J Dilla ‎– Donuts (Staff Pick!)

Title: J Dilla – DonutsYear/Genre: 2006, Hip-HopCondition: New Cultural Facts: Released on J Dilla’s 32nd birthday, just three days before his death, on indie label Stones Throw. Much of it was assembled while he was in a Los Angeles hospital, working from a small sampler and stacks of records brought by friends. Its short, loop-based instrumentals became a blueprint for 2000s beat culture, influencing everyone from underground MPC heads to big-name producers.