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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Having re-invented himself as psychedelic masked rapper MF Doom (not to mention alter egos King Geedorah and Viktor Vaughn), Daniel Dumile--formerly KMD's Zev Love X--has fittingly teamed up with producer Madlib, who's no stranger to aliases himself (see Quasimodo, Yesterdays New Quintet). Rap formulas of the day are given the boot on Madvillainy; most of the 22 tracks clock in at around two minutes and many cuts consist of Doom spitting one long verse. Nobody chops up jazz standards and reworks them into SP 1200-induced soundscapes better than Madlib, so the warbled strings and unpredictable tempo shifts on "Strange Ways" and the flipped accordion sounds on "Accordion" carry the texture of a jazz record. While Madlib's predilection for piecing together cryptic found sounds can get a bit tiresome, Doom's self-deprecating narrative of a man "on a fast track to half-sane" is genius and madness all rolled into one big blunt. Yep, on "America's Most Blunted" he gloats about being "nominated for the best rolled L's." While "Rainbows" proves that Doom shouldn't ever sing--and yeah, his scratchy, drawling flow is an acquired taste--he's still "got more lyrics than the church's got 'Oooh Lords.'" This is rap for frying your brain cells, and we all know they need a good cooking every now and then. --Dalton Higgins
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By El Duque
Format:Audio CD
I don't write a lot of reviews, but I had to add in my two cents about this album. I have barely heard of Madlib and MF Doom before I picked up this album. It is one of the best albums I have ever heard. i have purchased around 20 or 30 hip hop albums in the last couple months to make up for a few years of laziness, as well as listening to new artists. Madvillainy gets the most rotation. The production is amazing, and Doom's voice fits like a puzzle over madlib's beats.
I must say when i first listened to this cd, i didnt give it too much thought. It wasn't until the second listen when I became amazed. My fav tracks are accordian, figaro, strange ways, fancy clow, and rhinestone cowboy. I also heard a sweet remix of figaro that I think is on the 12". Don't sleep on this album, you'll be sorry.
I must say when i first listened to this cd, i didnt give it too much thought. It wasn't until the second listen when I became amazed. My fav tracks are accordian, figaro, strange ways, fancy clow, and rhinestone cowboy. I also heard a sweet remix of figaro that I think is on the 12". Don't sleep on this album, you'll be sorry.
64 of 80 people found the following review helpful
By Brian Seiler
Format:Audio CD|Verified Purchase
In art, sometimes things get produced that are strange and influential, considered within the scope of their origin (Van Gogh, for example), and sometimes things get created that are strange for no good reason and we can only hope aren't influential at all (e.e. cummings). There's no question that Madvillainy is not a "normal" hip hop record. The question is whether that's okay.
For some people, I figure it will probably work out. For others, it won't. It's really that simple.
To address the common complaints, all of which have some validity:
1. The tracks tend to be short. Well, that's not quite true--the tracks, as divided by the album listing--are on the short side of average. The thing is that many of those tracks are almost divisible into sub-tracks, with the end result being that most of the vocal snippets (the actual rapping) don't last for more than about a minute at a time.
2. DOOM doesn't take himself seriously. I honestly don't know what to tell you about that. I think people that are faulting him for his subject matter have a stick somewhere uncomfortable they need to remove. Popular music, like any mass artistic medium, is supposed to be entertaining. It doesn't necessarily have to make sense to be fun, though that's not really a problem that DOOM has (his stuff frequently makes sense--at least, it does to me, though the fact that my perusal of lyrics at a couple of sites suggested that a number of listeners don't know who Worf is tells me I may be coming from a little bit different area of subject expertise).
2.5. Some people think there are too many skits. I classify this is a non-observation or a sub-complaint for several reasons. Read more ›
For some people, I figure it will probably work out. For others, it won't. It's really that simple.
To address the common complaints, all of which have some validity:
1. The tracks tend to be short. Well, that's not quite true--the tracks, as divided by the album listing--are on the short side of average. The thing is that many of those tracks are almost divisible into sub-tracks, with the end result being that most of the vocal snippets (the actual rapping) don't last for more than about a minute at a time.
2. DOOM doesn't take himself seriously. I honestly don't know what to tell you about that. I think people that are faulting him for his subject matter have a stick somewhere uncomfortable they need to remove. Popular music, like any mass artistic medium, is supposed to be entertaining. It doesn't necessarily have to make sense to be fun, though that's not really a problem that DOOM has (his stuff frequently makes sense--at least, it does to me, though the fact that my perusal of lyrics at a couple of sites suggested that a number of listeners don't know who Worf is tells me I may be coming from a little bit different area of subject expertise).
2.5. Some people think there are too many skits. I classify this is a non-observation or a sub-complaint for several reasons. Read more ›
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
By Adam P Boots
Format:Audio CD
Alright... I'm not strictly a MF Doom (or Victor Vaughn, King Geeordah, KMD, Zeb Lova X, or whatever moniker he's using now) fan, or a Madlib (or Yesterdays New Quintet, Quasimoto, Otis Jackson Jr. or whatever moniker HE'S using now) fan, but I like good hip hop, and this is just that.
First of all... The beats... Extremely typical Madlib production, with what sounds like TONS of really short samples jumbled together to make a great beat, in a way that only Madlib does... Additionally, this is LITTERED with what sounds like old radio programs as skits and interludes. I say LITTERED, but I don't mean this negatively. Most or many of the skits/intros are HILARIOUS, and I'm under the impression that Doom must have been digging in the crates for MONTHS or YEARS trying to find all the old radio talk for the interludes (the production credits say that Doom handled all the skits... I may be wrong on this...) (America's Most Blunted has my favorite production work, but I kind of feel the song is ruined a bit by a Quasimoto/Madlib "duet" at the end... I guess this is just because I don't like the "Quasimoto" character that Madlib created and would rather he just rap normal...).
Doom comes through with the rhymes nicely. In Fact, I'm much more impressed with his work on this album than Madlib's, though I think that Madlib did a fantastic job of handling the beats. It's probably because I've just come to expect it out of Madlib, but I don't have as much of a history when it comes to Doom's work.
So far, this is one of my favorite CONCEPT hip hop albums ever, on par with Dr. Octogonecologist and Deltron 3030 (and from what I hear, lots of the MF Doom albums, or even the first Prince Paul album but I don't own any of them, and can't make that comparison... Read more ›
First of all... The beats... Extremely typical Madlib production, with what sounds like TONS of really short samples jumbled together to make a great beat, in a way that only Madlib does... Additionally, this is LITTERED with what sounds like old radio programs as skits and interludes. I say LITTERED, but I don't mean this negatively. Most or many of the skits/intros are HILARIOUS, and I'm under the impression that Doom must have been digging in the crates for MONTHS or YEARS trying to find all the old radio talk for the interludes (the production credits say that Doom handled all the skits... I may be wrong on this...) (America's Most Blunted has my favorite production work, but I kind of feel the song is ruined a bit by a Quasimoto/Madlib "duet" at the end... I guess this is just because I don't like the "Quasimoto" character that Madlib created and would rather he just rap normal...).
Doom comes through with the rhymes nicely. In Fact, I'm much more impressed with his work on this album than Madlib's, though I think that Madlib did a fantastic job of handling the beats. It's probably because I've just come to expect it out of Madlib, but I don't have as much of a history when it comes to Doom's work.
So far, this is one of my favorite CONCEPT hip hop albums ever, on par with Dr. Octogonecologist and Deltron 3030 (and from what I hear, lots of the MF Doom albums, or even the first Prince Paul album but I don't own any of them, and can't make that comparison... Read more ›
18 of 21 people found the following review helpful
By namepeace
Format:Audio CD
At a time when hip-hop in many ways has made a mockery of itself, and when its premier acts are neither creative nor conscious, MF Doom and Madlib have delivered an undisputed classic. Madvillainy is a rare hip-hop "concept" album filled with frenetic beats and rhymes that are both avant garde and street-level at the same time.
It is amazing to hear their reinvention of the beat and rhyme on tracks like "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Figaro," "Accordion," and the instant classic "All Caps." Many of the tracks are short, and the interludes sometimes make little sense.
It is telling that many of the artists leading a revolution within hip-hop are its elders, like De La Soul, Common, and (hopefully) Digable Planets and A Tribe Called Quest. Madvillain sports 2 prolific veterans of the rap game who have managed to make hip-hop challenging and relevant again. In my humble opinion, Madvillainy is the most important hip-hop album of the last decade and one of the best albums of the last few years, period. Pick it up.
It is amazing to hear their reinvention of the beat and rhyme on tracks like "Rhinestone Cowboy," "Figaro," "Accordion," and the instant classic "All Caps." Many of the tracks are short, and the interludes sometimes make little sense.
It is telling that many of the artists leading a revolution within hip-hop are its elders, like De La Soul, Common, and (hopefully) Digable Planets and A Tribe Called Quest. Madvillain sports 2 prolific veterans of the rap game who have managed to make hip-hop challenging and relevant again. In my humble opinion, Madvillainy is the most important hip-hop album of the last decade and one of the best albums of the last few years, period. Pick it up.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
I Love DOOM, This Album Is Great
Got the CD Quick and brand new. I love DOOM, and this is one of the best albums I own.
Published 1 day ago by Torch
3.0 out of 5 stars
The album gets 5 stars but
I bought this album on vinyl and I was displeased to find that the one I received was a reissue and not an original press. Read more
Published 6 days ago by Ryan Shepherd
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent Album
One of the best rap albums to ever reach my ears. Absolutely loved every minute of this. The pressing was good and the album art is iconic.
10/10 would recommend.
10/10 would recommend.
Published 9 days ago by Kiefer Rock
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Dopeness.
Published 1 month ago by Alexander Myers
1.0 out of 5 stars
Great album; Horrendous pressing
This album gets a 9/10 for me. Excellent hip hop collaboration between MF Doom and Madlib. As for this vinyl pressing, it skips horribly throughout the entire album. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Daria Fan
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant.
Wonderfully inventive and brilliant album.
Published 1 month ago by Eli C.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique.
Another one of the few cds my son has asked for.
Published 3 months ago by L. Turner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Five Stars
Great album
Published 3 months ago by Christopher John McGevna
5.0 out of 5 stars
Awesome Beats, Awesome raps, Awesome Album
Dope album. I love the short nature of the songs as you don't get stuck listening to a beat you don't like for less than two minutes. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Homsar
5.0 out of 5 stars
The best in Rap
I don't always listen to rap but when I do, I listen to this album. This is as good as it gets
Published 4 months ago by murderface
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