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BBE Music is thrilled to announce the long-awaited rerelease of WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip, the final installment in the legendary Beat Generation series from none other than Madlib. Originally released in 2008, this masterful collage of dusty loops, raw beats, and left-field soundscapes remains a high-water mark in the Stones Throw producer’s sprawling discography. Now, for the first time in years, fans can experience the album in all its analog glory with this deluxe double vinyl edition, carefully remastered to preserve Madlib’s signature warmth and grit.

A tribute to pirate radio culture and late-night airwaves, WLIB AM weaves together a rich tapestry of hip-hop, jazz, and soul, featuring an all-star cast of collaborators, including Talib Kweli, Guilty Simpson, MED, and Oh No. Each track showcases Madlib’s uncanny ability to blur the lines between genres, effortlessly flipping obscure samples into hypnotic, off-kilter rhythms. From the hypnotic bounce of “Blow the Horns on ‘Em” to the smoked-out groove of “The Plan Pt. 1,” this is Madlib at his most playful, unpredictable, and inspired.

This special double vinyl edition, released exclusively via BBE Music, brings one of the Beat Generation series’ most celebrated albums back into circulation for crate-diggers and collectors alike. With original artwork and a high-quality pressing, this rerelease is a must-have for Madlib aficionados and vinyl lovers who appreciate raw, unfiltered beat craftsmanship. Don’t miss your chance to own a piece of hip-hop history—WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip is back and sounding better than ever. — (via Label)

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The final installment of BBE's Beat Generation series — inaugurated by the late J Dilla — finds Madlib using his traditional mix of diverse beat styles and judiciously placed comic interludes to pace a solid, multifaceted album-length mix without making it sound monotonous.

Like Dilla, Madlib has the versatility to pace a solid, multifaceted album-length mix without making it sound monotonous, using his traditional mix of diverse beat styles and judiciously placed comic interludes. His range between weeded-out beats for the basement and Hennessyed-up club anthems runs rampant, often on consecutive tracks that are separated by little else than a brief interstitial comedy skit. The glimmering fusion-oid 1970s slow jam of Stacy Epps' buttery "The Way That I Live" jumps ahead a decade or three to the tinny, stuttering drum-machine electro of Murs' "Ratrace", the woozy piano soul of Georgia Anne Muldrow's "The Plan Pt. 1" segues into a sure-footed slab of disco-funk on Defari's "Gamble on Ya Boy", and the faded Kodachrome strings, dusty beats, and ambient muffled shouts on Talib Kweli feature "What It Do" melt into the inebriated wall of bass on Roc 'C' and Oh No's "Take That Money" — which subsequently drops right into the super-minimalist lunchroom table thump-clap of Frank N Dank's "Drinks Up!" — (via Pitchfork)

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— 2LP housed in gatefold sleeve
— BBE exclusive updated artwork
— Includes photos by Brian “B+” Cross

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Label: BBE
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Reissued: 2025 / Originally Released: 2008
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Boom Bap, Jazzy Hip-Hop

File under: Hip Hop
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