Madvillain - Madvillainy

March 23rd, 2004.

Stones Throw Records

The minds of Madlib and MF DOOM converge on a world of sample-heavy Hip-Hop. The warping heat of the West Coast meets the stern and somewhat detached breath of the East Coast - both giving balance. A colossal 45 minutes of abstract feats and mind altering beats, Madvillainy turns 20. 

The pinnacle of Experimental Hip-Hop, and Abstract Hip-Hop at it's finest hour, Madvillainy is home to more creative and off-kiltered acts than a month-long ode to creative talents. Some things can't be bought or sold. An organic air breezes through. Has an album opened with a more iconic and quotable line? 'Living off borrowed time, the clock ticks faster.' An aphorism to get proceedings underway. A dusty soul that's been on the receiving end of some things. Some good. Some not so. All taken into consideration - as much as things can be. Some understood - as far as things can be.

Madvillainy is where the capacity for strange meets the equally capable abilities of two at the top of their game. Two eccentric characters intertwine and align on an abstract sonic trip. Things look and feel the same, but there's a tangible taste in the air that's offset; psychedelically sweet and tends to stick to your tongues buds. Madlib sets the scene with these opulent worlds of exploratory and sample-heavy sights, while MF DOOM supplies said scenes with his signature complex patterns and rhyme schemes. An eternal oozing of style viscously drips from Madvillainy. It breathes the essence of creativity - straight from the source. Funnelled through time itself. A free-flowing stream of conscious encounters with the other side. The eternal doors are open wide.  

RIP DOOM.