This album cover is so representative of Madlib's sound. A degrading imagine, strong at first impression, that slowly slips away as you come closer to grabbing it. Brilliant.
As I listened to this album I kept thinking about how Madlib seems to be underappreciated. Oh sure, there's a sense that critically he's seen as a talented guy, but there's really only a small cult of Madlib heads who really seem to value his music. Why is a band like Radiohead seen as perhaps the dominant musical voice of our time? What do they offer that he doesn't? My initial reaction is that residual rockism is the answer. They're seen as musicians, while he's seen as some sort of DJ/producer figure.
This entry in the Beat Konducta series is Madlib's tribute to his good friend & collaborator, J Dilla. It's an information rich instrumental sound collage. Highly recommended.
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