The Latest: Donuts by J. Dilla

I don't even know where to begin with Donuts. What is it anyway? Is it a proper album or a bunch of amazing demos? Is it a batch of hip-hop backing tracks awaiting vocals? Or is it the feverish dream of a gifted beatmaster that can build jams out of almost anything else? (Can you guess what camp I'm in?)

For me, hip-hop has always been at its peak when the beats match the creativity of the rhymes. Tell me you don't love the insane soundclashes of It Would Take A Nation Of Millions or the giddy playfulness of 3 Feet High And Rising. You can't... and now I'm telling you that J Dilla is in the same league as The Bomb Squad and Prince Paul for bringing the noise.

Case in point: Workonit. This song is built out of 10cc samples. Samples of a terrible 10cc song - The Worst Band In The World, no less (and as you probably know, I love the 10cc). The end result is a Jam with a capital J.

You can play Donuts as a complete work or enjoy the little snippets individually. I'm not sure if I can explain it, but it makes me think of listening to dusty soul on the front stoop on a hot night, where the music is more than a soundtrack. It weaves in and out of your consciousness, with familiar refrains triggering memories and thoughts. The mix is woozy and wonderful, with looped beats and warped grooves from classic old school stuff. Time: The Donut of the Heart and Glazed are both brief heartbreaker instrumentals constructed from little bitty bites of Jackson 5 and Lou Rawls songs. (And it's killing me that I can't find audio to share with you, they are soooo good!)

Sadly, Dilla was gone before I even found out about the guy, but there's a ton of stuff out there. I've been warned a lot of it isn't anywhere near the quality of Donuts but I'm going to enjoy the trip.