Madlib publishes under many pseudonyms. He stays true to his roots and continues to develop. These and other characteristics make him so exciting.
What tempts us music enthusiasts to follow the same artists for years, sometimes decades? How do our favorite artists manage to inspire us anew with every project? The art could lie in finding the perfect balance between reinvention and continuity. Artists who stand the test of time continue to develop without losing sight of the core of their work. Otis Jackson Jr. – better known as Madlib – has managed this balancing act since the beginning of his career. Apparently effortless.
Madlib – An artist with many faces
It’s not too much of a gamble to suggest that there are very few artists in the world who appear under more pseudonyms than Otis Jackson Jr. As Madlib, he’s been building hip-hop beats under the name since the mid-’90s He plays DJ Rels live sets, as a quasimoto he has been rapping with a pitched voice since the 2000s. This list could go on for a very long time. Jackson’s pseudonyms are the reason his music has been able to branch out the way it has for nearly 30 years. As different as the various projects may appear at first glance, the same common thread runs through them all. And it’s called Madlib.
Otis Jackson Jr. grew up in Oxnard, California, the son of a soul singer and record lover. He first grabbed a vinyl from his father’s collection – DOING IT TO DEATH (1973) by The JB’s – at age 11 and crafted his first sample-based beat.
In 1990, Madlib joined forces with Oxnarder artists Wildchild and DJ Romes to form the trio Lootpack. The then only 23-year-old produced the debut EP PSYCHE MOVE, which the group released in 1996. The record was well received by the underground hip-hop scene, causing the label “Stones Throw Records” from Los Angeles became aware of the three friends and finally signed them. In 1999 Lootpack released their debut album SOUNDPIECES: DA ANTITODE. He released all of his work on Stones Throw until 2010 when Madlib founded his own label Madlib Invazion.
What defines Madlib’s sound?
SOUNDPIECES already contained elements that later became characteristic of Madlib’s pioneering sound. The samples he dug up from the depths of the record crate are so unconventional that the beats shouldn’t actually work. Because of the naturalness with which the “Beat Konducta” lays them over his crackling drum breaks, they did it anyway. The whole record has a sound reminiscent of the 70’s. This comes – then as now – from how Madlib mixes his tracks. He completely dispenses with so-called digital audio workstations and instead uses old-fashioned samplers such as the E-mu SP-1200. His first alter ego appeared on SOUNDPIECES: Quasimoto. Here as a “feature guest” on the song “Answers”.
Quasimoto’s debut album THE UNSEEN followed in 2000. Compared to SOUNDPIECES, the beats became even more sophisticated and, above all, jazzier – Madlib processed samples from Wes Montgomery, Don Cherry and others. But they remained just as unmistakable. On the track “Return of the Loop Digga,” Madlib raps in his own voice about his dislike of producers who only want commercial success with their instrumentals. He and his crew, on the other hand, try to “create completely different shit that you haven’t heard before.” The beat to “Low Class Conspiracy” is a prime example of this. The main reef of “Mellow Mood” By Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery in 1969, the producer repurposed the smooth jazz tune into a head-nodding boom-bap instrumental.
Jackson’s beats burst with an almost inexhaustible knowledge and understanding of music. Finding unconventional samples is one thing. Crafting new hits from them is an art that only very few have mastered. Madlib is one of them. One of the reasons for this is that he has no interest in producing beats purely for commercial success. Madlib makes the music he likes personally and doesn’t let the music industry dictate it.
Quasimoto as a counterpoint to mainstream hip-hop
The fictional character “Lord Quas”, who raps in a pitched voice over Madlib beats on Quasimoto albums, took this mainstream critique to the next level: she is an antithesis to the popular rap of the past millennium and has become a symbol of underground music. Hip hop. This is reflected again and again in the lyrics of the album THE UNSEEN. For example, on the track “Microphone Mathematics,” Lord Quas raps, “It’s the new breed fuckin’ up the mainstream.” Otis Jackson Jr. doesn’t care about rules, genre boundaries, or commercial success. Neither as Madlib, nor as Quasimoto, nor as another alter ego. This is already evident at this early stage in his career.
Under Quasimoto, Jackson also released the studio album THE FURTHER ADVENTURES OF LORD QUAS (2005) and the compilation YESSIR WHATEVER (2013). In addition, Lord Quas appears again and again as a feature guest in various Madlib projects. This also applies to the collaboration with hip-hop’s “super villain” MF DOOM: MADVILLAINY (2004).
Madlib and MF DOOM’s magnum opus: MADVILLAINY
Everything that there is to say about MADVILLAINY has surely already been said. Long story short, it’s the magnum opus from producer Madlib and rapper MF DOOM, a masterpiece from start to finish and a milestone in hip-hop history. Madlib demonstrated his ability to complement and enhance the skills of his feature guests and crowned himself the king of underground hip-hop producers. One of the many highlights of the record is the track “Accordion”. For the instrumental, Jackson borrowed the sound of Daedelus’ accordion from the track “Experiences” and created a beat that is still unparalleled in terms of genius today.
Madlib’s forays into jazz
It has already been suggested that Otis Jackson Jr. has little time for so-called genre boundaries. Accordingly, it won’t surprise any fan if they suddenly come across a series of jazz albums while delving deeper into the DJ’s, producer’s and MC’s discography. Yesterday’s New Quintet, consisting of five fictional jazz musicians, behind whom Madlib is hiding, released the studio album ANGELS WITHOUT EDGES (2001) alongside numerous EPs and singles. Jackson moves away from his sample-based approach here and swaps SP-1200 for Fender Rhodes.
In 2003 he was finally invited by “Blue Note Records”, a jazz label from New York, to rummage through their archive and reinterpret old records. This resulted in SHADES OF BLUE: MADLIB INVADES BLUE NOTE, a compilation of 16 tracks he was producing at the time. The imaginary artists from the atmosphere of Yesterday’s New Universe appear here again. Madlib provided a hit of a very special kind with the track “Stepping Into Tomorrow”. It is a reinterpretation of Donald Byrd’s song of the same name with a playing time of over seven minutes.
Madlib later expanded the circle of jazz musicians around him – this time with two “real” people: Karriem Riggins and Ivan Conti from Azymuth. The result of this multi-year streak in Jackson’s career is a respectable catalog of jazz records that doesn’t need a hip-hop head to enjoy.
Madlib stands the test of time
As befits a great artist, Madlib has constantly reinvented himself and his music. Not only his old records, but also more recent works from his pen are evidence of almost endless creativity. Exhibits A and B: His collaborations with rapper Freddie Gibbs PIÑATA (2014) and BANDANA (2019). If you listen to the two albums, you will definitely hear Madlib. However, a different Madlib than 10, 15 or 20 years ago. His hip-hop production still revolves around the samples he pulls out of his treasury full of records. At the time of his Freddie Gibbs features, however, Madlib processed them differently than he did on MADVILLAINY or SOUNDPIECES: DA ANTIDOTE.
Especially when it comes to arrangement and drums, Jackson becomes more modern in the early 2010s. Programmed drums from the machine replaced, at least in part, the sampled drum breaks he used to use exclusively. The younger the producer’s releases become, the more often attentive listeners come across beats where Madlib didn’t add any of their own drums at all.
Madlib writes hip-hop history
The list of great albums that Madlib has released is of course longer than the one presented here. Examples include his collaboration with J Dilla CHAMPION SOUND (2003), his solo album SOUND ANCESTORS (2021) and his BEAT KONDUCTA series.
In any case, one thing is certain: Madlib, now 49 and living and working in Los Angeles, will go down in hip-hop history as an eternal innovator. No record was ever too unusual for him to look for a loop on. At the same time, Madlib manages better than most hip-hop producers – with all the innovation that has characterized him for 30 years – not to lose sight of his roots. He also proves – for example through his jazz records – a complexity that never lets his music get boring.