New Vibrations
MF Doom and Madlib - Madvillainy Stones Throw March 23, 2004
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Ever since 2001's fantastic Operation: Doomsday, the MF has been working non-stop putting albums out under the names Viktor Vaughn, King Geedorah and MF Doom, as well as producing MC Paul Barman's solo debut, various underground hits, two Nas remix LPs and releasing his former group KMD's best-of record. As if that weren't enough, Doom has also worked with one of his old partners, MF Grimm, on new material along with creating the Monsta Island Czars, who put out their own amazing debut last year. Now in 2004, Doom has started the year off strong with a collaborative effort with Stone's Throw super-deejay Madlib.
Madvillain, as their duo effort is called, have in one album redefined jazz-rap in a way that would make even Tribe heads jealous. For an LP with 22 tracks, Madvillainy is relatively short, clocking in around 45 minutes, but within the better part of an hour Doom and Madlib drop some of the most imaginative lyrics and beats to come out in the last few years.
Stand out tracks include "Raid," "A Great Day Today," "Strange Ways," "All Caps" and "Curls" (the latter two being official singles). All of these songs have the basic layout of twisted jazz samples a la Madlib's work on Shades of Blue complimented by Doom's lyrics. The tightest of the beats are found on "Raid," a bouncy upper with quirky sound effects lacing the back, and "All Caps," which sounds like it was ripped right out of a '60s super-hero film.
"Strange Ways" is one of the few songs with a theme other than being a bad ass comics villain, and the social commentary sounds chill and wise compared to others, like Immortal Technique, who screams his politics at listeners. Madvillainy isn't perfect, but it fits in perfectly with the Vaughn and Geedorah albums. It's time to stop reading about MF Doom and go but the record.