Madvillain (Madlib x MF DOOM) "Madvillainy": A 10 Year Retrospective
Madvillain (Madlib x MF DOOM) Madvillainy: A 10 Year Retrospective
Written by
Dart Adams
Published on
March 25, 2014
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Stones Throw Records was known chiefly as an independent West Coast Hip Hop label. In October 2003, Stones Throw released the Jaylib Champion Sound project which was a collaboration between J Dilla and Madlib who shared both production and rhyming duties. The album was a sensation that not only ignited the independent Hip Hop world but garnered much attention and critical acclaim from the mainstream music press.
Less than 6 months later Stones Throw followed up with an album that would pair Madlib with one of the underground’s most prolific and beloved MCs, MF DOOM. The metal mask wearing rapper was riding a wave of success following his Special Herbs instrumental series and his 2003 albums Take Me To Your Leader & Vaudeville Villain. But an album with Madlib could potentially put him over the top and thrust him into the mainstream spotlight.
Madlib was also riding a pronounced hot streak which included his Blue Note remix album Shades Of Blueandthe aforementioned Champion Sound with J Dilla leading into the Madvillainy project. The collective momentum gained from Madlib being in the creative zone, DOOM’s steady ascent and Stones Throws stretch of undeniable releases culminated in the perfect musical storm. On March 23, 2004 the MF DOOM and Madlib collaboration Madvillainy was finally unleashed on the masses.
Underground Hip-Hop heads highly anticipated the project from the “Money Folder”/“America’s Most Blunted” vinyl which featured Madlib’s alter ego Quasimoto trading bars with DOOM. The fact that both DOOM (King Geedorah & Viktor Vaughn) and Madlib (Quasimoto, Yesterday’s New Quintet & DJ Rels) recorded & released projects under different aliases added a layer of mystique to the album that couldn’t be overlooked.
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Photo: Stones Throw Records
Both music critics and Hip-Hop heads alike were blown away by how Madvillainy was masterfully executed. DOOM’s bars perfectly complimented Madlib’s production. The duo sounded like a unit that had been working together much longer than the relatively short time they spent in the house on the hill where Stones Throw crafted all of their opuses during that particular stretch of time.
The album opens with the intro “The Illest Villains” before yielding to the bouncy “Accordion”, a track that’s so beloved and iconic that back in 2011 The Roots once covered it with Weird Al Yankovic. Most tracks on the album were under 3 minutes long and the perfect sequencing greatly enhanced listening experience. This is best exemplified by the flawless four song stretch from “Accordion” to “Raid” and the five song sequence that spans from “Figaro” to “Eye”. It can be argued that the transition between “Fancy Clown” to “Eye” (featuring vocals from Stacy Epps) is what makes the entire sequence stand out so much.
The overwhelmingly positive response to this album not only rose Stones Throws stock as a label and further cemented Madlib’s spot as one of the best producers on the planet but it also helped to catapult DOOM’s career into another strata entirely. This project raised anticipation for his classic Rhymesayers follow up MM.. FOOD which led to his 2005 breakout collaborative album with Danger Mouse for Cartoon Network The Mouse And The Mask. Madvillainy’s influenceon both projects is undeniable after hearing them both.
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In the 10 years following the release of Madvillain the legend of the album grows and grows introducing a younger generation of Rap fans to independent Hip Hop, Madlib, DOOM and Stones Throws back catalog. Not only has this project resonated with music critics, casual music fans, those that weren’t even that familiar with Rap initially and young people but it’s become one of the gold standards to aspire to amongst musicians, producers and MC’s alike. Artists from various genres of music cite Madvillainy and regard it as a classic album. Sonically, Madlib was able to show his versatility and bring out different flows, patterns and sides of DOOM. DOOM went from doing what sounded like spoken word (“Bistro”) to what could almost be categorized as jazz singing (“Rainbows”) this album’s randomness, variety and will to do something different sparked the imaginations of people from all walks of life lending to it’s seemingly universal appeal.
When you set out to create art, you do so in the hopes that it touches people, inspires them and resonates with audiences. You make music and pray that people enjoy the fruits of your labor and the end result of numerous man-hours of writing, recording, arranging, editing, sequencing and mixing. What we were ultimately blessed with was a sonic masterpiece crafted by two Hip Hop legends both at the top of their respective games who found common ground and were in perfect synch musically.
Regardless of if you’re not an underground Rap fan it’s hard to hear Madvillainy and front on what DOOM and Madlib created. Numerous reputable music magazines and music sites such as Spin, Mass Appeal, Ego Trip(land), Hip Hop DX, Metacritic, Rhapsody & Pitchfork all regard this album as one of the best of the past decade. Getting all of those outlets to agree on something is harder than convincing Justin Beiber or Chris Brown to stay indoors.
