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— The Analog Vault // Essential Listening —

What do you get when two of rap’s most inscrutable and esoteric geniuses decide to become a supervillain duo? A match made in hip-hop heaven. Madvillain, made up of producer Madlib and emcee MF Doom, released their one and only album in 2004 on Stones Throw Records. While we all would have loved more, the strange antihero alchemy on display here could only have been concocted once - simply because Madvillainy was so singular.

Inexhaustibly inventive and irrepressibly imaginative, Madlib’s immaculate beats - collaged from psychedelic rock, Brazilian jazz, easy listening and 80s R&B - feels like a fragmented fever dream, narrated over by MF Doom’s clever rhyme schemes and mythical narratives. This phantasmagoria of leftfield chemistry remains unparalleled to this day. — The Analog Vault

Two years in the making, and combining two of the best underground Hip-Hop artists of the early 2000s, this collaboration between MF DOOM and Madlib has been appropriately dubbed Madvillainy. With both men known for their stunning soundscapes, outlandish rhyming skills, and schizophrenic personalities, the duo decided to have Madlib concentrate on the beats and let DOOM handle the rhymes. In mixing their comic-book-like personas, Madlib and DOOM play to their nearly superhuman strengths, perhaps best exemplified by the singles “America’s Most Blunted” and “All Caps”. Madlib’s inventive production leans towards the jazzy side of his repertoire, and DOOM unleashes outrageous lyrics on par with some of his best efforts. Never flashy or glamorous, Madvillainy is served straight up, the way hip-hop was meant to be. — (via Label)

Madvillainy represents the highly anticipated collaboration between Madlib and MF Doom. Recorded throughout 2003 - a year which, between the two of them (under various aliases), saw more than eight releases featuring their work. When Madvillainy was released in March 2004 it became obvious that the best was saved for last as MF Doom's unpredictable lyrical style fits quite nicely within Madlib's unconventional beat orchestrations.

Twenty-two short and blunted tracks bang out mythical stories of villains and urban (anti) heroes trying to make it through with their ganja and wits still intact - each flows together in a comic book fashion sometimes segued with vignettes sampled from 1940s movies and broadcasts or left-field marjuana-toting skits. Madvillainy's strength lies in its mix between seemingly obtuse beats, samples, MCing, and some straight-up hip-hop bumping.

Take "Accordion" for example. A wacky accordion sample loops throughout a slow-paced beat and lazy bassline while Doom flies through almost unaware of the background at times. Or "Raid," which features a beat that seems to be so out of time or step with a traditional hip-hop direction. But Doom sits quite comfortable within its frame and sets up Medaphor for a slick guest appearance. Other guests include the bad character, Lord Quasimoto, on "Americas Most Blunted" and the Sun Ra-inspired "Shadows of Tomorrow"; Wildchild blasts million-miles-an-hour rhymes on "Hardcore Hustle" and Stacy Epps floats through "Eye." Madvillainy gets close to the genius seen on Quasimoto's Unseen, and like that record this one might take a few listens to find it. But once it clicks in, this disc stays in the player for days. — (via AllMusic)

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Label: Stones Throw Records
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, 45 RPM, Album, Reissue, Remastered, Audiophile Edition, 180g, Gatefold, 20th Anniversary
Reissued: 2024 / Original Release: 2004
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Jazzy Hip-Hop, Experimental, Leftfield, Abstract

File under: Hip-hop 2000 & beyond / Stones Throw Records
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