Bell received the moniker Donut from
Pharrell Williams’ brother Pharaoh, who mentored Bell in his early career. He would later travel to Philadelphia and then Los Angeles by way of a spontaneous Atlanta trip to meet fellow producer
Needlz, with whom he began to work with after Bell reached out to Needlz to buy recording equipment from him on
Craigslist. This began a long-term partnership where they would exchange beats. In a 2016
Billboard article celebrating the success of their production "
Oui" for Jeremih, it was revealed that both Needlz and Bell worked on contributions to what became
Rihanna's project
Anti, but did not make the cut. They also teased an "80s-infused" potential single for a forthcoming Keri Hilson album, which was subsequently shelved. A song for Hilson, "Somethin (Bout U)", would be released a decade later on her 2025 comeback album
We Need to Talk: Love. == Discography ==