When you start designating certain prowess with the “great” tag, the notion of impact takes on great meaning. What did (whatever it is you’re assessing) impact, change, propel?

Madlib’s greatness is an interesting idea when viewed in the context of this discussion. His very nature makes it difficult to maximize impact. The stories abound. He’s enigmatic, he’s reclusive, he’s eccentric. He doesn’t do many interviews. He’s absolutely cool with giving his music away for free (see Liberation). He has more aliases than Ol’ Dirty Bastard –

from the heliumed-out Quasimoto, to the dumbfounding and dexterious Yesterday’s New Quintet. Lib is not, will never be and doesn’t seem even modestly interested in being a grand, lionized icon on the scale of Dr. Dre or RZA, even though he has one of hip hop’s most feverent cult-followings.

Nope. Madlib’s greatness is strictly the fact that he’s a beastly genius. We’ll probably never see a Madlib movement among producers, because it’s foolhearted to even attempt to copy or approach what he does with music. Every great producer – Dilla, Diamond D, Dre, Eric Sermon, Primo – has mastered a particular sound that no one could duplicate. But, people come close. The copy cats are out there in droves.  Pete Rock has his disciples. RZA has his disciples. Madlib, however, has no disciples because 1.) he has stayed decidely underground; and perhaps most profoundly 2.) His sound is not accessible. Mere humans do not possess the capability nor inclination to see music the way he does. If Madlib’s vision of music was to ever materialize, it’d probably scare the piss out of us while simeautaneously placing us in euphoric state we’d never want to leave.

A friend once commented on how it’s tough to locate/recognize a “Madlib sound”. That wasn’t frustration or dissapointment speaking. He wasn’t bewildered or confused, he was in awe of the radical nature of Madlib’s diverse offerings. But I responded, “I feel you, but I can tell a Madlib beat when it’s a track that makes you say, ‘No one but Madlib could have come up with that.’” The man is psycho on the boards.

In addition to the strong jazz roots of the stuff he lays down, there’s a stream-of-consciousness nature about a Madlib-track that gets at the essence of creativity and seems disdainful of convention. There is mood-music and there is Madlib-music. Mood-music puts one in a frame of mind. Madlib-music is rife with so many layers and unique oddities (an accordion here, distorted flute there…a cascading organ over yonder) that it’ll F up your brain and almost physically change your world. And amazingly, it’s rarely with an onslaught. The subtleties, though, are deafning.

That’s why artists allow him free reign over albums (MF DOOM and Madvillainy, Dudley Perkins and Expressions: 2012 A.U.) and record labels, like Trojan and Blue Note open up their vaults and say, “Have at it”, like a supermarket opening up it’s store to a master chef.  And, Madlib delivers gourmet banquets (Blunted in the Bomb Shelter Mix, Shades of Blue) every time. The fact that the aforementioned albums feature Madlib remixing a reggae and jazz collection, respectively, only illustrates how “music” he is.

If you got all of jazz’ primary innovators together – the greats – you’d get a collage of personalities. Miles would be the super-cool dude with sunglasses, pulling on a cig between his ring and pinky fingers. Trane would be Mr. Spiritual ensuring the vibe was healthy. Duke would probably be orchestrating everything while Diz cracks jokes and Bird navigates whatever emotional turmoil he’d be feeling in the midst of the only dudes as magnificent as he is. Then, somewhere, Monk would be loafing around, being unique, in the cut. Madlib is the Monk of producers and they’ll never be another.

Doin’ The Knowledge

Listen to Madlib – by himself and without instruments – recreate the full-bodied sound of a hip hop driven jazz quintent on Angles Without Edges. Then check his classic shenanigans with MF DOOM on their classic, Madvillainy. And make sure you kop Unseen, yet another classic turn, this time with Lib in his Quasimoto character. Each work of art will leave you spellbound.

-- Music Dude

musicdude@thisisrealmusic.com