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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.

Madvillainy
by Madvillain


9.0

based on 20 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

based on 120 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album

MUSIC:

Stones Throw Records

'Madvillainy' is a collaboration between rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib.

LABEL:	Stones Throw
RELEASE DATE:	23 March 2004
DISCS:	1 disc
GENRE(S):	Indie, Rap

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

The Onion (A.V. Club)

Like both artists' most transcendent work, Madvillainy retains its mystery and wonder after dozens of listens.

100

Dusted Magazine

While every Ivy League dog kennel worker with a paycheck from Blender or Revolver may write dissertations about how Outkast re-invented pop music (and if we follow that logic) then Madvillain simply destroys the boundaries.

100

Alternative Press

All invention and no indulgence. [Jun 2004, p.110]

Pitchfork

Madvillainy is inexhaustibly brilliant, with layer-upon-layer of carefully considered yet immediate hip-hop, forward-thinking but always close to its roots.... Good luck finding a better hip-hop album this year, mainstream, undie, or otherwise.

Village Voice (Consumer Guide)

A glorious phantasmagoria of flow.

Q Magazine

One utterly badass album. [Jul 2004, p.116]

Tiny Mix Tapes

A dizzying synergy of heavy brains and chemistry, culminating in blissfully fun, irreverent, and engaging brand of record-making magic.

Mojo

The wily creativity on display here is astonishing. [Jun 2004, p.114]

Dot Music

A definite tour de force for indie hip hop.

Delusions of Adequacy

It’s easily one of the best pieces of work of both participants’ careers and a mark of the incredible talent both possess.

All Music Guide

Madvillainy's strength lies in its mix between seemingly obtuse beats, samples, MCing, and some straight-up hip-hop bumping.

PopMatters

The problem with Madvillainy, if it can even be termed a problem, is that Doom and Madlib just have too many ideas.

Splendid

Madvillainy isn't really an inaccessible record. It may take a couple of spins for you to get involved, but once you've passed that initial adaptation, it stays with you.

Austin Chronicle

Not only does it capture the unstructured verse of a masked maniac within a sheer net of plausibility, it parades his inner dementia among instrumental adornments of the highest order.

Filter

Raw, crunchy beats and ugly, monster flows delivered in a punk album format. [#9, p.110]

Urb

Boatloads of fresh, clunky beats land ashore with narrative tongue trickery. [Apr 2004, p.86]

ShakingThrough.net

Madlib creatively melds electronic and jazzy elements, entertaining voiceovers akin to the kind heard on Batman or Superman cartoons, and snippets of Sun Ra to fashion a wildly diverse yet coherently executed tableaux of brainy, original noise-art.

Village Voice

An outlandishly imaginative collaboration.

Stylus Magazine

By trimming excess fat (read: R’n’B choruses), Madvilliany keeps a sense of spontaneity, cutting off unexpectedly and never allowing anything to get stale.

Blender

A torrid album that marries old-school rap aesthetics to punk-rock concision. [May 2004, p.127]

The average user rating for this album is 9.0 (out of 10) based on 120 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Wes M. gave it a10:
I admit, this took a LOT of listens for me to get into, and I only finally got into after listening to the excellent Mouse and the Mask -- reinvigorated my interest in hip-hop -- highly recommended!

Daro gave it a10:
Pure genius.

Brandon S gave it an8:
Its a great album but i wouldnt give it a straight 10.

Nick D. gave it a9:
A masterpiece; at turns amusing, threatening and even downright psychopathic. Just for the record, anyone who - like Eric Y - refers to this as "rap" doesn't know of what they speak and should get back to their Fifty Cent record collection.

Krish B gave it a10:
DOOM + MADLIB = Greatest Combination EVER!!!

Lukas gave it a10:
Utterly unique, thick bass lines, fantastic jazz samples and the greatest rapper of all time to boot, any of you fools that gave this a bad review have no taste and are the reason most hip hop is crap nowadays.

Blak000 K gave it a10:
A classic album. This is one of my favorite hip-hop albums of all time. The CD is filled with great songs, and even greater beats. Doom can sound like he's rambling (as he often does), but his songs usually have a profound (or at least meaningful) message. If you're into jazzy style hip-hop, then this CD might be worth looking into.

Madvillainy by Madvillain

Madvillainy
by Madvillain