Legendary hip-hop producer J-Dilla is being immortalized in donut store form. The Detroit-born producer – who died in 2006 of a rare blood disease – had a certain affinity to donuts, his favorite treat; naming his final album “Donuts,” 29 tracks of which he recorded while dying in hospital. Seriously, if you haven’t heard of this guy yet, Google him.
His uncle, Herman Hayes, was a baker and used to bring him donuts as a child. He’s now opening up a shop to memorialize his nephew. Fittingly, the only thing on the jukebox at the shop will be Dilla’s music and what Dilla sampled.
J-Dilla’s music has become more and more popular as people discover him, some seven years after his death. The store may soon become a destination for music fans, yet that doesn’t mean Uncle Herm is going to skimp on the donuts theselves. The Detroit News reports:
The menu at Dilla’s Delights — which will be open Mondays through Saturdays and during select Detroit Lions home games — will include about 20 different doughnuts whose names will pay tribute to Dilla, the influential and multi-faceted producer who died from complications from Lupus at age 32.
The Conant Gardens Glaze is a nod to the neighborhood where Dilla was raised; Fantastic Fritters honor “Fantastic,” the album Dilla put out with Detroit hip-hop troupe Slum Village; McNasty Macaroons tip a hat to “McNasty Filth,” a track Dilla did with his side project Jaylib.
(H/t: Pitchfork, Image: Crate Kings)