Madvillain
Madvillainy
(Stone’s Throw)
Madvillainy is fucking awesome. A collaboration between Madlib and MF Doom, the disc splices Saturday morning cartoons, late night movies and inspired beats with a surgeon’s accuracy. There is not one misstep. While much hip-hop has been weighed down by ego, Madvillain shows an absolute dedication to the art. Most MCs in Doom’s shoes would waste a career trying to live up to an album as accomplished as his Vaudeville Villain (2003), but he has surpassed it in a matter of months.
—Matt Charlton
This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2007.