Never has a hip-hop album as psyched-out as this achieved such success. MF Doom isn't one to do things the usual way - the guy wears a mask, for heaven's sake - and the Madliberator has a brilliant knack for perfectly catering to his collaborators. To a new listener, Madvillainy makes zero sense - why are twelve songs shorter than two minutes long? Is half of this album made of skits? Most 22-track albums get as close to the 80-minute mark as they can, but this album doesn't even hit 50.
Madvillainy is better for it. With songs so concise, where is the space for the bad music? Skipping almost entirely over hooks. these extremely short tracks (which range from about 90 to 150 seconds, with a few exceptions) are usually just one verse long. If there's another verse, it's either because there is a feature, or there's a break between them. Not a chorus. If you've listened to other Doom projects such as Operation: Doomsday, You'll recognize his typical theme - the fictional villain "Doom" set on world domination once again returns, but this time as "Madvillain" with Madlib. They have no code of ethics, and are two really nice boys who just happen to be on the wrong side of the law. Those are lines from 'The Illest Villains', the chaotic moshpit of 1950's movie samples that serves as the opening skit. Once the dust settles, and the first true track begins, the first thing we hear is 'Accordion'. How many hip-hop producers sample accordions? I don't know any that did it before Madlib, and I don't know any that did it afterward. The accordion loops on and on, ready for Doom to touch the mic, and he opens with the line: "Living off borrowed time, the clock ticks faster." That's how you know for sure he's a villain - what else does a villain fear more than his own death? He could have performed any heinous act of villainy to display his evil, but he's a rapper as well, and one who doesn't give the audience everything from the first listen. There's meaning to be unpacked. The verse ends - "Your first and last step to playing yourself like accordion" - and thus the song ends too. Remember, they're short. They're compact. The longest track on Madvillainy is the final track, 'Rhinestone Cowboy' which clocks in at 4:00 exactly. It feels like an age in contrast to the other tracks, and is slightly long-winded. This track is one of the only two I have any problem with; the other being 'Rainbows' where Doom attempts to sing. To be honest, it's dull, and unnecessary. Singing has its place in hip-hop, but not here. When you're making an album as villainous as this, stick to spitting. But Doom isn't the only Madvillain that spits. When Madlib raps, he uses his alter-ego named Quasimoto, or Lord Quas. Quasimoto doesn't rap like a typical rapper - he rhymes at a very slow tempo, and speeds the vocal track up to match the instrumental. There's two tracks here with Lord Quas, being 'America's Most Blunted' and 'Shadows Of Tomorrow'. Both are highlights, in an album already packed with highlights. 'Shadows Of Tomorrow' has to be my favourite - Doom isn't present, but Madlib is. Quas raps about the theory of tomorrow, today, and yesterday - "Today is the shadow of tomorrow / today is the present future of yesterday". Madlib, this time in his normal voice, raps about the past, and the future. "The light of the past is the light which was / the wisdom of the past is the light of the past / the light of the future is the light which is to be / the wisdom of the future is the light of the future see." Damn. His (their) verses demand attention, demand reflection. And it doesn't hurt than the instrumental is completely off-kilter. I have no idea what the instrument in the background is, but it's awesome. Every instrumental is like this. There's something about Madlib that just can't be described. In MC / Producer collabs, the beat-makers don't usually get as much attention in the music. But Madlib shows his presence on two tracks, and the three instrumental tracks ('Sickfit', 'Do Not Fire!', and 'Supervillain Theme') are all fantastic. 'Sickfit' is my favourite of the three, but 'Supervillain Theme' is just as good, simply in the way it sets the stage for the song before it. 'All Caps' follows. The beat on this song barrels into insanity right from the start, but as it reaches the lowest of pitches, it gives way for MF Doom to rap over some tight trumpets. And does he kill it? Of course he does - "just remember ALL CAPS when you spell the man name". Oops, sorry Doom - I'd better go back through my review and fix that. |
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June 2016
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