Madvillain(y)

Madvillain: Madlib (Beats) & MF Doom (MC)

If you’re looking for something new and different from the hip hop scene, look no further than Madvillain, a collaborative project between Madlib and MF Doom. Mixing those two together results in some really strange music. You get Madlib’s off the wall beats and MF Doom’s crazy vocal delivery combining to form something so unconventionally pleasing that you will have a brand new appreciation for your sense of hearing.

On Madvillainy, their only full length release to date, Madvillain flows through 22 quick tracks that, despite their short play time, leave you feeling completely satisfied. For instance, the second track, “Accordion,” clocks in at just under two minutes, but its unique musical arrangement combined with MF Doom’s incredible lyrical skills provides a full meal within the confines of a snack.

“America’s Most Blunted” featuring Lord Quas is a hilarious song about… well, you can probably guess what it’s about just by the title. But this song shows just how wacky Madvillain can get. Take the lines, “DOOM nominated for the best rolled L’s / And they wonder how he dealt with stress so well / Wild guess – you could say he stay sedated.” Not only are those line funny as hell, they are also very well written. Needless to say, “America’s Most Blunted” is an odd song.

And the oddities continue with “Do Not Fire!” which is a solo instrumental done by Madlib. Filled with samples from all over the spectrum, including Street Fighter II, it’s the perfect example of just how crazy Madlib’s beats can get.

Then there’s “Eye” featuring Stacy Epps, which is probably one of the most conventional tracks on the album, but it still maintains that insane, Madvillainous quality. It sounds like a slow jam, but in the typical, radio friendly slow jam the lead singer’s voice isn’t usually affected and distorted to the point where it’s hard to tell what she’s saying. That’s what happens in “Eye.” Usually in the typical mainstream slow jam, the lead singer is the highlight while the beat is just there for support and could never really work on its own. That’s what’s awesome about Madlib’s beats: you could remove MF Doom’s vocals from all of the tracks and the album would still be interesting. But Madvillainy is definitely better with MF Doom in the mix since that’s the way it was recorded.

Buy Madvillain’s album Madvillainy

Madvillain – Accordion
Madvillain feat. Lord Quas – America’s Most Blunted
Madvillain – Do Not Fire! (Instrumental)
Madvillain feat. Stacy Epps – Eye