Madlib is a music producer, rapper and DJ from the USA who has become widely known for creating his own unique style of music. His arrangements are rarely the same, and each new release involves working with some new style. It is based on hip-hop with the addition of jazz, soul and electronic music.
The artist's pseudonym (or rather, one of them) is an acronym for "mind-changing crazy beat lessons". A beat is a rap arrangement that underlies the creation of rap compositions.
Madlib gained its popularity precisely thanks to the creation of instrumental compositions. His tracks with his own vocals can be found much less often, but many of them also enjoy some popularity.
It is interesting that the musician takes a very responsible attitude to the creation of arrangements. So, he does not take well-known compositions for sampling (a method of creating compositions in which excerpts from other people's songs are used), choosing rare and little-known works. In addition, Madlib minimizes or completely refuses to use a computer in its work. He replaces them with samplers and various drum machines, which results in a sound that is different from other beatmakers.
The beginning of the creative path of Madlib
The musician was born on October 24, 1973 in the USA, California. From an early age, the boy was destined to somehow connect his life with music: both of his parents are musicians. Therefore, from an early age, the young man began to study various genres. In the late 80s, rap was actively developing and spreading, and Otis (the real name of the rapper) began to collect music from famous bands and MCs of that time. In the early 90s, he began to create his own rap.
The first compositions were recorded as part of Lootpack, a team that Otis founded with his friends. It is interesting that Otis' father appreciated the music of the guys. Especially to promote their work to the masses, he founded his own music label Crate Diggas Palace in 1996 and began to release compositions by young rappers.
Through this promotion, the artists were noticed by a larger label. Stones Throw Records willingly signed a collaboration agreement with them. In 1999, the band's first album was released. It cannot be said that it was widely distributed among listeners, but for a debut it was a good release, which allowed it to get its first fans in its native state.
Madlib itself, meanwhile, has been hard at work on other projects as well. Among them are albums for Tha Alkaholiks. As a producer, Otis has created the lion's share of the compositions for several of the team's releases.
Madlib solo career
In 2000, the artist also created his first solo work, The Unseen. For a number of reasons, the disc was released under the pseudonym Quasimoto. The record attracted a lot of attention - both from listeners and critics. And Otis himself received many awards. His face began to appear on the covers of magazines, and his name on many music awards.
Despite the fact that, it would seem, the formula for success was found, Madlib decided not to repeat itself. The next release "Angles Without Edges" was recorded in a different style. Here classic hip-hop gives way to modern rhythmic jazz mixed with electronica. The idea of the album is also noteworthy - the disc was released on behalf of Yesterdays New Quintet, by which Otis meant the whole team. In fact, the work on the album was carried out by him almost alone.
This, by the way, explains the numerous pseudonyms of the artist. Depending on the nature of the release, he releases his works under different names. The musician does not tolerate repetition and prefers to try different styles. Subsequently, discs were released from the "participants" of Yesterdays New Quintet - thus, the musician created a whole legend about the team of artists and developed it over several years.
Further career development
The producer in 2003 again begins to make classic hip-hop. This time not alone, but in cooperation with J Dilla, a well-known hip-hop producer from the mid-XNUMXs. Their collaboration is just the start of a series of Madlib collaborations. He actively cooperates with MF Doom, Jaylib, produces songs of performers - representatives of different genres.
In 2005, after the release of Quasimoto, Otis began collaborating with vocal artists for his solo releases. From that moment on, he often invites session musicians - not only to record vocals, but also to play various instruments. The beatmaker's music becomes even more diverse. As a result, the artist releases several instrumental releases, on which vocals were completely absent (even in the form of samples).
The album "Liberation" presented the world with a new interesting duet - Madlib and Talib Kweli, which continues to delight fans with new releases today. Since this year, Otis often acts as a beatmaker in collaboration with famous rappers. One of the most recognized was the duo Madlib and Freddie Gibbs. Their joint album "Piñata" today is already called a true classic of hip-hop. The release climbed to the top of the Billboard chart almost immediately after the release.
In total, at the moment the artist has released more than 40 different releases under several pseudonyms. As a producer, he has worked with legendary bands and rappers: Mos Def, De La Soul, Ghostface Killah and many more. At the moment, the producer is working on a number of releases.
