![]() You will see a couple of other rap albums in my 30 ALBUMS IN 30 DAYS segments, however, the kick things off, I wanted to talk about the crowning jewel of them all, Madvillainy. The first things that jumps off the page of Madvillainy is how sonically satisfying it is. Though MF Doom’s lyrics normally make no sense at all, his use of rhyming word play, start and stop flow, and cartoonish vocals make one of the most unique sounding albums you will here. Though I love MF Doom and he is one of my favorite rappers, the star of this album is the production by Madlib. ![]() If you are aware of Australian plunder-phonics outfit The Avalanches, this album is very similar to their first album, Since I Left You. If you have not heard them, or Madvillainy, the sound of this album and the placement of samples are going to be very hard to explain, so I beg of you to listen to it. The album opens with “The Illest Villains”, a sample piece with cartoony undertones introducing to the “villains” MF Doom and Madlib. After that the album leads into “Accordion”, which might be my favorite song rap song ever, let alone the best song on the album. The beat contains a looping accordion riff that is so satisfying, and then we here MF Doom for the first time, who absolutely kills it for two straight minutes, only breaking every eight note. It also has my favorite line of the entire album, where Doom states, “And get more cheese than Doritos, Cheetos, or fritos”. Everything is so satisfying about this song that I could listen to it for hours on repeat and not be bored by it. The next song is “Meat Grinder”, featuring a walking bass line and slide guitar. The way that Doom’s voice mixes with all the sounds of production make for one of the catchiest songs on the album. The next song, “Bistro”, sounds like an introduction to a Biggie Smalls or 2pac album, with a very 90’s sounding atmosphere. After this, the album heads into “Raid”, one of the first fast spitting in your face songs of the album. I especially like the high-pitched auto-tuned bouncing vocals near the middle of the song. The albums takes a turn after this song, with one of the longer songs “America’s Most Blunted”. There are a lot of samples on this song, and though I don’t necessarily think it’s bad, it definitely isn’t a highlight. The album quickly returns to form however, the the boom bap instrumental piece “Sickfit”, and slower and chaotic jazz inspired “Rainbows”. The next song “Curls” is also one of my favorites, featuring bouncing Doom vocals, a xylophone, and numerous synthesizers. After that, another instrumental piece “Do Not Fire!” brings an almost baroque style sample and maddening “villain” laughs. Then the album heads into “Money Folder”, a more linear and mainstream sounding song that is another highlight. Rest in peace to DOOM as he passed in October 2020, and as he reminds us all on the track “All Caps”, “Just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name.Next comes probably my second favorite song “Shadows of Tomorrow”, featuring a monotone bass loop that you can really get into. This record is a must listen for any fan of hip-hop. Instrumentals on this record such as “Sickfit” and “Do Not Fire!” showcase Madlib’s incredible genre bending productions. Madlib brings some of the most interesting and hard-hitting fusions of jazz-rap and experimental hip-hop. However, we can’t give DOOM all the credit for the incredible quality of this record. Tracks like “Money Folder” and “Figaro” demonstrate some of the best rapping in DOOM’s discography. This record presents some of the best flows and rhyme schemes not just from the underground scene, but from the history of hip-hop. This record doesn’t necessarily follow a specific story, but more so consists of DOOM taking the listener on a stream-of-consciousness lyrical journey. Luckily, the duo came back together, finished and released the record. About 14 months before the album was released, a rough and unreleased demo leaked on the internet, which frustrated and made the duo step away from the project and work on their own individual projects. As both DOOM and Madlib were already making waves in the underground scene before they came together, this record was highly anticipated, perhaps almost to its demise. Madlib gathered most of the beats used on this record while in a hotel room in Brazil, which adds yet another layer of mystery to this record. “Madvillainy”, released in 2004, establishes DOOM’s flow and lyrical ability as well as Madlib’s production as top tier. “Madvilllainy” comes from Madvillain, the duo comprising of MF DOOM (your favorite rapper’s favorite rapper) and legendary producer Madlib. This month’s classic album comes from one of the most influential projects in underground rap history. For readers of these album reviews, I want to start with the first week of every month with an “older” album, or what can be considered as a classic.
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