I dare you to find a Madlib hater. I dare you! Never before in a genre nearly dominated by electronic drum kits and funk loops has a producer been so versatile. Never before has a living hip hop producer been so celebrated by his fans and general audiences alike. Something about Madlib just works for almost everyone.
As far as being a regular old rap producer, Madlib has a spotless resume. Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Erykah Badu, Ghostface Killah, De La Soul, and some guy named Kanye West have hit him up for tracks in the past. However, it is not the sort of producer-rapper relationship that most relevant producers have with their artists. Getting a track from Madlib is like visiting the Dalai Lama, you always hope it will happen some day, but seriously what are the chances? Madlib has far transcended the duties of a typical producer due to his astonishing ability to make any kind of music while retaining his trademark sound. (Hit the jump to continue...)
As far as being a musician and a collaborator, Madlib makes history just about every time he feels like it, which is daily. If you did not know that Madlib makes up half of Madvillain, proud creators of the most legendary underground hip hop album of all time (of ALL time), you might want to pay close attention here. “Madvillainy” is to underground hip hop as feet are to soccer. 100% essential.
Besides a few other groundbreaking hip hop albums like “Illmatic” and “Ready to Die,” “Madvillainy” is one of the only hip hop albums that can be listened to all the way through without complaint. While it may be a little abstract for your everyday listener, those who can appreciate it, appreciate every single song on the album. Credit is of course due to MF Doom as well, as his lyrics on tracks like “Fancy Clown” are so enjoyably complex that they call for 5 consecutive listens, but it is the partnership of Doom’s wild delivery and the production that brought the album to it’s throne at the top of the underground community. Another album that must be acknowledged is Jaylib’s “Champion Sound.” Perhaps the only other producer that could match Madlib’s status is the deceased J Dilla, but that’s a whole other article. What I will say here is that “Champion Sound” features some of the best production that hip hop will ever see, and is universally adored by all rap music fans, commercial and underground.
Besides a few other groundbreaking hip hop albums like “Illmatic” and “Ready to Die,” “Madvillainy” is one of the only hip hop albums that can be listened to all the way through without complaint. While it may be a little abstract for your everyday listener, those who can appreciate it, appreciate every single song on the album. Credit is of course due to MF Doom as well, as his lyrics on tracks like “Fancy Clown” are so enjoyably complex that they call for 5 consecutive listens, but it is the partnership of Doom’s wild delivery and the production that brought the album to it’s throne at the top of the underground community. Another album that must be acknowledged is Jaylib’s “Champion Sound.” Perhaps the only other producer that could match Madlib’s status is the deceased J Dilla, but that’s a whole other article. What I will say here is that “Champion Sound” features some of the best production that hip hop will ever see, and is universally adored by all rap music fans, commercial and underground.
So we know that Madlib is underground hip hop royalty, but what people tend to focus on less are his collaborations in different genres. Madlib, who’s real name is Otis Jackson Jr., has been responsible for some of the most bizarre under-the-radar collaborations that you could think of. Jackson Conti is a duo consisting of Brazilian funk drummer Ivan Conti, and Otis Jackson Jr. himself. Their album, entitled “Sujinho” is an enticing congregation of Latin Jazz tracks that, if released in the 1920’s, would blow your fucking mind. The jazz basics are evident; each track features a simple go-to jazz kit with the soft snare and sizzling ride cymbals that have become associated with jazz on the whole. However, the mix of hip hop and latino elements are what makes the album so alluring. The keys and time signatures feel Spanish and flavorful, and Madlib’s editing and arrangements make his spot on the album clear. Panning from left to right, subtle use of effects like wah and flanger along with other filters, and wacked-out quantization of all percussion are all among Madlib's signatures. Other notable collabs include the Dudley Perkins records. Dudley Perkins, also known as Declaime, is a Stones Throw (Madlib’s homebase label) rapper and signer. As Dudley Perkins, he teams up with Madlib to deliver some of the weirdest R&B/Rap you might ever hear. You can never quite tell what is rapping, sing-rapping, or singing, but it barely matters when you ignore the obvious and focus on how Perkins and Madlib work together. They seem to ignore all genre boundaries and make the sound they feel works the best, and it always does.
Madlib can rap too. Under the alias Quasimoto, he spawned one of the most strangely fascinating rappers in the history of the genre. He pitches his voice up to sound like a drunk 10 year-old who just gets dirty on the mic. The beats have the Madlib sound all over them, but to hear how the producer would choose to rap on his own music feels like some kind of insight we shouldn’t be invited to see. Kanye West makes flashy and popular music, therefore his verses are fitting and somewhat predictable to an extent. Madlib refuses to make any neat-sounding, clean cut tracks that strictly stay on beat. He challenges any rapper to bring something interesting to the table when a Madlib beat sits on the plate. It is intriguing to say the least that Madlib often stays within the bars and doesn’t try to concoct some weird, zany flow as a rapper. Having said that, Quasimoto is far from the best rapper in the game. Madlib does better behind the keys.
Quasimoto - Discipline 99 Pt. 0
Everyone wants to praise rappers like Lil Wayne for having so much material available for listening pleasure, but Madlib smokes Wayne in the grand scheme of who has the bigger catalogue. Madlib has produced 6 “Beat Konducta” mixtapes, each with their own unique theme, 5 “Mind Fusion Volumes,” each featuring an insane amount of remixes, as well as his various collaborations, solo releases, albums released under different aliases, and albums and singles that Wikipedia doesn’t even know about. Let’s just put it like this: If you see Madlib on the streets, get on your knees and bow to your master.
by Ken Glauber
