Madvillainy was an underground smash (by MF Doom and Madlib as Madvillain): twelve of its twenty-two tracks were shorter than two minutes and none of the songs had traditional hooks or choruses, but it was so singularly unique and memorable both lyrically and production-wise that it became one of the most critically lauded hip-hop records of the decade, indie or mainstream. It sold over 150,000 copies, modest by mainstream music's platinum-or-bust standards, but successful enough to keep Stones Throw not just solvent but thriving. And if the old saying about the Velvet Underground was true for the rock world--that they only sold a fraction of the records that the popular bands did, but everyone who bought a copy started a band of their own--the echoes of Madvillainy would be heard everywhere by the end of the 2000s. Chain-toking stream-of-consciousness MCs and bedroom beatmakers fiddling with a Dr. Sample put out underground sensations of their own, from electronic/future-jazz musician Flying Lotus to the LA rap collective Odd Future. Even Thom Yorke of Radiohead singled out Madvillainy track "Raid" as a personal favorite on an iTunes Celebrity Playlist he put together in early 2007. - Bring That Beat Back, 2020. I agree with Nate Patrin, it was an underground smash! One of a handful of albums that consistently sold at Fat Beats, and it certainly flew off the shelves whenever we were bumpin' it through the speakers. Revisit this classic LP below and of course, Rest In Peace, MF Doom. Hit the archives for a lot more.
MF Doom and Madlib, Madvillainy... via Stones Throw Records.
