Donuts: Delicious Leftovers.

J Dilla was one of the most prodigious producers who ever lived. Throughout his career he produced beats for Common, A Tribe Called Quest, Slum Village, De La Soul and a plethora of other work. His career, however, was cut short as he was diagnosed with Lupus. An auto-immune disease, Lupus caused his body to produce anti-bodies to natural forming cells; in short, his body was killing itself. However, before his death, he produced his final work, "Donuts" from a hospital bed, releasing the album on his 32nd birthday. He died three days later.

This remnant of a great musical mind continues to give to the world however. His final work, while obviously critically acclaimed, marks something much more than just another great album by a talented producer.

What Dilla has done is leave an emotionally charged, energetic and stylish musical milestone that will have a profound impact on the listener who lets him in.

To understand how to listen to Donuts, one must trust the producer. What I mean when I say this is that, usually, when I listen to music, I already have a clear idea on what I like and don't like. Usually, before I have even heard the music, there is a pre-disposition to what the listener will and will not enjoy. In order to really appreciate Donuts however, one must approach the album with an open mind, forgive perceived mistakes, and simply listen to the entire thing.

There are only a handful of albums I own where I would recommend against skipping over boring or unpleasant tracks, but Dilla has created such a work. His album is hip-hop through and through: it ranges from funky dance beats, to slow rhythm and blues samples. The entire album is instrumental, and most tracks only last a minute and a half, so if you don't like a song, rest assured that it will probably be over quickly, and beyond that, Dilla probably designed the album so that you wouldn't like it.

The album moves in such a way that mimics symphonic compositions of centuries past, in that he will create beautiful, delicious beats that will leave you wanting more, and follow these songs with dissonance, sounds that aren't necessarily appealing or natural. However, Dilla utilizes dissonance in such a way that you can truly appreciate all of the harmony and synergy of his high points, and the emotional messages and danceability that come from this album at it's high points easily make it worth sitting through the dissonance. I can't emphasize enough that this album must be experienced in it's entirety if you want to be able to fully appreciate the artistic merit of this music. And if you can simply get through 90-120 second intervals of dissonance and confusing, often unstable beats, you will consistently be rewarded.

Technically, Dilla showcases his strong points masterfully in his final release. His drums are consistent, intriguing but never overwhelming. They provide a distinct flavor to his beats and are truly the strength of his work, not just Donuts, but all of his work in general. On tracks such as "Workinonit" and "Bye", his drums are perfectly featured. His knack for dramatic vocal samples is demonstrated throughout the album, from obscure works to much more well known R&B artists.

It is the messages that these samples mask that truly make Donuts a wonderful experience however. Songs like "Stop" include a soulful R&B sample hauntingly singing "You're gonna want me back. You're gonna need me one day." Other songs include atmospheric moaning and sounds of longing in the background. "Two can win" features an incredibly clean sample that reaches a wonderfully high pitch and blends perfectly with a detailed instrumental. By the time you reach the album's final tracks, which contain the essence of a dying artist's goodbye to the world, you will not want the album to be over.

Dilla's traditional faults over vamping the dissonance beat for too long, of being overly cryptic in his messages, and of possibly utilizing too many strange sounds are easily overlooked when put into the perspective of the album as a whole, and beyond at, are quite probably intentional.

Regardless of wether you consider yourself a hip-hop expert, or completely avoid the genre at all costs, Donuts is an album anyone who approaches it with an open mind can appreciate as a masterpiece.

RATING: 5 out of 5.