Madvillainy
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''Madvillainy'' is the only studio album by American hip hop duo
Madvillain Madvillain was an American hip hop duo consisting of two MCs and producers, MF Doom and Madlib. Their only album, ''Madvillainy'', earned critical acclaim and cult popularity, widely regarded as one of the greatest rap albums of all time and a ...
, consisting of rapper
MF Doom Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
and producer
Madlib Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), ...
. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records. The album was recorded between 2002 and 2004. Madlib created most of the instrumentals during a trip to Brazil in his hotel room using minimal amounts of equipment: a Boss SP-303 sampler, a
turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
, and a tape deck. Fourteen months before the album was released, an unfinished demo version was stolen and leaked onto the internet. Frustrated, the duo stopped working on the album and returned to it only after they had released other solo projects. While ''Madvillainy'' achieved only moderate commercial success, it became one of the best-selling Stones Throw albums. It peaked at number 179 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, and attracted attention from media outlets not usually covering hip hop music, including ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''. ''Madvillainy'' received widespread critical acclaim for Madlib's production and MF Doom's lyricism, and is regarded as Doom's ''
magnum opus A masterpiece, ''magnum opus'' (), or ''chef-d’œuvre'' (; ; ) in modern use is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, ...
''. It has ranked in various publications' lists of all-time greatest albums, including at 411 on ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'''s list of
The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...
, at 365 on ''Rolling Stone's'' 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, and at 18 on ''Rolling Stone's'' 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time.


Background

In 1997, after the death of his brother DJ Subroc and the rejection of KMD's album '' Black Bastards'' by Elektra Records four years previously, rapper Daniel Dumile (formerly known as Zev Love X) returned to music as the masked rapper MF Doom. In 1999, Doom released his debut solo album '' Operation: Doomsday'' on Fondle 'Em Records. According to Nathan Rabin of '' The A.V. Club'', the album "has attained mythic status; its legend has grown in proportion to its relative unavailability". Soon after release of the album, in an interview with the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'', Madlib stated that he wanted to collaborate with two artists:
J Dilla J, or j, is the tenth letter in the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its usual name in English is ''jay'' (pronounced ), with a now-uncommon vari ...
and Doom. In 2001, after Fondle 'Em closed, Doom disappeared. During that time, he lived between Long Island, New York, and
Kennesaw Kennesaw is a suburban city northwest of Atlanta in Cobb County, Georgia, United States, located within the greater Atlanta metropolitan area. Known from its original settlement in the 1830s until 1887 as Big Shanty, it became Kennesaw under its ...
, a suburb of
Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...
,
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...
. Coincidentally, Eothen "Egon" Alapatt, who was the manager of Madlib's label Stones Throw Records, had a friend in Kennesaw. He asked the friend to give Doom (who did not know about Madlib and Stones Throw at the time) some instrumentals from Madlib. Three weeks later, the friend called back, telling him that Doom loved the instrumentals and wanted to work with Madlib. Soon, one of Doom's "quasi-managers" made an offer, asking for plane tickets to Los Angeles and $1,500. Despite the fact that the label didn't have enough money after buying the tickets, they immediately agreed. According to Egon, soon after arrival, the manager went to him demanding money, while Doom visited Madlib: Egon's plan was successful, and Doom and Madlib began working together. Soon after, Stones Throw Records managed to collect the money necessary to pay Doom and a contract to the label was signed, which was written on a paper plate.


Recording

Doom and Madlib started working on ''Madvillainy'' in 2002. Madlib created one hundred beats in a matter of weeks, some of which were used on ''Madvillainy'', some were used on his collaboration album with J Dilla ''
Champion Sound ''Champion Sound'' is the only studio album by the duo Jaylib ( hip hop musicians J Dilla and Madlib). Half of the songs are produced by Madlib and feature J Dilla on vocals, and the other half are produced by J Dilla and feature Madlib on voca ...
'', while others were used for M.E.D.'s and Dudley Perkins' albums. Even though Stones Throw booked Doom a hotel room, he spent most of the time in Madlib's studio, based in an old bomb shelter in Mount Washington, Los Angeles. When the duo wasn't working on the album, they were spending free time together, drinking beer, eating Thai food, smoking marijuana, and taking
psychedelic mushrooms Psilocybin mushrooms, commonly known as magic mushrooms, are a polyphyletic informal group of fungi that contain psilocybin which turns into psilocin upon ingestion. Biological genera containing psilocybin mushrooms include ''Psilocybe'', ''Pan ...
. "Figaro" and "Meat Grinder" were among the songs recorded during this time. In November 2002, Madlib went to
Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
to participate in a Red Bull Music Academy lecture, where he debuted the first music from the album by playing an unfinished version of "America's Most Blunted". Madlib also went crate digging during his time in Brazil, searching for obscure vinyl records he could sample later, with fellow producers
Cut Chemist Lucas MacFadden (born October 4, 1972), better known as Cut Chemist, is an American DJ and record producer. He is a former member of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli. He has collaborated with DJ Shadow on a number of projects. Early life Cut Chemist grad ...
,
DJ Babu Chris Oroc a.k.a. Melvin Babu (born September 17, 1974), better known as DJ Babu or DJ Babu the Dilated Junkie, is a Filipino-American DJ and producer. He is a member of the hip hop trio Dilated Peoples, with Rakaa Iriscience and Evidence an ...
, and J.Rocc. According to Madlib himself, he bought multiple crates full of vinyl records, two of which he later lost. He used some of these records to produce beats for ''Madvillainy''. Most of the album, including beats for "Strange Ways", "Raid", and "Rhinestone Cowboy", was produced in his hotel room in
São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the Ga ...
, using a portable
turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...
, a cassette deck, and a Boss SP-303 sampler. While Madlib was working on the album in Brazil, the unfinished demo was stolen and leaked on the internet, 14 months before its official release. Jeff Jank, Stones Throw's art director, remembers the leak in the interview with ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'': Doom and Madlib decided to work on different projects. Madlib released ''
Champion Sound ''Champion Sound'' is the only studio album by the duo Jaylib ( hip hop musicians J Dilla and Madlib). Half of the songs are produced by Madlib and feature J Dilla on vocals, and the other half are produced by J Dilla and feature Madlib on voca ...
'' with J Dilla, while Doom released two solo albums: '' Take Me to Your Leader'', as King Geedorah, and ''
Vaudeville Villain ''Vaudeville Villain'' is the third studio album by British-American rapper-producer MF DOOM, released on September 16, 2003 under the pseudonym of Viktor Vaughn. All of the tracks are produced by Sound-Ink record label members Heat Sensor, King ...
'', as Viktor Vaughn. Nevertheless, after the release of these albums, they decided to return to ''Madvillainy''. For the final version of the album, Doom altered his voice, described by Peanut Butter Wolf as going from "really hyper, more enthusiastic" to "a more mellow, relaxed, confident, less abrasive", and changed some lyrics to coincide with this change. Madlib was also asked by the label to change some instrumentals, but told them that he forgot the samples he used, in order to allow for them to remain on the album. Additionally, the label also requested the duo make a proper ending for the album, forcing them to rent a studio for the recording of "Rhinestone Cowboy". The beat used, however, was produced in Brazil.


Production

''Madvillainy'' was produced almost entirely by
Madlib Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), ...
, except the first track, which he produced in collaboration with Doom. On the album, Madlib incorporates his distinctive
production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...
style, based on using samples, mostly obscure, from albums recorded in different countries. Aside from sampling records by American artists, namely from
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...
and
soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun '' soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest atte ...
, Madlib also used Indian (for example, "Shadows of Tomorrow" samples "Hindu Hoon Main Na Musalman Hoon" by
R. D. Burman Rahul Dev Burman (27 June 1939 – 4 January 1994) was an Indian music director who is considered one of the most influential composers of India. From the 1960s to the 1990s, Burman composed musical scores for 331 films. Burman did major work w ...
) and Brazilian records ("Curls" samples "Airport Love Theme" by Waldir Calmon) for ''Madvillainy''. In regards to Madlib's production on the album, he stated in an interview:
"I did most of the Madvillain album in Brazil. Cuts like "Raid" I did in my hotel room in Brazil on a portable turntable, my 303, and a little tape deck. I recorded it on tape, came back here, put it on CD, and Doom made a song out of it."
The album consists of 22 songs, most of which are under 3 minutes and contain no hooks or choruses. Sam Samuelson of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
compared the album to a comic book, "sometimes segued with vignettes sampled from 1940s movies and broadcasts or left-field arijuanatoting skits". He also noted that some instrumentals on the album " eemto be so out of time or step with a traditional hip-hop direction". '' The A.V. Club'' compared the album to a buffet, where "Madlib and Doom are interested in throwing out ideas as fast as they have them, giving them as much attention as they need, and moving on to the next thing". Tim O'Neil of ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' praised Madlib's instrumentals and said that they "make the album a sonic feast".


Lyrics

Doom's lyrics on ''Madvillainy'' are free-associative. According to Stereogum, the album "is about using sound to craft semi-indecipherable vignettes that are situated somewhere between the real and the mythical". Despite originally featuring a more enthusiastic, excited delivery, the leak prompted Doom to go with a slower and more relaxed flow on the final version of the album. This move has been praised by various publications, including ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'', which said that it was "ultimately better-suited" than the original. Throughout the album, Doom uses a number of
literary device A narrative technique (known for literary fictional narratives as a literary technique, literary device, or fictional device) is any of several specific methods the creator of a narrative uses to convey what they want —in other words, a stra ...
s, including multi-syllable rhymes,
internal rhymes In poetry, internal rhyme, or middle rhyme, is rhyme that occurs within a single line of verse, or between internal phrases across multiple lines. By contrast, rhyme between line endings is known as end rhyme. Internal rhyme schemes can be denoted ...
, alliteration,
assonance Assonance is a resemblance in the sounds of words/syllables either between their vowels (e.g., ''meat, bean'') or between their consonants (e.g., ''keep, cape''). However, assonance between consonants is generally called ''consonance'' in America ...
, and holorimes. Music critics also noted extensive use of wordplay and
double entendre A double entendre (plural double entendres) is a figure of speech or a particular way of wording that is devised to have a double meaning, of which one is typically obvious, whereas the other often conveys a message that would be too socially ...
s. ''PopMatters'' wrote, "You can spend hours poring over the lyric sheet and attempting to grok Doom’s infinitely dense verbiage. If language is arbitrary, then many of Doom’s verses exploit the essence of words stripped of meaning, random conglomerations of syllables assembled in an order that only makes sense from a rhythmical standpoint", the critic added. ''
The Observer ''The Observer'' is a British newspaper published on Sundays. It is a sister paper to ''The Guardian'' and '' The Guardian Weekly'', whose parent company Guardian Media Group Limited acquired it in 1993. First published in 1791, it is the ...
'' stated that "the densely telegraphic lyrics almost always reward closer inspection" and that Doom's "rhymes miss beats, drop into the middle of the next line, work their way through whole verses" allows for a smooth listen.


Artwork

The album cover art was created by Stones Throw's art director Jeff Jank, based on a grayscale photo of Doom in his metal mask. In an interview with '' Ego Trip'', Jank said: The photo was created by photographer Eric Coleman at Stones Throw's house in Los Angeles, and edited by Jank. While working on the ''Madvillainy'' album cover, Jank drew inspiration from
King Crimson King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experime ...
's '' In the Court of the Crimson King'' artwork, however, following its completion, he noticed the artwork eerily resembled Madonna's '' Madonna'' artwork. Despite this, Jank stuck with the original artwork, labeling it as the "rap version of ''
Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...
''". A small orange square was added to the final version of ''Madvillainy'', due to Jank's thinking that the artwork "needed something distinctive", comparing it to the orange "O" on the ''Madonna'' cover.


Release and promotion

Two singles from ''Madvillainy'' were released before the album release: " Money Folder" bundled with "America's Most Blunted", and "
All Caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in l ...
" bundled with "Curls". The first single peaked at number 66 on the ''Billboard''
Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...
chart. ''Madvillainy'' was released on March 23, 2004. Despite Stones Throw Records being a relatively small label, the album achieved moderate commercial success, which was big for the label. According to ''Pitchfork'', "after two years of hectoring Stones Throw for making unsalable records, distributor
EMI EMI Group Limited (originally an initialism for Electric and Musical Industries, also referred to as EMI Records Ltd. or simply EMI) was a British Transnational corporation, transnational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate founded in March 1 ...
couldn't keep ''Madvillainy'' in stock." The album peaked at number 179 on ''Billboard'' 200 and sold approximately 150,000 copies, making it one of the label's best-selling albums. Its success allowed Stones Throw to open an office in
Highland Park, Los Angeles Highland Park is a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California, located in the city's Northeast region. It was one of the first subdivisions of Los Angeles and is inhabited by a variety of ethnic and socioeconomic groups. History The area was set ...
. Four official videos were created for the album upon its initial release : "
All Caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in l ...
" (directed by James Reitano), "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Accordion" (both directed by Andrew Gura), and "Shadows of Tomorrow" (directed by System D-128). "All Caps" and "Rhinestone Cowboy" appear on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
''Stones Throw 101'' along with a hidden easter egg video for "Shadows Of Tomorrow" as a special bonus feature. An impromptu video for "Accordion" was filmed in 2004 but was not released until 2008's ''In Living the True Gods'' DVD. An
instrumental An instrumental is a recording normally without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through semantic widening, a broader sense of the word song may refer to inst ...
version of the album was released in 2004 only in vinyl format and digitally through various online stores, with the tracks "The Illest Villains", "Bistro", "Sickfit", "Do Not Fire!", and "Supervillain Theme" being omitted. It was re-released in 2012 on vinyl with picture sleeve. In 2014, in honor of the 10th anniversary of ''Madvillainy'', Stones Throw released a special edition of the album on vinyl. The album re-entered ''Billboard'' 200 chart, peaking at number 117, higher than it did originally. The same year ''Madvillainy'' was also released on Compact Cassettes, as part of the
Cassette Store Day Cassette Store Day is an international, annual observance intended to recognise the value of Compact Cassettes as a music format. Cassette Store Day was first held in 2013. The celebration was inspired by Record Store Day, which acknowledges the im ...
.


Remixes

Several remixes of the album were released. Two remix EPs of ''Madvillainy'' were released on Stones Throw in 2005. The remixes were done by Four Tet and
Koushik Koushik Ghosh (known professionally simply as Koushik) is a Bengali- Canadian electronic musician from Dundas, Ontario.Brown, MarisaKoushik Biography, Allmusic, retrieved 2011-06-11 Koushik is signed to Stones Throw Records and has released a col ...
. '' Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix'' was released on Stones Throw in 2008, containing a complete remix of the album by Madlib as a part of a Madvillain box set. According to '' Stereogum'', it was Madlib's "attempt to get Doom excited enough to work on a true follow-up", recorded after he got tired of waiting for Doom to record the official sequel.


Critical reception

''Madvillainy'' was met with widespread critical acclaim from music critics and became one of the most critically acclaimed projects of both artists. At
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an
average In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7 ...
score of 93, based on 20 reviews; it was the year's best-reviewed rap album and third highest reviewed album overall, according to the website. It also was the second most acclaimed rap album at the time of its release, behind Outkast's ''
Stankonia ''Stankonia'' is the fourth studio album by American hip hop duo Outkast. It was released on October 31, 2000, by LaFace Records. The album was recorded in the duo's recently purchased Atlanta recording facility Stankonia Studios, which allowed ...
''. Sam Samuelson of
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
wrote that album's strength "lies in its mix between seemingly obtuse beats, samples, MCing, and some straight-up hip-hop bumping" and that "MF Doom's unpredictable lyrical style fits quite nicely within Madlib's unconventional beat orchestrations".
Will Hermes Will Hermes (born December 27, 1960 in Jamaica, Queens, New York City) is an American author, broadcaster, journalist and critic who has written extensively about popular music. He is a longtime contributor to ''Rolling Stone'' and to National Pu ...
of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...
'' called it "indie rap blowing session by two guys near the top of their game". ''
Alternative Press Alternative press may refer to: Individual publications * ''Alternative Press'' (magazine), an American music magazine Alternative journalism * Alternative media ** Alternative media (U.S. political left) ** Alternative media (U.S. political ri ...
'' praised ''Madvillainy'' as "all invention and no indulgence", while '' HipHopDX'' dubbed it an "experimental, eclectic, raw, spontaneous" classic. '' Mojo'' praised the album, calling it "a symphony of such densely constructed chaos" and noting that "''Madvillainys very opacity is part of its brilliance". ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' called ''Madvillainy'' "inexhaustibly brilliant, with layer-upon-layer of carefully considered yet immediate hip-hop, forward-thinking but always close to its roots", noting that "the samples are smart and never played-out, and the production and rhymes reveal a determined sense of cooperation, as MF Doom spouts off his most brilliant lyrical change-ups and production-conscious playoffs". '' Q'' called Madlib "the most innovative beatsman since Prince Paul", who created "an oddball, cartoon-heavy backdrop for MF Doom's mellifluous wordplay". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' described Madlib's tracks as, "fuzzy and crackling with dust", and praised MF Doom, whose flow was commended as "a particularly elegant slur, with syllables spreading over a beat, not crisply adhering to it". Eric Henderson of '' Slant Magazine'' called it "a chameleonic masterpiece that alone validates the artistry of sampler culture". Robert Christgau, writing for ''
The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...
'', praised the album as "a glorious phantasmagoria of flow". ''
Blender A blender (sometimes called a mixer or liquidiser in British English) is a kitchen and laboratory appliance used to mix, crush, purée or emulsify food and other substances. A stationary blender consists of a blender container with a rotating me ...
''s
Jody Rosen Jody Rosen (born June 21, 1969 in New York City) is an American journalist and author. He is a contributing writer for ''The New York Times Magazine''. Career Journalism Rosen served as critic-at-large for '' T: The New York Times Style Magaz ...
called it a "torrid album that marries old-school rap aesthetics to punk-rock concision." ''Madvillainy'' also attracted positive reviews from several publications with infrequent coverage of hip hop music. David Segal of ''
The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' called the album "hysterical, ..perplexing, arresting, thought-provoking or just plain silly".
Kelefa Sanneh Kelefa T. Sanneh (born 1976) is an American journalist and music critic. From 2000 to 2008, he wrote for ''The New York Times'', covering the rock and roll, hip-hop, and pop music scenes. Since 2008 he has been a staff writer for ''The New Yorke ...
of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...
'' called it "a delirious collaboration" and hailed MF Doom as a rapper who "understands the deformative power of rhyme" and "delivers long, free-associative verses full of sideways leaps and unexpected twists".
Sasha Frere-Jones Alexander Roger Wallace "Sasha" Frere-Jones (né Jones; born 1967) is an American writer, music critic, and musician. He has written for ''Pretty Decorating'', '' ego trip'', ''Hit It And Quit It'', ''Mean'', '' Slant'', ''The New York Post'', '' ...
of ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' praised the album, noting that "the point of ''Madvillainy'' is largely poetic—celebrating the language of music and the music of language" and that while the album's beats are based on samples of records, it's "hard to say which ones, even in a general way".


Accolades

Several publications included ''Madvillainy'' in their lists of the best albums of the year. ''Pitchfork'' ranked it number six on their list of the 50 best albums of 2004, stating that "the collaboration brings out the best in both men, without copying anything in their catalogs". ''Prefix'' ranked the album first on its list of the 60 best albums of 2004, stating that "when Doom and Madlib combine, they form like
Voltron ''Voltron'' is an animated television series franchise that features a team of space explorers who pilot a giant Super Robot known as "Voltron". Produced by Peter Keefe (Executive Producer) and Ted Koplar through his production company World ...
". ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' positioned it at number nine on their list of the 100 best albums of 2004, commending MF Doom's "royal, pop culture-laden flow" and Madlib's "beat-mining expertise". '' Spin'' ranked it number 17 on their list of the 40 best albums of 2004, praising Madlib's production, "thick, woozy slabs of beatnik bass", that "keeps things hotter than an underground volcano lair".
Washington City Paper The ''Washington City Paper'' is a U.S. alternative weekly newspaper serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. The ''City Paper'' is distributed on Thursdays; its average circulation in 2006 was 85,588. The paper's editorial mix is focu ...
ranked Madvillainy number one on their list of the top 20 albums of 2004. '' Stylus Magazine'' named it the second best album of 2004. In ''The Village Voice'' annual poll
Pazz & Jop Pazz & Jop was an annual poll of top musical releases, compiled by American newspaper ''The Village Voice'' and created by music critic Robert Christgau. It published lists of the year's top releases for 1971 and, after Christgau's two-year abs ...
, which combined votes from 793 critics, ''Madvillainy'' was ranked number 11 on the list of the best albums of 2004. ''
The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...
'' and
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...
also included the album in their unordered lists of the best albums of the year. Numerous publications included ''Madvillainy'' in various lists of the best albums. '' Clash'' positioned it at number 47 in their list of top 100 albums of ''Clash'' lifetime, calling it "slapdash and dilapidated, wholly unconcerned with making sense", "defined by its flippancy and attitude to professionalism". The magazine also listed it on their list of ten best hip hop albums ever, calling it "one of this decade’s finest hip-hop albums" that "elevated the profile of both rtiststo whole new levels". ''
Complex Complex commonly refers to: * Complexity, the behaviour of a system whose components interact in multiple ways so possible interactions are difficult to describe ** Complex system, a system composed of many components which may interact with each ...
'' placed the album in their list of 100 best albums available on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a proprietary Swedish audio streaming and media services provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. It is one of the largest music streaming service providers, with over 456 million monthly active us ...
, calling it "dusty, weeded up, 22-song masterpiece that stood alone and brought us all into its own little world" and stating that "Madlib and MF Doom's classic wasn't meant for the radio, but it was too good to be kept to the underground". The magazine also listed it among 25 albums of the decade that deserve classic status, describing it as "a classic record that had a goofy cartoony unpredictability, balanced with moments of oddball sincerity" and 71st on the list "The 100 Best Albums of the Complex Decade". ''HipHopGoldenAge'' ranked it first in their list of the Top 150 Hip Hop Albums of the Decade, calling it "a perfect example of what can happen if two left-field geniuses combine powers."'' The A.V. Club'' featured the album on the list "The Best Music of the Decade", referring to the album as "an instant masterpiece". '' Fact'' ranked it number 14 at their list of 100 best albums of the 2000s and praised it as "a perfect synergy between raw beats and incredible rhymes". The magazine also named it the second best album on their list of 100 best indie hip hop records ever made, stating that it was "arguably the signature moment from the signature rapper and signature producer of the entire movement". Heavy.com ranked the album number 9 on their list "The Top 10 Hip-Hop Albums of the Decade", stating that "MF Doom has never sounded better than he did when he teamed up with Madlib for this little ditty of WTF hip hop". '' Slant Magazine'' placed the album at number 39 on the list "The 100 Best Albums of the Aughts", calling it the "undisputed pinnacle of aughts underground rap". '' Stylus Magazine'' ranked the album number 13 on its list "The Top 50 Albums: 2000-2004". '' Fact'' ranked the album 14th on its "The 100 Best Albums of the 2000s" list, praising it as "a perfect synergy between raw beats and incredible rhymes that in the minds and hearts of many, neither party has yet to surpass". ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' included the album in their list of 1000 albums to hear before you die, describing it as "a colourful window into Dumile's world", while praising its "busy unpredictability and stoned comic-book mythos". '' HipHopDX'' included the album in two lists: top 10 albums of 2000s and the 30 best underground hip hop albums since 2000, describing it as "the super rap album, reaching unforeseen creative heights" that "elevated oom and Madlibinto Gods for many core Hip Hop heads". ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...
'' featured it on their list of 40 one album wonders, and in 2020, ranked the album at number 365 in their revised list of
the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...
. ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...
'' ranked the album number 411 on their list of
the 500 greatest albums of all time "The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" is a recurring opinion survey and music ranking of the finest albums in history, compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and indust ...
, describing it as "stoner humour and mind-bending beats from a hip-hop dream team" and stating that "MF Doom and Madlib might not have invented underground rap, but they damn well perfected it". ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to ...
'' ranked the album at number 13 in their list of the top 100 albums of 2000–2004, commenting, "While Madlib's special power played tricks on your ears – a sample you were sure was the sound of cars rolling by on the street might sound like the hiss of a record on a different day ("Rainbows") – MF Doom unfurled his clever lyrics like a roll of sod on earth... and the album curved in on itself like a two-way mirror."''Pitchfork'' also ranked ''Madvillainy'' as the 25th best album of the 2000s, describing it as "a preternaturally perfect pairing of like-minded talents" who "have each been responsible for tons of great, grimy underground hip-hop". '' Tiny Mix Tapes'' considered the album the fourth best of the 2000s. Rhapsody ranked the album 1st on its "Hip-Hop's Best Albums of the Decade" list. ''PopMatters'' positioned it at number 49 on their list of the 100 best albums of the 2000s and praised MF Doom, who "free-associates culture high and low, from
Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fi ...
to Robh Ruppel, across tongue-tied internal rhymes", and Madlib's "fusion breaks, psych soul, and Steve Reich", and called the album "the best chemistry of either’s career, and one of the best of hip-hop, period". In 2016 '' Q'' listed ''Madvillainy'' among the albums that didn't appear in their list of the best albums of last 30 years, stating that "underground hip-hop's cracked geniuses, Madlib and MF Doom, unite on a labyrinth of weed-stained vignettes that combine invention and accessibility". ''Spin'' ranked it number 123 on their list of the 300 best albums of the past 30 years (1985–2014), calling it "a genius cross-pollination of seemingly divergent styles". The magazine also positioned the album at number eight on the list of the 50 best hip hop debut albums since ''
Reasonable Doubt Beyond a reasonable doubt is a legal standard of proof required to validate a criminal conviction in most adversarial legal systems. It is a higher standard of proof than the balance of probabilities standard commonly used in civil cases, bec ...
''. ''Stylus Magazine'' ranked the album number 13 on their list of the top 50 albums of 2000–2005, praising Madlib's production, based on "an endless supply of funk, soul, and jazz samples", and stating that the album was "displaying the future of hip-hop".


Legacy and influence

''Madvillainy'' influenced a generation of artists. Among some of them are rappers
Joey Badass Jo-Vaughn Virginie Scott (born January 20, 1995), known professionally as Joey Badass (stylized as Joey Bada$$), is an American rapper, singer, and actor. A native of Brooklyn, New York City, he is a founding member of the hip-hop collective Pr ...
, the late Capital STEEZ, Bishop Nehru,
Tyler, The Creator Tyler Gregory Okonma (born March 6, 1991), known professionally as Tyler, the Creator, is an American rapper and record producer. He is one of the founding members of the music collective Odd Future. Okonma self-released his debut mixtape ' ...
, Earl Sweatshirt, Danny Brown, Kirk Knight, producer and rapper Flying Lotus, producer and DJ
Cashmere Cat Magnus August Høiberg (born 29 November 1987), known professionally as Cashmere Cat, is a Norwegian DJ, record producer, songwriter and musician. He is best known for producing songs for artists including Kanye West, The Kid Laroi, Selena Gomez ...
, neo soul collective
Jungle A jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past recent century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''ja ...
,
indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...
band Cults, and Radiohead singer Thom Yorke. The singer Bilal names it among his 25 favorite albums. According to Earl Sweatshirt, ''Madvillainy'' influenced his generation the same way
Wu-Tang Clan Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close aff ...
influenced the rappers of the 1990s with their album ''
Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) ''Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop group Wu-Tang Clan, released on November 9, 1993, by Loud Records. Recording sessions took place during late 1992 to early 1993 at Firehouse Studio in New York Ci ...
''. In 2009 a video of
Mos Def Yasiin Bey (; born Dante Terrell Smith, December 11, 1973), previously and more commonly known by his stage name Mos Def (), is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. His hip hop career began in 1994, alongside his siblings in the s ...
working on his album '' The Ecstatic'' in a studio was released. In the video he praised DOOM, saying that "he rhymes as weird as I feel", and recited some of Doom's lines, including the ones from ''Madvillainy''. He added: In 2015, in honor of the release of
All-New, All-Different Marvel All-New, All-Different Marvel (ANADM) is a 2015–2019 branding for Marvel Comics' entire main line of comics. Taking place after the crossover storyline " Secret Wars", it details the new Marvel Universe, with nearly 60–65 titles relaunched w ...
comics line and to pay homage to classic and contemporary hip hop albums,
Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...
released variant covers inspired by these albums. One of them was variant cover of
The Mighty Thor Thor Odinson is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is based on the Norse mythological god of the same name, the Asgardian god of thunder whose enchanted hammer Mjolnir enables him ...
comics, based on ''Madvillainy'' cover. It used grayscale image of Jane Foster's face behind the metal mask, with a picture of Mjolnir in a small orange square on top right corner and "THE MIGHTY THOR" text in pixelated font on top left.


Track listing

All tracks written by
Daniel Dumile Daniel Dumile ( ; July 13, 1971October 31, 2020), best known by his stage name MF Doom or simply Doom (both stylized in all caps), was a British-American rapper and record producer. Noted for his intricate wordplay, signature metal mask, and ...
and Otis Jackson Jr., except where noted; all tracks produced by
Madlib Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), ...
, except "The Illest Villains", produced by Madlib and Doom, and voice skits produced by Doom. Sample credits * "Accordion" contains a sample of "Experience" performed by Daedelus, and a sample of " Sleeping in a Jar", performed by The Mothers of Invention. * "Meat Grinder" contains a sample of "Sleeping in a Jar", performed by The Mothers of Invention, and a sample of "Hula Rock", performed by Lew Howard & the All-Stars * "Bistro" contains a sample of "
Second to None ''2nd to None'' (also known as ''ELVIIS: 2nd to None'') is a collection of songs by American rock and roll musician Elvis Presley. The album was released by on October 7, 2003 by RCA Records as the sequel to the previous year's highly successful ...
", performed by
Atlantic Starr Atlantic Starr is an American band based in White Plains, New York. They are best known for the hits " Always", "Secret Lovers", "Send for Me", "Circles", "Silver Shadow" and "Masterpiece". History Atlantic Starr began in Greenburgh, New York w ...
* "Raid" contains a sample of " Nardis (Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival), performed by Bill Evans, a sample of "América Latina", performed by Osmar Milito e Quarteto Forma, and a sample of " Computer Games", performed by George Clinton * "America's Most Blunted" contains a sample of " Ninety-Nine and a Half", performed by Fever Tree, and a snippet of "Creativity", performed by Jack Margolis * "Sickfit" contains a sample of "Family Affair", performed by The Generation Gap * "Rainbows" contains a sample of " Blues & Pants", performed by James Brown, and a sample of "Kelly", performed by
William Loose William George Loose (June 5, 1910 – February 22, 1991) was an American composer of film, cartoon and television soundtrack music and stock musical cues. Early life and career Born in Michigan, Loose became a staff musical arranger for an ...
, Stu Phillips, and Marvin Elling * "Curls" contains a sample of "Airport Love Theme", performed by Waldir Calmon * "Do Not Fire!" contains a sample of "Mithi Mithi Ankhiyon Se Dil Bhar De", performed by Kishore Kumar, and voice-over snippets of Dhalsim from Street Fighter II: The World Warrior, composed by
Yoko Shimomura is a Japanese composer and pianist primarily known for her work in video games. She graduated from the Osaka College of Music in 1988 and began working in the video game industry by joining Capcom the same year. She wrote music for several game ...
* "Money Folder" contains a sample of " Soul Turn Around", performed by Freddie Hubbard, and a voice clip from ''
The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myst ...
'', spoken by Vincent Price * "Shadows of Tomorrow" contains a sample of "Hindu Hoon Main Na Musalman Hoon", performed by R.D. Burman, and voice-over snippets from '' Space Is The Place'', spoken by
Sun Ra Le Sony'r Ra (born Herman Poole Blount, May 22, 1914 – May 30, 1993), better known as Sun Ra, was an American jazz composer, bandleader, piano and synthesizer player, and poet known for his experimental music, "cosmic" philosophy, prolific ou ...
* "Operation Lifesaver AKA Mint Test" contains a sample of " Prepare Yourself" performed by George Duke, a sample of Double Barrel by Dave and Ansell Collins, and a sample of the theme to the Justice League of America. * "Figaro" contains samples of "In The Beginning" and "Jeannine", both performed by Dr. Lonnie Smith * "Hardcore Hustle" contains a sample of " Sing A Simple Song", performed by Diana Ross, The Temptations, and
The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successf ...
* "Strange Ways" contains a sample of " Funny Ways", performed by
Gentle Giant Gentle Giant were a British progressive rock band active between 1970 and 1980. The band were known for the complexity and sophistication of their music and for the varied musical skills of their members. All of the band members were multi-inst ...
, and a snippet of ''
Symphony in Slang ''Symphony in Slang'' is a 1951 cartoon short directed by Tex Avery, written by Rich Hogan and released with the feature film ''No Questions Asked'' by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Minimalist and abstract in style (many of the "gags" are created either wi ...
'', directed by Tex Avery * "Fancy Clown" contains a sample of "That Ain't The Way You Make Love", performed by Z.Z. Hill * "Eye" contains a sample of " So Good", performed by The Whispers * "Supervillain Theme" contains a sample of "Adormeceu", performed by O Terço * "
All Caps In typography, all caps (short for "all capitals") refers to text or a font in which all letters are capital letters, for example: "THIS TEXT IS IN ALL CAPS". All caps may be used for emphasis (for a word or phrase). They are commonly seen in l ...
", contains a sample of the opening credits of '' Ironside'', composed by
Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...
, and an interpolation of "
Sometimes I Rhyme Slow Sometimes may refer to: Music Albums * ''Sometimes'' (Bill Anderson and Mary Lou Turner album) or the title song (see below), 1976 * ''Sometimes'' (City and Colour album) or the title song, "Sometimes (I Wish)", 2005 * ''Sometimes'' (Facts of ...
", performed by
Nice and Smooth Nice & Smooth is an East Coast hip hop duo from New York City that consists of Gregory O. "Greg Nice" Mays (born May 30, 1967) and Darryl O. "Smooth B" Barnes (born August 3, 1967) plus their deejay Tedd "DJ Teddy Tedd" Whiting. The duo released f ...
* "Great Day", contains a sample of " How Can You Believe", performed by Stevie Wonder * "Rhinestone Cowboy" contains samples of "Mariana Mariana" and "Molambo", both performed by Maria Bethânia


Personnel

Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes. Madvillain * DOOM – MC, production , recording *
Madlib Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. He is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), ...
– beats, production, recording Additional personnel * Peanut Butter Wolf – executive producer * Allah's Reflection – additional vocals * Dave Cooley – mixing, mastering, recording * James Reitano – illustration * Egon – project coordination * Miranda Jane – project consultant * Eric Coleman – photography * Jeff Jank – design


''Madvillainy Demo Tape''

On July 23, 2008 Stones Throw announced the release of '' Madvillainy 2: The Box'', a box set containing, among other things, a cassette of the leaked ''Madvillainy'' demo tape. The box was later released on September 15 of that year, marking the first official release of the ''Madvillainy'' demo. The demo was re-released by itself on September 7, 2013, in celebration of the first annual
Cassette Store Day Cassette Store Day is an international, annual observance intended to recognise the value of Compact Cassettes as a music format. Cassette Store Day was first held in 2013. The celebration was inspired by Record Store Day, which acknowledges the im ...
.


Charts


Album

Original release 2014 re-release Later entries


Singles


Certifications


References


External links

* * {{Authority control 2004 albums Madlib albums MF Doom albums Stones Throw Records albums Albums produced by Madlib