The debut album between MF Doom & Madlib turned out to be iconic. Released in 2004, Madvillainy is the critically acclaimed album that grabbed indie, underground, and mainstream hip-hop attention; for good reason. Madvillainy's dark atmosphere, strange ways (pun intended), and quirky, cartoonish theme layered on top of some sick underground beats makes for a unique, yet fulfilling listening experience.
Fate would have it that these two coming together for a record was not only what both their careers needed at the time, but what hip-hop history needed as well. Madlib had stepped away from hip-hop for a couple of years. He explored new ventures but ultimately came back in 2003 with two collaborative efforts. One with fellow producer J Dilla, and "Madvillainy" with MF Doom. The two seemingly came together at the perfect moment and created this iconic record in peanut-butter & jelly fashion.
Many of the songs on the album run for less than two minutes such as "Curls", "Bistro", "The Illest Villains" just to name a few. But the short length of each track give this album a smooth track to musically indulge in. The carefully crafted beats congeal this album in a perfect way, and its a real testament to the effort, and care that Madlib put into each and every track. MF Doom's rhymes didn't have to be fast and furious either. His steady flow narrates us straight to the end with his consistent delivery; mixing well with Madlib's base oriented beats. His dark, grimy, almost hypnotic voice makes a b-line straight through track 1 to track 22; as he often speaks in third person describing his villainous deeds.
One of my personal favorites is the track "Strange Ways". It cuts in right away as Doom touches on various different societal issues in his same moderate tempo. The vocals are hard hitting, they have purpose, and "ya can't reform 'em". Also the track "All Caps" really stood out to me musically in many different ways. The way the piano keys at the beginning sound as if they're drowning underwater, the almost whistle-like riff during the verses, and even the use of horns/trumpets at the end of each verse gives this song a lot of character and depth. Mix in some cryptic lyrics and you've got a song firing on all cylinders.
The last thing i'll touch on is the cartoonishly dark themes that overlay the entire album. One moment you'll feel like your reading a comic book or watching a Saturday morning cartoon, the other you'll be tugged back into the murkiness of underground hip hop. Surprisingly, the two unique styles work together cohesively to create a unique sound and feel throughout the album. Each track blends together beautifully with little delay and absent of any track feeling overextended.
Final Summary:
I discovered this album back when I was in high school and I am ever so happy to have rediscovered, and given full praise to this masterful album. The album has dark & light elements blended together in a way that has never been done before . It influenced many up and coming DJs and MCs but no one can truly replicate what Doom and Madlib did here. This album works at any time of the day, but I recommend if you're discovering this record for the first time, a bit of advice would be to listen to it on a rainy day. It's muddy and moody and goes well with the weather in the background. There's very little I could critique on "Madvillainy". It's like Madlib put each track under a microscope and made a perfectly unique diamond from scratch. Doom's narration and Madlib's care for his craft perfectly guide this record to an almost perfect rating from me.
Rating: 9.5/10
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