99 Seconds to 'Stop' and Reflect One of the most beautiful, disquieting hip-hop tracks in recent memory, J Dilla's "Stop" packs its 99 seconds with melancholy strings and electric guitars, rugged beats and turntable scratches. The track is built on samples of Dionne Warwick's "You're Gonna Need Me."

Review

99 Seconds to 'Stop' and Reflect

'Stop' by J Dilla

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Thursday's Song

  • Song: "Stop"
  • Artist: J Dilla (a.k.a. Jay Dee)
  • CD: Donuts
  • Genre: Hip-Hop

One of the most beautiful, disquieting hip-hop tracks in recent memory, J Dilla's "Stop" packs its 99 seconds with melancholy strings and electric guitars, rugged beats, subtle knob-turns, and turntable scratches. With all that going on, the track remains centered on a sample of Dionne Warwick's "You're Gonna Need Me," an R&B classic that touches on themes of betrayal and neglect.

J Dilla died Feb. 10, three days after Donuts was released. Roger Erickson hide caption

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Roger Erickson

One of a whopping 31 tracks on Donuts -- released only three days before J Dilla (aka Jay Dee) died at 32 from kidney failure brought about by lupus -- "Stop" resonates with somber poignancy. J Dilla ranked among hip-hop's most creative DJs, but even after producing legendary tracks for the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Common, and D'Angelo, he hadn't received his commercial due.

Erratic yet unflinchingly heartfelt, Donuts was recorded in J Dilla's hospital bed and home studio, and the disc can be frustrating -- less a stroke of genius than a glimpse of a genius at work. But the album seems clearly informed by its creator's pending mortality: "You better stop and think about what you're doing," goes the song's refrain. It's the sound of J Dilla giving mainstream hip-hop a bittersweet kiss-off, as if he's asking fans to show love to the genre's creative geniuses before they're gone.

Listen to yesterday's "Song of the Day."