Madvillainy, The Legendary Team Up of MF DOOM and Madlib

Under the alias Madvillain, both MF DOOM, often described as the villain of hip hop, and Madlib, one of the best producers in hip hop, made the album Madvialliany together. Both DOOM and Madlib produce, but in this case almost all of the album was produced by Madlib, with the exception of the first track, which was produced by both DOOM and Madlib.

Madvillainy is an album without any choruses. In other words, it is endless creativity and no repetition. It is only DOOM rapping with his gritty voice and complex rhyme schemes.

DOOM can flow on the beat while rhyming almost every word in his songs. DOOM’s rhymes are catchy and fun. Rhymes like “Skeezer eye” and “Squeeze her thigh” have been stuck in my mind since listening to the album. DOOM is a master with his lyricism and rhymes. Madlib as the producer crafts bright and warm beats. Both a supern MC and producer joined together to make a high-quality album.

Madvillainy is considered an experimental album. An experimental album is an album that pushes the norms set by the genre. The beats on the album and the fact that it has no choruses make the album distinct from every other rap album.

Experimental albums are not for everyone since they sound rough and weird compared to mainstream music; however, experimental albums are the most creative types of albums. They can capture beautiful sounds that people have never heard before. Madvillainy does this exact thing.

MF DOOM captures what seems like a childhood imagination with his rhymes; this is especially apparent in songs like “Great Day,” my favorite song on Madvilliany. “Great Day” starts with MF DOOM singing, which works well with the beat.Once MF DOOM starts rapping, it feels magical. The upbeat rhythm in “Great Day” gives a feeling of euphoria, which is something truly magical.

So since it seems that Madlib contributes so much to the album, what does MF DOOM bring to this album? I’ve seen many people try to write off DOOM’s talent by saying that he raps gibberish, which is a false statement. Take two bars from “ALL CAPS,” Madvillainy’s most listened to track:

“So nasty that it’s probably somewhat of a travesty having me
Daily told the people: “You can call me Your Majesty!”

The first bar is MF DOOM saying that he’s unwantable. The second line references the villain status of MF DOOM. MF DOOM, short for Metal Face DOOM, is considered the villain of hip hop. DOOM is based on Doctor Doom, a Marvel supervillain. DOOM uses this villain status for the second bar. He states that Daily, which is referencing a news company in MF DOOM’s universe, told people that DOOM was their leader. The second bar could also be referencing his alter ego King Geedarah, a three-headed dragon that mind controls people. The masked MC, as DOOM refers to himself, created an album called Take Me To Your Leader. In this album, he tells the story of this three-headed dragon who wants to take over the world. This demonstrates that these two bars that might seem like gibberish to some, have meaning behind them. Almost every MF DOOM bar has meaning to it, which shows that MF DOOM doesn’t just say random words. Each word and syllable has purpose and meaning

Both MF DOOM and Madlib did incredible work on Madvilliany. The first track, “Accordion,” has an accordion complementing the beat that works well to create a somber mood. Plus, the starting bar from MF DOOM on “
Accordion” states, “Livin’ off borrowed time, the clock tick faster,” which plays on the saying, “You’re living off borrowed time.” This is one of many times MF DOOM does a play one word in the lines in this song.

Another song that is really fun is “Meat Grinder.” “Meat Grinder” starts with a weird intro that contains a repetitive, lively beat, a trumpet playing a grand refrain, MF DOOM singing melodically again and again, “Sleeping in a jar,” and a gritty voice saying, “The jar is under the bed.”

Once the main part of “Meat Grinder” starts it is fun to hear MF DOOM rhyme almost every word in the song. MF DOOM uses complex rhyme schemes such as internal rhymes to accomplish this. Towards the end of the song, he raps, “He’s at it again, mad at the pen, glad that we win, a tad fat in a bad hat for men.” In the different lines, he has multiple rhyme schemes. For example, “at,” “mad,” “glad,” “a tad,” and “a bad” all rhyme. However, even within each line and segment, he uses near rhymes, such as, “again” and “pen.” Songs with the quality of “Meat Grinder” are abundant in this album.

This album is a staple in the underground hip hop community. Although it is not underground anymore, it is still a great listen. There are a ton of old-fashioned sampled skits, recordings, and rhythms from superhero shows used as beats and as a storytelling mechanism. There are news samples and pieces from old songs that give the album a nostalgic, childhood feeling. Madvillainy is a beautiful album with gorgeous beats paired with smooth verses and rhymes. This is  top  tier album that I listen to daily. I highly recommend that you listen to the album and experience the ride of Madvillainy. 10/10