far to Go), Q-Tip and Talib Kweli over Lightworks (Lightworking), MF DOOM over Lightworks (Lightworks), Anti-American Graffiti (Sniper Elite) and Mash (Mash's Revenge), and Lupe Fiasco over The Diff'rence (Of).
This album is incredibly sad when you listen to the samples and the meanings of them, dont be fooled by the upbeat sound of things. When it finny clicked for me i cried honestly. such a classic
Just one thing, actually j dilla didnt make this album at the hospital , thats a myth (he made it while he was sick, but not at the hospital). There's a great book that talks about his Life and how j dilla changed hip hop and music in general that came out recently. It's called DILLA TIME. I really recommend It, is the greatest music related book i've ever read. (Sorry if my english is not too good)
“The kind of man that you thought I could be” on welcome to the show always hits me so hard I’d also heavily recommend you listen to Dilla’s last beat, really powerful track
If you enjoyed the instrumental part of this album, some other major instrumental hip hop albums that get lots of recognition in the community are Entroducing..... by DJ Shadow and Modal Soul by Nujabes. The context of those albums aren't as impactful as Donuts is (and the context of this album does affect the listening experience a lot), but from an production/sampling perspective they are just as good. Also, watch Tracklib's sample breakdown for Don't Cry.
Been looking forward to this one and I'm really glad you enjoyed. One of my favorite details (among MANY) in this album is in the song "Welcome to the show". The sample he uses that goes "The kind of man that you thought I'd be", is from a song titled "When I Die". The full original line is "When I die, I hope I’ll be, the kind of man that you thought I could be". Really adds another layer to an already deep sample choice for the last song on the album. If it hasn't already been suggested I HIGHLY recommend listening to "Champion Sound", which is collaboration between J-Dilla and Madlib, as I'm sure you'd imagine it has some of the most amazing production of all time, and you get to hear both of them rap which is really cool. Any way's, thanks for reading if you got this far and thanks for the videos
In my honest opinion, it takes time & background to really appreciate this album. At first I really did like this album, but it wasn’t something I went back to or went out of my way to listen to. But after tons and tons of relistens, watching videos of the song’s samples being broken down, and learning about the story & process of the album, it made me really love this project. I practically relisten to it once a week, and it’s right up there next to Madvillainy as my favorite Album Of All Time… RIP DILLA
The way you approached this reaction vid is so humble and respectful, i appreciate the level of care you put into this video and honestly man you earned my sub. Great work keep it up!
This is a banger album. Bob I'd recommend that you sometime do an album review on "Be" by Common. The album is primarily produced by kanye and actually features some of dilla's production.
the way you analize and review music is second to none. I honestly think you never misinterpret any of the stuff that you review. Your breakdown of what Stop! might mean to him and where his mind might've been making this album (maybe true maybe not) it's simply amazing.
"Johnny Do It" ... Please listen to Illa J's (J Dilla's bother) debut record Yancey Boys from 2008. Whilst Illa J is in his infancy as a lyricists and you can tell, it's a super interesting record which uses early 90's Dilla Beats... "Johnny Do It"
A fantastic album and it's not even a collection of 31 beats and samples. You can easily say that Dilla had great intentions to create an underlying concept. I mean, the loop at the end, the snippets of words and special moods... that's a very rare album. It will hold a special place in my heart and it is perfect for night driving after having a long day 👍 Instrumental albums in general are kind of underrated.
You definitely did this one justice! I’m glad that you took the time to recognize how rare of a moment/situation this was - a great testament to the art form.. it’s wild how much of someone’s soul we can feel through sampled beats, isn’t it?!? One of my favorite things about this album (aside from its depth and meaning) is just how re-listenable it is.. it’s like an old friend at this point (one that I’m always down to hang with.. sometimes on repeat, if only for the loop)..
It is wild. And I've loved putting this on repeat and letting the end loop back into the beginning. I think it's one of the most beautiful sections of the album :)
You really have to hear this album from start to finish to appreciate it properly, but I think you're on point with your analysis of everything behind this record.
You have alot of reading and research do on these tracks to fully have your mind brown. Alot of tracks have so many hidden messages and meaning that Dilla left for people to decode. It’s an awesome journey. Great video sir 🤙🏼
J Dilla was monumental in his time. If you wanna hear some other stuff he was involved in/ inspired in some ways please do look up the soulquarian movement. Some of those albums are already on your list I’m sure but I would like to push Voodoo, by D’Angelo as the absolute best of the bunch and a landmark RnB album
I love the fact that the album isnt sombre and dark, which wouldnt feel like Dilla, but instead its a big warm hug of an album for his friends, family and fans. Also I highly recommend the vox video on J Dilla and also the sample for 'welcome to the show' cus its very touching
So glad you were able to get to this one, and although it’s been a long time coming it also feels like you got to it at the right time. Seems like a combination of feeling comfortable in hip hop (including more experimental stuff), digging into the production, even experiencing the freestyles recently to push what your mind is able to absorb with no warning. I still sometimes get emotional on different songs from this album even after dozens (hundreds?) of listens. It’s also special to hear other artists tributes to him, whether in interviews, songs of their own, or songs they’ve done over his beats. ‘Can’t Stop This’ by The Roots is a favorite of mine, you’ll recognize the main beat now that you’ve heard Donuts, and the messages at the end give me goosebumps every time. Dilla live forever. 🍩 🍩
Need some Flying Lotus If you feel like continuing with instrumental. I'd recommend the albums Los Angeles, and Cosmogramma.... In that order 😁 Also, Billy Wood - Hiding Places
All regions get recognized for their great producer’s in Hip Hop but Detroit has some of the most amazing and underrated/unknown producers with Dilla being held at the GOAT spot. This album is a masterpiece and a great offering from Dilla in what had to be a dark time.
Now I need need need you to listen to slum village fantastic Vol 2. This album has Dilla producing and rapping at his prime please do everyone a favor and give it a listen!
Dilla is one of the greatest producers of all time. Apparently Boldy James has a project coming out soon that will feature all unreleased Dilla beats. Looking forward to that one!
He is one of the legendary producers it’s amazing to see what you gleam from the beats and to see what you come up with. The pace of his samples are incredible this is his master piece of an album but I as a former producer I’m glad you can appreciate the artistry of his work. You’re reaction to someone just taking his first step into listening to instrumentals and finding appreciation in the craft is great to watch
I've been waiting for this day to come. The more you listen to it, the sadder it gets but its also so goddamn good every time. One of the albums that got me into making and listening hip-hop music.
I remember the first song i ever listened to by JayDee was Dont Cry and after that i told myself that i need to start sampling. Learned the basics and bought myself an MPC. Im going to make a tribute album for that man because he is such a legend and some people dont understand his insane mind with this stuff
42:02 I get a very specific image in my head when I hear this beat. The main song loop (the instrumental sample and the “broken ‘n’ blue”) is like sitting in your bed after a day of hard work, while the record scratching and other vocal samples that come in in the background (“bring the heat!” and “sixty skills and skins!”) are the sounds of your energetic kid brother absolutely bouncing off the walls in the next room.
12 minutes in, when you made that comment about getting emotional over your own idea of what J Dilla might've been thinking, It resonated with me a lot. I often take a similar perspective when I write and am trying to really imagine a character's emotions or mental state during something serious. It shows that you're really trying to understand the artist's perspective, and it shows that you truly have empathy for someone who was in a horrible situation. You have good character and I respect it, hats off to you.
ive not finishedb watching this but this album is the greatest expression of hip hop that exists, the production is second to none and the only person who could take second place behind dilla is dilla.
(In my interpretation) The first track being the outro symbolizes him dying and the last track being the intro symbolizes him entering heaven. There's some cool videos here on RUclips by a channel named Tracklib that really let you appreciate his craft where they show how the beats were chopped and stuff. I'd also recommend watching one of his last ever performances in Paris where he's carried. Edit: loved the reaction.
PLEASE!!! Watch the Vox breakdown of J Dilla's "Don't Cry". It shows just how skilled he was to craft this album with the equipment he had. This whole video outlines his technique: ruclips.net/video/SENzTt3ftiU/видео.html
What Dilla did on don't cry is he cupped the drums and snares in the same and arranged the drum pattern according to him no matter what came between he is such a genius
The second track on the album “waves” was made to encourage his brother, John “Illa J” Yancey, to pursue a career in music which is why he chose the sample to say “Johnny do it” when the original says Johnny don’t do it. It was also used for a bump/adult swim commercia
cant get enough of this man's content. this album saved my life many times to be dramatic. but his reaction to the last track with the "dilla dilla dilla" cut and he laughs, so satisfying to see someone else recognize greatness. RIP James "J Dilla ""Jay Dee"" Yancey, my namesake and initials. 1 love from manhattan NYC
really happy u decided to react to this, my favorite album ever, after a while these songs get stuck in your head and they’ve really become like background music to my life it’s crazy, always have a song or a beat from this album playing in the back of my head, just a transcendent album love it
I really liked your reaction to “The Twister.” I always understood Donuts in the literal sense that I imagine Dilla wanted us to understand. Each track itself is a “donut” or a bite of a “donut” in that each bite (song) leaves you craving more. Like you said, The Twister is a point that leaves the listener almost uncomfortable with chaos; your skin starts to crawl with unease but at the same time the beat gets more and more intense. The resolution? The beautifully soulful opening of “One Eleven.” I sort of think of that as maybe a sour bite soothed another refreshing bite. Or a stressful situation resolved with the love and care from a loved one.
i would puke with happiness if you ever did a Flying Lotus album (You'd probably love Cosmagramma the most first since it has a lot of Thundercat in it) but he's cray inspired by Dilla and all of his stuff is great (Especially his EP Duality where he's his alter ego Captain Murphy)!!!
I always remember the day I bought this CD. It was literally raining the entire day and I just drove around playing it and not knowing how to process what I was listening to. It's one of those albums that gives me the exact same feeling every time I play it.
- HOOOOOW did I miss you doing this one? - I can listen to this whole album without skipping... classic -My favorite is "Lightworks" and "Welcome To The Show" - "One For Ghost"..... Ghostface later on used the track for one of his songs - The crackle you hear on "Bye"... It may be just the record he is sampling itself. - One of the cool things on this album it, is if you have it on repeat the outro and intro go RIGHT into each other making the album a never ending cycle
The Day has come. Been waiting for this one for almost a year😅 Glad it finally happened 🤘. PS: if you have the time, check out the final two tracks' samples that he used, their names. Shit wrecks me everytime
I like how you took the time to seamlessly loop the samples when you cut to later parts in the song. Helps people who haven’t heard the album get a good experience on their first listen watching your reaction to it.
I’m glad u reacted to this. U have really touched a lot of different lanes in hip hop already. I know on a different reaction u asked bout difference between hip hop and rap. Obviously there is the description of hip hop being the full culture and rap is one aspect, but if we are limiting it down to just music, this is the perfect example of a classic hip hop album with no rapping. On the flipside, I would argue that you can rap to anything with a beat and call it “rap music”, it doesn’t have to be to “hip hop” production. So altho they usually overlap, they just don’t mean the same thing.
If you haven't seen it already i definitely recommend the tracklib sample breakdown of don't cry, and the vox j dilla video also the two other albums often mentioned with this are entroducing and modal soul, which are both awesome as well
Sample Breakdown of Don't Cry ruclips.net/video/6By2YvpjjWw/видео.html Sample Breakdown of Workinonit ruclips.net/video/Pv_mHP0Ogxg/видео.html MF DOOM and Guilty Simpson both rapping over Mash ruclips.net/video/vbg18-tzYps/видео.html MF DOOM rapping over LIGHTWORKS (Spoilers for DOOM - BORN LIKE THIS) ruclips.net/video/EbvAvyM71mM/видео.html Raekwon rapping over DOOM's flip of the Geek Down sample (more BORN LIKE THIS spoilers) ruclips.net/video/WOexj0ZJ7q4/видео.html Ghostface Killah raps over Geek Down ruclips.net/video/fGi3tqA_vtU/видео.html Ghostface Killah raps over Hi ruclips.net/video/853wnyH1uKw/видео.html Ghostface Killah raps over One For Ghost ruclips.net/video/U23NbfDMBaI/видео.html
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Fun fact J Dilla was such an influential producer that his drum machine is actually in the Smithsonian museum. R.I.P. to a legend
Badass and well deserved
its in the museumof African American history
Saw it twice now and it’s still one of the most moving things I’ve ever seen because we all started listening to J Dilla on RUclips or DSP and that began our love for his music. I try to listen to everything under the sun that he made and to see the equipment he used to make it preserved in its own section in the same room/building meant for history makes me shed a tear. Also his synth is in the Smithsonian too.
@@TheWutangclan1995man I’m kinda upset for you that you missed out on RUclips back in 2012-2015 where there was a bunch of unreleased/unknown J Dilla beats being uploaded. Now most of them vids are gone and slowly being released.
3:25 - Donuts (Outro) & Workinonit
6:20 - Waves
7:30 - Light It
7:45 - The New
9:30 - Stop
12:39 - People
13:32 - The Diff’rence
15:53 - Mash
17:52 - TIME: THE DONUT OF THE HEART
18:40 - Glazed
20:38 - Airworks
23:29 - Lightworks
25:22 - Stepson of The Clapper
25:52 - The Twister (Huh, What?)
28:20 - One Eleven
29:04 - Two Can Win
31:45 - DON’T CRY
33:54 - Anti-American Graffiti
35:41 - Geek Down
36:29 - Thunder
37:28 - Gobstopper
39:05 - One For Ghost
41:25 - Dilla Says Go
42:02 - Walkinonit
43:39 - The Factory
46:45 - ULOVE
48:00 - Hi.
49:20 - Bye.
52:08 - Last Donut of The Night
53:09 - Welcome to The Show
here’s your thumbs up as Bob asked
thx 🙏
You should check out Nujabes. Another legendary producer who changed the game, died too early and was influenced by Dilla, he was like his hero. And coincidentally they were born on the same day, not just the same day like on different years, but the exact same day on the exact same year. His album Modal Soul is a classic, he basically pioneered the “lo-fi chill hop” type beats that you see plague RUclips now in “lo-fi beats to study to compilations” but his stuff was layered and thought out.
How J dilla makes a song called “Don’t Cry” that makes me cry
never looked up the lyrics to it but it's such a great sample to fasten onto his ability to take a sample and turn it into something else. saying "you sing it and i'll show you how my voice has made it unbelievable" is incredible given that jdilla then takes his voice after the sample "sings it" and makes it into something unique and wonderful
I believe this was dedicated to his mother 😮😢
I'm James' sister Martha, I just want you to know that you did a wonderful job with this! I've seen a lot of negative so THIS one is so positive, honest. And just listening (I rarely do it) but this is inspiring. This experience is everything I think he could have ever hoped for. Take care! ❤️
Salute to you, Dilla & the Yancey family forever
Bless you and your family 🙏🏼 Rest in peace James
The greatest there was and will always be
Never in my life would I have expected that someday in the comments section I would meet the person Illa jay sings about on the brother beat.... Illa J - Air Signs, blessings to you and your whole family. My cousin once showed me a Jay dilla and that's how my music game started. Thank you. what a life
I’ve seen Illa J live, he was fantastic, love his albums ❤
The track Hi has an interesting story. During an interview, Dilla’s mother recalled a night where J Dilla was in a delirious state and he told her he saw Ol Dirty Bastard from the wu-tang clan. ODB would tell him something along the lines of “When you see the red bus, don’t take it, take the white bus instead.” So it’s theorized that Hi is based off of this experience because the lines “Standing at the bus stop and I hear a voice behind me” “I hadn’t heard that voice in such a long time”
Such a trippy story
Man that’s strange, do you know what I could search to find that interview? ODB and Dilla are 2 of my favourite artists.
@@lyamchamberlain7941 My reply somehow got deleted, but the video is called "Erykah Badu on J Dilla and Telephone"
This was very challenging to edit. I try to cut about 40-50% of the music to prevent from getting blocked. But I did my best to make Dilla proud. Also, I did not put timestamps from track to track since the whole album is an experience from beginning to end. I assume someone will put stamps in the comment somewhere. Give those wonderful people a thumbs up for me 👍
MF DOOM rapped over a few beats from Donuts. According to a couple of Stones Throw hazy recollections, right after Dilla died Doom showed up and said that Dilla had appeared to him in a dream saying, “We gotta collab”.
@@IAMGIFTEDASF Ohh fuck, is this true?
I know DOOM has rapped over Lightworks and Mash and maybe even more so Iguess so
@@Onlyinthe619 also Anti-american graffiti and Geek Down
48:40 Here's something you probably didn't know about 'Hi.'
The dialogue sampled in the beat is intended to reflect a story Dilla's mother told him. Apparently, Dilla was out of it, in a dazed state, and seemed to be talking to hallucinatory figures. When his mother asked him who it was, Dilla said it was Wu Tang Clan's Ol' Dirty Bastard, who had died a couple of years before. ODB advised him not to take the "red bus", which would send him to Hell. Instead, ODB said to wait until the "white bus" came.
Hearing “Time: The Donut of the Heart” for the first time was one of the best experiences I’ve ever had with music. I was in awe of the nostalgic, sad, uplifting, and inspiring feelings that 1 minute and 37 seconds gave me.
One of my favorite songs ever
Yessir. That song embodies what happiness feels like for me.
two can win is actually about dilla himself, he had two wives and two different families. He made time to go visit both a lot, and they met at his funeral. The book talks about that aspect of his life a lot
I suggest watching the sample breakdowns to show just how complex some of these beats are. Especially don’t cry!
I second this!
Yeah should watch these
ruclips.net/video/6By2YvpjjWw/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/Pv_mHP0Ogxg/видео.html
dont cry sample breakdown vid is crazyyyy
yes please do it
yes
One of the beautiful aspects of Dilla’s production, is that he didn’t quantize it. So it feels much more real and alive. It has imperfections in timing, just slight, basically imperceptible, but there nonetheless. Makes it more like a band playing.
Those timing imperfections are very important imo, makes it all sound human
bob, i just want you to know that you should never feel bad for getting emotional over your perceived meaning. I think thats totally ok, considering this album is such a trip of a emotions, i think it's totally valid to feel however you feel about him, because the context does add a lot of emotional weight to why he choose the samples he did and what message he wanted to get across through each one.
I think it's really cool how Dilla was able to interpret the art he was listening to while in the hospital, and flip them in a way so that the listeners of Donuts could feel his interpretations of those things (by flipping them), which reflected his final days and his feelings about his last moments on earth. It was his craft he had mastered, and it's very powerful that he was able to create a final musical message out of it to leave the world with.
So I think it's perfectly valid to get emotional about this album, because it really is all of his final emotions poured into it, in the way he knew how to express them... which was through his music. < 3
also never feel bad for interpreting!!! thats LITERALLY the whole entire point of art!!!!
I appreciate it. I don't mind getting emotional over music. I guess I just want people to know that the ideas floating around in my head are just that - ideas - and I don't want viewers confusing my own experience to what may or may not be intentional within an album.
If someone's interpretation comes form appreciation and being genuine, there is no bad interpretation. Real artists, even if they are strict in their structure and morals, do love interpretations, because they themselves were inspired by other artists and, in turn, interpreted them themselves. It's a wholesome feedback loop of the love of self expression and love.
This album has always had a deep spiritual effect on me. This album feels like reminiscing on all aspects of life the noise, confusion, beauty, love, modesty, gratefulness. Dilla says so much in this album without saying a word. He communicates through a wall of homage of his musical dna. Like a farewell letter from a man who is part machine. Leaving this world with a message of love, togethernes, acceptance and blessing. Thank you Bob for taking your time to listen to this
Life is a donut. It just keeps going. U start where u end. U end where u start.
Beautifully worded, for real.
Great comment ❤
No hate, but the idea that Dilla got that signature feel by simply not quantizing is largely a myth. There's a book that goes in depth on his techniques called Dilla Time
@@indoorpark6577 I didn’t say anything about quantizing🤣 I’m interested in reading that book though🙏
After this I'd kill to see your reaction to a Nujabes album. Kindred spirits him and Dilla. Same birthday! Both brilliant producers whose careers were cut tragically short.
i agree but i have a feeling it’s gonna be a very long time until he gets to nujabes
Modal soul baby 🕊️
@@gushlak3983 like why?
@@alqxik cus besides Nujabes he’s already gotten a lot of requests which he will get to yes cus he’s awesome but that just means it puts Nujabes at a low point in the list
Was just about to comment listen to Nujabes lol Nujabes and Dilla made incredibly authentic music and any musician of any genre could learn from them.
Also I forgot to mention in my other comment that donuts isn’t just a silly title. It refers to both the shape of the vinyl record he splices up, and symbolises the concept of a “cycle”. The cycle probably refers not only to the “loops” he uses in his production, but also the albums itself is a “donut” or a infinite loop as it begins with an “outro” and ends with “welcome to the show.” To me this is a positive message about how his end is just a biggining and how his influence and impact live on every time some one spins his record. Sorry I’m rambling
Also how in life were just doing donuts doing what we enjoy. He was doing donuts constantly going through records finding samples and making beats. Rinse and repeat. Same ish everyday cus we love it.
My number 1 artist of all time , his producing was way ahead of his time , when you realize what technology was back then and he made all these masterpieces, it’s insane , R.I.P to the legend , my inspiration to making beats myself
First time I heard Gobstopper, I legit felt I could take on anything. One of the best minutes in music.
Facts
Gives me huge Thunder, Lightning, Strike vibes
Got heavy into this album around the same time someone from my past was killed and the music and the samples just made that easier. It’s like he may have wanted it to be not only healing for his own death but universally.
I had a similar experience, lost a good friend to an overdose. I truly believe that without this album I would likely be gone myself. Dilla is really something special.
"When I die, I hope to be - a better man than you thought I'd be".
I put off this album in my teens. I mean, I was listening to Nujabes, and I had heard some of Dilla's work before and thought it was cool like the other [adult swim] bumps in that playlist at the time, but I didn't really give the album the full loop around listen that it deserved. And I knew a bit of the story (TTP, lupus), but I didn't think much of it at the time.
I'm 25 now, I've gone through some stuff, career hasn't taken off the way it should have, college didn't necessarily work out the way I wanted it to, family drama, adult drama, just heavy stuff, whatever you want to call it. And my life is good - I'm healthy, roof over my head, I have a decent enough job, and I have the means to really do whatever I want within reason - but there was a point where I was causing myself more grief from the blame and defeat I was placing on myself, thinking about where I should be in life, or where I wanted to be, and how I felt so defeated in between (and I still feel that a bit, but I'm shaking it off with therapy and otherwise good habits).
I put on the album straight through maybe 4 months ago, headphones, beer in my hand, and I was floored by how astonishing it was. Granted, my taste in music is a lot wider now than it used to be, but there's so much talent on display here - it really is that difficult to do the sampling on an MPC at the level Dilla was. And anyone who's come close, now and in the future, will tell you this man was it by far. It was work then, and it's work now, even with the technology we have today.
And then Welcome to The Show comes on.
I don't think I'll ever hear that track and not cry. The pit that he was in, just stuck in a hospital bed making music to the last minute, and the whole time he knows his death is coming soon - it's tough. Knowing that a parent is going to see their son wither with a slow and painful death while they surpass them, it's traumatizing. It has to be. This whole album is just him trying to figure it all out from a philosophical standpoint, between his physical and emotional pain, and from his work ethic of making and remaking tracks constantly to what we have now. And through it all, he blossoms. I think that's what gets me every time - I know it's coming the way he knew his time was.
Knowing those Motherlode lyrics and how he chose it to ask whether he was a good person through all of his suffering is [*******] difficult to comprehend. But thank goodness Dilla was funny, because I get to cry happy tears once that intro goes out, the outro comes in, and I can listen to it all over again. It's a celebration of life, and more than that, it's hope.
There are a lot of romanticized stories regarding the creation of this album. Supposedly very little of this was actually worked on from his hospital bed. He did do a little of it there though as well as some of the beats for his album The Shining from what I've heard. Not to downplay the power of this project by any means, because obviously he knew his condition at the time of making this, and I can't imagine how heavy that weighed on him, and I hear his vulnerability on full display here along with a range of pretty much every human emotion possible. There is a book called Dilla Time that was recently released, and it dispels a lot of myths surrounding him. It's a great read if you're curious to know more about what made Dilla tick. It's very honest, gives background on his musical upbringing, gets into detail about family and friends, exposes some of his flaws, and once I finished it, I felt even more of a connection to the man's music. He's often viewed as some enigmatic superhuman genius madman producer, but learning about his human side made him way more interesting for me. This guy is my favorite Hip Hop beat maker ever, and his influence can be heard in so many genres of music these days. Huge loss.
The greatest instrumental hip hop album ever! Long live Dilla
Commenting since I saw no one mention it, I love the siren sample throughout the album. For so long I didn’t even process it as such, but it’s so iconic to the album and one of the reasons that this album’s always a delight to revisit. One of my favourite albums, such an incredible sound.
Like Officer Kenny said "You can put a siren anywhere in the beat and the beat automatically sound fire"
DJ's do it in dancehall and reggae music all the time...that's where that vibe comes from
@@KardiFan2000 yeah i know what you mean, i ment more in the themes of the album, it being an ambulance siren. Sorry I kinda made it seem using the siren themselves were incredible; still J Dilla is still an incredible producer though.
That siren was sorta his “producer tag”
It's everywhere! I didn't really notice it so much until I watched the sample breakdown video
Best instrumental album in my opinion, every song packs a punch
True, but listen to some 'Beat Konducta' from Madly. That is close too me.
@@vito4889 yeah madlib the absolute goat, especially with a DOOM verse in there
@@nicotinecruz :)
Different, but what do you think about Apollo Brown?
Dilla actually made most of the Album before he was really sick. I discovered this by watching interviews with those closest to him. They actually had played the tape in their cars and shit but they didn’t really know what to do with it. Then, Dilla refined it, completed it in the hospital.
Great video. Not many people have made the analysis as deeply as you made. You make excellent points. In particular, the structure of the album and how in the sparse lyrics which were chosen for Donuts, just how poignant the messages are. How can you not be trying to say something with your last moments.
R.I.P James Dewitt Yancey.
I rarely cry to music but “Don’t Cry”, well, I definitely did not follow that instruction.
If you're interested, several of these tracks have been rapped over by prominent artists. For a handful: Ghostface rapped over One for Ghost (Whip You With a Strap) and Hi (Beauty Jackson), Nas over Gobstopper (The Season), The Roots over Time: The Donut of the Heart (Can't Stop This), Common over an extended version of Bye (So Far to Go), Q-Tip and Talib Kweli over Lightworks (Lightworking), MF DOOM over Lightworks (Lightworks), Anti-American Graffiti (Sniper Elite) and Mash (Mash's Revenge), and Lupe Fiasco over The Diff'rence (Of).
Thank you for this!
Ghost also rapped over Geek Down (Murda Goons)
you're a gem for this
drake also rapped over time: the donut of the heart too!
This album is incredibly sad when you listen to the samples and the meanings of them, dont be fooled by the upbeat sound of things. When it finny clicked for me i cried honestly. such a classic
Such a dark album
CANUFEELME -stinker
Don’t cry was actually dedicated to his mother i believe. Such a beautiful song and never fails to make me cry.
Just one thing, actually j dilla didnt make this album at the hospital , thats a myth (he made it while he was sick, but not at the hospital). There's a great book that talks about his Life and how j dilla changed hip hop and music in general that came out recently. It's called DILLA TIME. I really recommend It, is the greatest music related book i've ever read.
(Sorry if my english is not too good)
“The kind of man that you thought I could be” on welcome to the show always hits me so hard
I’d also heavily recommend you listen to Dilla’s last beat, really powerful track
The “is death real” in stop always gets me man…. Rip Dilla‼️
If you enjoyed the instrumental part of this album, some other major instrumental hip hop albums that get lots of recognition in the community are Entroducing..... by DJ Shadow and Modal Soul by Nujabes. The context of those albums aren't as impactful as Donuts is (and the context of this album does affect the listening experience a lot), but from an production/sampling perspective they are just as good.
Also, watch Tracklib's sample breakdown for Don't Cry.
If I remember correctly, Shadow made it while he was depressed and it really comes through at certain points like mutual slump
YESSS
I think he said he listened to Endtroducing off-camera already on a stream. Would definitely like to see him react to Modal Soul though
I've been listening to Endtroducing for a little while now. Great album
Definitely Nujabes! Fun fact; he was born on the exact same date as Dilla
Been looking forward to this one and I'm really glad you enjoyed. One of my favorite details (among MANY) in this album is in the song "Welcome to the show". The sample he uses that goes "The kind of man that you thought I'd be", is from a song titled "When I Die". The full original line is "When I die, I hope I’ll be, the kind of man that you thought I could be". Really adds another layer to an already deep sample choice for the last song on the album. If it hasn't already been suggested I HIGHLY recommend listening to "Champion Sound", which is collaboration between J-Dilla and Madlib, as I'm sure you'd imagine it has some of the most amazing production of all time, and you get to hear both of them rap which is really cool. Any way's, thanks for reading if you got this far and thanks for the videos
Great sample usage :)
In my honest opinion, it takes time & background to really appreciate this album. At first I really did like this album, but it wasn’t something I went back to or went out of my way to listen to. But after tons and tons of relistens, watching videos of the song’s samples being broken down, and learning about the story & process of the album, it made me really love this project. I practically relisten to it once a week, and it’s right up there next to Madvillainy as my favorite Album Of All Time… RIP DILLA
It really is amazing. There are a lot of layers, but intentional and left open for the listener to explore.
His use of panning, spacing and risers is fucking top notch on this album.
The way you approached this reaction vid is so humble and respectful, i appreciate the level of care you put into this video and honestly man you earned my sub. Great work keep it up!
This is a banger album. Bob I'd recommend that you sometime do an album review on "Be" by Common. The album is primarily produced by kanye and actually features some of dilla's production.
The crackle isn’t something he’s putting in, it’s just an attribute of sampling records
the way you analize and review music is second to none. I honestly think you never misinterpret any of the stuff that you review. Your breakdown of what Stop! might mean to him and where his mind might've been making this album (maybe true maybe not) it's simply amazing.
I appreciate it :)
Stop is one of my favorite songs of all time. This entire album is such a great listen
I aint gon lie this album used to creep me out a bit . It was just so raw
"Johnny Do It" ... Please listen to Illa J's (J Dilla's bother) debut record Yancey Boys from 2008. Whilst Illa J is in his infancy as a lyricists and you can tell, it's a super interesting record which uses early 90's Dilla Beats... "Johnny Do It"
A fantastic album and it's not even a collection of 31 beats and samples. You can easily say that Dilla had great intentions to create an underlying concept. I mean, the loop at the end, the snippets of words and special moods... that's a very rare album. It will hold a special place in my heart and it is perfect for night driving after having a long day 👍
Instrumental albums in general are kind of underrated.
You definitely did this one justice! I’m glad that you took the time to recognize how rare of a moment/situation this was - a great testament to the art form.. it’s wild how much of someone’s soul we can feel through sampled beats, isn’t it?!? One of my favorite things about this album (aside from its depth and meaning) is just how re-listenable it is.. it’s like an old friend at this point (one that I’m always down to hang with.. sometimes on repeat, if only for the loop)..
It is wild. And I've loved putting this on repeat and letting the end loop back into the beginning. I think it's one of the most beautiful sections of the album :)
Agreed!
another amazing instrumental album to listen to would be Since I Left You- The Avalanches
a legendary album made only using samples just like Donuts
Just wanted to say thank you cause I've been waiting for this to come out
You really have to hear this album from start to finish to appreciate it properly, but I think you're on point with your analysis of everything behind this record.
You have alot of reading and research do on these tracks to fully have your mind brown. Alot of tracks have so many hidden messages and meaning that Dilla left for people to decode. It’s an awesome journey. Great video sir 🤙🏼
incredible album!
I’ve been meaning to listen to this album but now the cool uncle of RUclips has listened to it and that’s all the motivation I need tbh
this and endtroducing are probably the best hiphop instrumental albums ever
J Dilla was monumental in his time. If you wanna hear some other stuff he was involved in/ inspired in some ways please do look up the soulquarian movement. Some of those albums are already on your list I’m sure but I would like to push Voodoo, by D’Angelo as the absolute best of the bunch and a landmark RnB album
That and slum village would be 🔥
I love the fact that the album isnt sombre and dark, which wouldnt feel like Dilla, but instead its a big warm hug of an album for his friends, family and fans. Also I highly recommend the vox video on J Dilla and also the sample for 'welcome to the show' cus its very touching
So glad you were able to get to this one, and although it’s been a long time coming it also feels like you got to it at the right time. Seems like a combination of feeling comfortable in hip hop (including more experimental stuff), digging into the production, even experiencing the freestyles recently to push what your mind is able to absorb with no warning. I still sometimes get emotional on different songs from this album even after dozens (hundreds?) of listens. It’s also special to hear other artists tributes to him, whether in interviews, songs of their own, or songs they’ve done over his beats. ‘Can’t Stop This’ by The Roots is a favorite of mine, you’ll recognize the main beat now that you’ve heard Donuts, and the messages at the end give me goosebumps every time. Dilla live forever. 🍩 🍩
Thanks, Tim :)
It's nice to finally sit down with this one after hearing so much about it. I'm happy to say it lived up to the hype 👍
Need some Flying Lotus If you feel like continuing with instrumental. I'd recommend the albums Los Angeles, and Cosmogramma.... In that order 😁
Also, Billy Wood - Hiding Places
All regions get recognized for their great producer’s in Hip Hop but Detroit has some of the most amazing and underrated/unknown producers with Dilla being held at the GOAT spot. This album is a masterpiece and a great offering from Dilla in what had to be a dark time.
Now I need need need you to listen to slum village fantastic Vol 2. This album has Dilla producing and rapping at his prime please do everyone a favor and give it a listen!
You are such a thoughtful soul, and personally I would like to welcome you to the show. I'm sure Dee would really appreciate your comments.
Dilla is one of the greatest producers of all time. Apparently Boldy James has a project coming out soon that will feature all unreleased Dilla beats. Looking forward to that one!
Woah what.??
@@chune4383 he annouced it about half a year ago, got the last stash of dilla beats from his Detroit connections
@@n0tm1k3 I'm amazed thank you
Any word on a release date?
Bye is one of my favourite songs ever. A work of art.
He is one of the legendary producers it’s amazing to see what you gleam from the beats and to see what you come up with. The pace of his samples are incredible this is his master piece of an album but I as a former producer I’m glad you can appreciate the artistry of his work. You’re reaction to someone just taking his first step into listening to instrumentals and finding appreciation in the craft is great to watch
I've been waiting for this day to come. The more you listen to it, the sadder it gets but its also so goddamn good every time. One of the albums that got me into making and listening hip-hop music.
I remember the first song i ever listened to by JayDee was Dont Cry and after that i told myself that i need to start sampling. Learned the basics and bought myself an MPC. Im going to make a tribute album for that man because he is such a legend and some people dont understand his insane mind with this stuff
42:02 I get a very specific image in my head when I hear this beat. The main song loop (the instrumental sample and the “broken ‘n’ blue”) is like sitting in your bed after a day of hard work, while the record scratching and other vocal samples that come in in the background (“bring the heat!” and “sixty skills and skins!”) are the sounds of your energetic kid brother absolutely bouncing off the walls in the next room.
12 minutes in, when you made that comment about getting emotional over your own idea of what J Dilla might've been thinking, It resonated with me a lot. I often take a similar perspective when I write and am trying to really imagine a character's emotions or mental state during something serious. It shows that you're really trying to understand the artist's perspective, and it shows that you truly have empathy for someone who was in a horrible situation. You have good character and I respect it, hats off to you.
ive not finishedb watching this but this album is the greatest expression of hip hop that exists, the production is second to none and the only person who could take second place behind dilla is dilla.
this is someone at the peak of their craft and its not been topped since even with more capable hardware/software
One of the best albums of all time
This is one of if not the only album that could beat Madvillainy for Bob’s favorite album he’s heard
Absolutely fantastic to see Bob react to such a great piece of music
Good album. The Onra and Quetzal album plus Petestrumentals Vol 1 are still my favourite instrumental hip hop albums of all time.
questlove (drummer for tonight show and the roots) is creating a j dilla documentary
I love this reaction. Honest and fresh
(In my interpretation) The first track being the outro symbolizes him dying and the last track being the intro symbolizes him entering heaven. There's some cool videos here on RUclips by a channel named Tracklib that really let you appreciate his craft where they show how the beats were chopped and stuff.
I'd also recommend watching one of his last ever performances in Paris where he's carried.
Edit: loved the reaction.
Haven't seen anyone react to an instrumental album, so I'm interested in seeing how this goes about!
PLEASE!!! Watch the Vox breakdown of J Dilla's "Don't Cry". It shows just how skilled he was to craft this album with the equipment he had.
This whole video outlines his technique:
ruclips.net/video/SENzTt3ftiU/видео.html
Have you heard cannibal ox? It's awesome lyrical perfectly balanced hip hop.
What Dilla did on don't cry is he cupped the drums and snares in the same and arranged the drum pattern according to him no matter what came between he is such a genius
The second track on the album “waves” was made to encourage his brother, John “Illa J” Yancey, to pursue a career in music which is why he chose the sample to say “Johnny do it” when the original says Johnny don’t do it. It was also used for a bump/adult swim commercia
my frist time ever seeing some react to this great album, jdilla deserves so much more respect and recognition.
cant get enough of this man's content. this album saved my life many times to be dramatic. but his reaction to the last track with the "dilla dilla dilla" cut and he laughs, so satisfying to see someone else recognize greatness. RIP James "J Dilla ""Jay Dee"" Yancey, my namesake and initials. 1 love from manhattan NYC
really happy u decided to react to this, my favorite album ever, after a while these songs get stuck in your head and they’ve really become like background music to my life it’s crazy, always have a song or a beat from this album playing in the back of my head, just a transcendent album love it
I can't imagine Lightworks without thinking about DOOMs amazing rhymes over that beat. RIP to both the legends
had this album on repeat since i found it a couple months ago! nice to see him listening to it now fr fr.
I really liked your reaction to “The Twister.” I always understood Donuts in the literal sense that I imagine Dilla wanted us to understand. Each track itself is a “donut” or a bite of a “donut” in that each bite (song) leaves you craving more. Like you said, The Twister is a point that leaves the listener almost uncomfortable with chaos; your skin starts to crawl with unease but at the same time the beat gets more and more intense. The resolution? The beautifully soulful opening of “One Eleven.” I sort of think of that as maybe a sour bite soothed another refreshing bite. Or a stressful situation resolved with the love and care from a loved one.
Thank you for doing this Album, Bob. A masterpiece.
Now go back and make a Playlist that goes from the last track back to the first track. Start with intro, and work your way to outro. You're welcome.
i would puke with happiness if you ever did a Flying Lotus album (You'd probably love Cosmagramma the most first since it has a lot of Thundercat in it) but he's cray inspired by Dilla and all of his stuff is great (Especially his EP Duality where he's his alter ego Captain Murphy)!!!
I always remember the day I bought this CD. It was literally raining the entire day and I just drove around playing it and not knowing how to process what I was listening to. It's one of those albums that gives me the exact same feeling every time I play it.
I've never smiled so hard upon seeing a video on my homepage. Thanks Bob - one of my fav albums ever
Bob, you should check out the stuff Dilla and MF DOOM did together! RIP two legends
- HOOOOOW did I miss you doing this one?
- I can listen to this whole album without skipping... classic
-My favorite is "Lightworks" and "Welcome To The Show"
- "One For Ghost"..... Ghostface later on used the track for one of his songs
- The crackle you hear on "Bye"... It may be just the record he is sampling itself.
- One of the cool things on this album it, is if you have it on repeat the outro and intro go RIGHT into each other making the album a never ending cycle
This album is in my top 10 rap albums ever. Maybe top 5. And i am a rock/metalhead
I love u listened to and got yo own analysis out of the tracks. I been listening to this album since i was like 6.
First time I heard this album my neck started hurting from bobbing my head so much. Its insane.
Thank you for listening to this finally, my favourite album oat
The Day has come. Been waiting for this one for almost a year😅 Glad it finally happened 🤘. PS: if you have the time, check out the final two tracks' samples that he used, their names. Shit wrecks me everytime
I like how you took the time to seamlessly loop the samples when you cut to later parts in the song. Helps people who haven’t heard the album get a good experience on their first listen watching your reaction to it.
I’m glad u reacted to this. U have really touched a lot of different lanes in hip hop already. I know on a different reaction u asked bout difference between hip hop and rap. Obviously there is the description of hip hop being the full culture and rap is one aspect, but if we are limiting it down to just music, this is the perfect example of a classic hip hop album with no rapping. On the flipside, I would argue that you can rap to anything with a beat and call it “rap music”, it doesn’t have to be to “hip hop” production. So altho they usually overlap, they just don’t mean the same thing.
woah never expected you to react to this but no complaints, one of my favorite instrumental projects of all time.
If you haven't seen it already i definitely recommend the tracklib sample breakdown of don't cry, and the vox j dilla video
also the two other albums often mentioned with this are entroducing and modal soul, which are both awesome as well
Also Stones Throw did fan contests for some of their music videos, and the one for Last Donut of the Night is really good
J Dilla just loved music man
Sample Breakdown of Don't Cry
ruclips.net/video/6By2YvpjjWw/видео.html
Sample Breakdown of Workinonit
ruclips.net/video/Pv_mHP0Ogxg/видео.html
MF DOOM and Guilty Simpson both rapping over Mash
ruclips.net/video/vbg18-tzYps/видео.html
MF DOOM rapping over LIGHTWORKS (Spoilers for DOOM - BORN LIKE THIS)
ruclips.net/video/EbvAvyM71mM/видео.html
Raekwon rapping over DOOM's flip of the Geek Down sample (more BORN LIKE THIS spoilers)
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Ghostface Killah raps over Geek Down
ruclips.net/video/fGi3tqA_vtU/видео.html
Ghostface Killah raps over Hi
ruclips.net/video/853wnyH1uKw/видео.html
Ghostface Killah raps over One For Ghost
ruclips.net/video/U23NbfDMBaI/видео.html