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Madlib (born Otis Jackson Jr. on October 24, 1973 in Oxnard
Oxnard, California

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California, California in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different musical instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists....
, rapper
Rapping

Rapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in Hip Hop music, but the phenomenon predates Hip Hop culture by centuries....
, and music producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
. Known under a plethora of pseudonyms, he is one of the most prolific and critically acclaimed hip hop producers
Hip hop production

Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Modern hip hop production utilizes Sampler , Music sequencer, drum machines, synthesizers, Phonograph, and live instrumentation....
 of the 2000s and has collaborated with a myriad of hip hop artists, including The Alkaholiks, Mos Def
Mos Def

Dante Terrell Smith , is an American MC and actor known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def started his hip hop music career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul....
, De La Soul
De La Soul

De La Soul is an American hip hop music group formed in 1987 in Amityville, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres....
, Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah

Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapping and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the early- to mid-1990s, each member went on to pursue a solo career....
, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an United States MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop....
, A.G.
Showbiz and A.G.

Showbiz and A.G. are an American Hip hop music duo from The Bronx, New York City. Showbiz is a producer and A.G. is a rapper. The two debuted on Lord Finesse's Funky Technician album in 1990....
, Dre Silkk, MF DOOM (as Madvillain
Madvillain

Madvillain is a hip hop group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . Their debut album Madvillainy was met with wide critical acclaim for its unique approach?short songs, obscure lyrics, few choruses and a sound which was generally unfriendly to commercial radio....
), and the late J Dilla
J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey , also known as J Dilla, Jay Dee, or "your favorite producer's favorite producer", was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan....
 (as Jaylib). Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last," and he has done several projects as a DJ, mixer, or remixer. Alongside collaborators J Dilla
J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey , also known as J Dilla, Jay Dee, or "your favorite producer's favorite producer", was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan....
 and MF Doom, Madlib has been an influence on an upcoming generation of producers and musicians, many of which prefer Madlib's abstract styles.

ib was born in Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California, California in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital....
 to musician parents Otis Jackson, Sr.






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Madlib (born Otis Jackson Jr. on October 24, 1973 in Oxnard
Oxnard, California

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California, California in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital....
, California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
, United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
) is a California
California

California is a U.S. state on the West Coast of the United States of the United States, along the Pacific Ocean. It is bordered by Oregon to the north, Nevada to the east, Arizona to the southeast, and to the south the Mexico state of Baja California....
-based DJ, multi-instrumentalist
Multi-instrumentalist

A multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different musical instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists....
, rapper
Rapping

Rapping is the rhythmic spoken delivery of rhymes, wordplay, and poetry. Rapping is a primary ingredient in Hip Hop music, but the phenomenon predates Hip Hop culture by centuries....
, and music producer
Record producer

In the music industry, a record producer has many roles, among them controlling the recording sessions, coaching and guiding the musicians, organizing and scheduling production budget and resources, and supervising the recording, Audio mixing and audio mastering processes....
. Known under a plethora of pseudonyms, he is one of the most prolific and critically acclaimed hip hop producers
Hip hop production

Hip hop production is the creation of hip hop music. Modern hip hop production utilizes Sampler , Music sequencer, drum machines, synthesizers, Phonograph, and live instrumentation....
 of the 2000s and has collaborated with a myriad of hip hop artists, including The Alkaholiks, Mos Def
Mos Def

Dante Terrell Smith , is an American MC and actor known by the stage name Mos Def. Mos Def started his hip hop music career in a group called Urban Thermo Dynamics, after which he appeared on albums by Da Bush Babees and De La Soul....
, De La Soul
De La Soul

De La Soul is an American hip hop music group formed in 1987 in Amityville, New York. They are best known for their eclectic sampling and quirky, surreal lyrics, and their contributions to the evolution of the jazz rap and alternative hip hop subgenres....
, Ghostface Killah
Ghostface Killah

Dennis Coles , better known by his stage name Ghostface Killah, is an American rapping and member of the Wu-Tang Clan. After the group achieved breakthrough success in the early- to mid-1990s, each member went on to pursue a solo career....
, Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an United States MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop....
, A.G.
Showbiz and A.G.

Showbiz and A.G. are an American Hip hop music duo from The Bronx, New York City. Showbiz is a producer and A.G. is a rapper. The two debuted on Lord Finesse's Funky Technician album in 1990....
, Dre Silkk, MF DOOM (as Madvillain
Madvillain

Madvillain is a hip hop group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . Their debut album Madvillainy was met with wide critical acclaim for its unique approach?short songs, obscure lyrics, few choruses and a sound which was generally unfriendly to commercial radio....
), and the late J Dilla
J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey , also known as J Dilla, Jay Dee, or "your favorite producer's favorite producer", was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan....
 (as Jaylib). Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last," and he has done several projects as a DJ, mixer, or remixer. Alongside collaborators J Dilla
J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey , also known as J Dilla, Jay Dee, or "your favorite producer's favorite producer", was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan....
 and MF Doom, Madlib has been an influence on an upcoming generation of producers and musicians, many of which prefer Madlib's abstract styles.

Early career

Madlib was born in Oxnard, California
Oxnard, California

Oxnard is the largest city in Ventura County, California, California in terms of population. It is located at the western edge of the fertile Oxnard Plain, and is one of the world's most important agricultural centers, with its distinction as the strawberry and lima bean capital....
 to musician parents Otis Jackson, Sr. and DoraSinesca Jackson. He was raised in Oxnard, and currently works in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles

Los ?ngeles is the Capital of the Biob?o Province, in the municipality of the same name, in Regions of Chile VIII , in the center-south of Chile....
. He began making music with the rap group Lootpack
Lootpack

Lootpack is an American hip hop group signed to Stones Throw Records. Though they were together since high school, Lootpack—Madlib, Wildchild , and DJ Romes—made their first appearance on the 1993 debut album by Tha Alkaholiks, 21 & Over....
 in the early 1990s. After his father started an independent label Crate Diggas Palace (CDP) Records in 1996 to promote Madlib and his CDP crew, including younger sibling, Oh No the Disrupt, and released an EP "Ill Psyche Move", Lootpack caught the attention of Peanut Butter Wolf
Peanut Butter Wolf

Chris Manak, aka Peanut Butter Wolf, is a DJ, hip-hop producer and the founder of hip-hop label Stones Throw Records.A native of San Jose, California , he has been active since 1989 when he produced a song by Lyrical Prophecy called "You Can't Swing This"....
, founder of the Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records

Stones Throw Records is an independent record label hip hop music record label based in California.It was started in 1996 in music by DJ/Hip hop production Peanut Butter Wolf....
 label. They released two singles and a full-length album on the Stones Throw imprint in 1999. Madlib also worked with rap group Tha Alkaholiks
Tha Alkaholiks

Tha Alkaholiks, also known as Tha Liks, was an United States hip hop music group from Los Angeles, California. Since the early 1990s they have produced funky, upbeat, hedonism-themed party music with a hardcore hip hop edge, powered by the beats of DJ and music producer E-Swift and the lively, comedic rhymes of J-Ro and Tash ....
 for several albums.

Madlib's first release under the guise of Quasimoto
Quasimoto

Quasimoto is the alter ego or the side project of Hip hop production Madlib, from Oxnard, California. Quas is known for the raised pitch of his voice as if he was inhaling helium....
, titled The Unseen
The Unseen (album)

The Unseen is the debut album by Quasimoto, an alter ego of producer Madlib....
, was in 2000. The album was met with critical acclaim and named by Spin Magazine as one of the top albums of the year. Madlib (as Quasimoto) was also named as Hip Hop Connection's Newcomer of the Year, in its annual readers poll for 2000. The distinctive high-pitched voice of Lord Quas is attained by playing the original beat at a slow speed, recording the vocals over that slow speed, then speeding the vocals along with the original beat back up to its original tempo. This can be done easily using any modern recording software. Furthermore, some of the samples that are sped up and slowed down include Madlib's own voice (primarily) and Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles

Melvin Van Peebles is an United States actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films....
 recordings.

Yesterdays New Quintet

In 2001, Madlib took a turn away from traditional hip hop music
Hip hop music

Hip hop music is a music genre typically consisting of a rhythmic vocal style called rapping which is accompanied with backing beats. Hip hop music is part of hip hop culture, which began in the Bronx, in New York City in the 1970s, predominantly among African Americans and Latino Americans....
, releasing his first Yesterdays New Quintet LP, Angles Without Edges. Yesterdays New Quintet is a Jazz
Jazz

Jazz is a primarily American musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
-based, hip hop and Electronic
Electronic music

Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology....
-influenced quintet made up of four fictitious characters, Ahmad Miller, Monk Hughes, Malik Flavors, Joe McDuphrey; and Madlib under his real name, Otis Jackson Jr. Madlib has continued to record other albums under the different guises of Yesterdays New Quintet members, including 2002's tribute to Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder

Stevie Wonder is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. A prominent figure in popular music during the latter half of the 20th century, Wonder has recorded more than thirty US top ten hits, won twenty-two Grammy Awards , plus one for Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, won an Academy Award for Best Song, an...
, Stevie; as well as "solo" albums by the various members, such as Monk Hughes' 2004's tribute to Weldon Irvine
Weldon Irvine

Weldon Jonathan Irvine, Jr. , also known Master Wel, was an United States composer, playwright, poet, pianist and organist....
, A Tribute to Brother Weldon, Joe McDuphrey Experience. He also created the pseudonym Sound Directions to create the YNQ-like band's "debut" album The Funky Side of Life.

The first, released in 2002, was a collection of old dub
Dub music

Dub is a form of music, evolved from reggae that involves revisions of existing songs. The dub sound consists predominantly of instrumental remixes of existing recordings and is achieved by significantly manipulating and reshaping the recordings, usually by removing the vocals from an existing music piece, emphasizing the drum and bass frequ...
 reggae
Reggae

Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s.While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Music of Jamaica, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady....
 tracks from Trojan Records
Trojan Records

Trojan Records is a United Kingdom record label specialising in ska, rocksteady, reggae and dub music. The label operates under the Sanctuary Records Group....
, and was titled Blunted in the Bomb Shelter. The second, Shades of Blue
Shades of Blue

Shades of Blue is a remix album by producer Madlib over the archives of Blue Note Records. The album was released on Blue Note itself in 2002....
 was released in 2003 and is a remix of Blue Note Records
Blue Note Records

Blue Note Records is a jazz record label, established in 1939 by Alfred Lion and Max Margulis. Francis Wolff became involved shortly afterwards....
. This album features original Blue Note recordings, some remixed and resampled, and some replayed by Madlib, as well as rapping by M.E.D. aka Medaphoar.

Success

2003 heralded the first of two collaboration projects. Working with the late hip hop producer J Dilla
J Dilla

James Dewitt Yancey , also known as J Dilla, Jay Dee, or "your favorite producer's favorite producer", was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan....
, the duo known as Jaylib released Champion Sound
Champion Sound

Champion Sound is an album by the duo Jaylib . Half of the songs are produced by Madlib and feature J Dilla on vocals, and the other half are produced by J Dilla and feature Madlib on vocals....
. The other was Madlib's collaboration with hip-hop producer and rapper MF DOOM, known together as Madvillain
Madvillain

Madvillain is a hip hop group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . Their debut album Madvillainy was met with wide critical acclaim for its unique approach?short songs, obscure lyrics, few choruses and a sound which was generally unfriendly to commercial radio....
. The 2004 Madvillainy
Madvillainy

Madvillainy is the debut album by United States hip hop music duo Madvillain, a group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . It was released on March 24, 2004 on Stones Throw Records to overwhelmingly positive reviews....
 album was highly anticipated, and well-received, topping many critics' year-end lists.Both albums attracted attention from the fans of the two artists Madlib collaborated with that year, J Dilla & MF Doom.

The 2005 Quasimoto album, The Further Adventures of Lord Quas
The Further Adventures of Lord Quas

The Further Adventures of Lord Quas is the second album by Quasimoto, Madlib's alter ego. The Bus Ride EP was released in late 2004 and featured the singles "Bus Ride", "Rappcats", and "Greenery"....
 was accepted well and continued the Quasimoto tradition of using vocal samples from Melvin Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles

Melvin Van Peebles is an United States actor, director, screenwriter, playwright, novelist and composer.He is most famous for creating the acclaimed film, Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song, which heralded a new era of African American focused films....
. This was followed by a YNQ album called Sound Directions: The Funky Side of Life, marking his first collaboration with session musicians.

His first collection of original (previously unused) hip-hop instrumentals Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes
Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes

Beat Konducta Vol 1-2: Movie Scenes is an instrumental album by Madlib, an United States hip hop music musician signed to Stones Throw Records....
  was released in March 2006, and on New Year's Eve, a digital release Liberation
Liberation (Talib Kweli and Madlib album)

Liberation is a collaboration between Talib Kweli and Madlib . It was made available as a free download from Stones Throw's Rappcats website, and Kweli & Madlib's MySpace pages for the first week of 2007, beginning New Year's Eve 2007....
 with Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an United States MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop....
 was made public for free download for the first week of 2007. In August 2007, Beat Konducta Vol 3-4: Beat Konducta in India
Beat Konducta Vol 3-4: Beat Konducta in India

Beat Konducta Vol 3-4: Beat Konducta in India is an instrumental album by Madlib, an United States hip hop music musician signed to Stones Throw Records....
 was released, an instrumental hip hop album containing songs sampling the music of India
Music of India

The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk music, popular music, pop music, and Indian classical music. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic music and Hindustani music, has a history panning millennia and, developed over several eras, it remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as sources of religio...
.

Yesterdays Universe completed the cycle of releases by Yesterdays New Quintet and introduces a new collection of artist names created by Madlib: The Jazzistics, The Young Jazz Rebels, Suntouch, The Jahari Massamba Unit, Kamala Walker & The Soul Tribe, The Last Electro-Acoustic Space Jazz & Percussion Ensemble, The Yesterdays Universe All-Stars, The Otis Jackson Jr. Trio, and The Eddie Prince Fusion Band. This album also would mark the first collaboration between Madlib and Brazilian jazz artist Ivan "Mamao" Conti
Azymuth

Azymuth is a three-piece electric funk jazz band from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Formed in 1972, the members are Jose Roberto Bertrami , Alex Malheiros , and Ivan Conti ....
 under the band name Jackson Conti.

Percee P
Percee P

Percee P is an underground hip-hop artist from the Patterson Projects in The Bronx, New York City, United States. Percee P has been writing and performing since 1979, yet his debut album Perseverance was not released until September 18, 2007, produced entirely by Madlib....
's first album, Perseverance
Perseverance (Percee P album)

Perseverance is the official debut album by Percee P a New York-born underground hip-hop rapper signed to Stones Throw Records....
, entirely produced by Madlib, was out in September 2007. Some other records are supposed to come out such as the Supreme Team album (with Karriem Riggins), as well as a solo album on BBE Records. It has been reported that Erykah Badu made some new songs over Madlib's instrumentals, and that he would work on a project with Sa-Ra. For years, rumours of Madvillainy 2 and Jaylib 2 have circulated, but no information has surfaced, besides one new Madvillain song on the Stones Throw Records
Stones Throw Records

Stones Throw Records is an independent record label hip hop music record label based in California.It was started in 1996 in music by DJ/Hip hop production Peanut Butter Wolf....
 compilation Chrome Children
Chrome Children

Chrome Children is a co-production between Stones Throw Records and Adult Swim. The CD & DVD set, released on October 3, 2006, includes songs from Oh No , J Dilla, Madlib, and other Stones Throw artists....
 in 2006.

On October 29, 2007, Madlib made a rare public appearance on BET
Black Entertainment Television

Black Entertainment Television is an American cable television based in Washington, D.C. and targeted towards young black people and urban audiences in the United States....
's Rap City
Rap City (TV series)

Rap City was a long-running music video television program block aired on the Black Entertainment Television network. The program was an exclusive showcase for hip hop music videos, and features interviews with and freestyle rap from popular rappers, and often has guest Disc jockey serve as co-hosts....
, alongside collaborator Talib Kweli
Talib Kweli

Talib Kweli Greene , better known as Talib Kweli, is an United States MC from Brooklyn, New York. He is one of the best-known and critically, if not commercially, successful rappers in alternative hip hop....
.

Madlib produced Erykah Badu
Erykah Badu

Erica Abi Wright better known by her stage name Erykah Badu, is a multiple Grammy-winner American Soul music singer and songwriter, whose work encompasses elements of rhythm and blues, hip hop music and jazz....
's second single from her New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)
New Amerykah Part One (4th World War)

New Amerykah Part One is the fifth studio album from Erykah Badu, The album was released on February 26, 2008 through Universal Motown Records....
 album, "The Healer". The song formally debuted on Gilles Peterson
Gilles Peterson

Gilles Peterson is a DJ, Record_collecting#Notable_record_collectors and record label owner from London, United Kingdom.Through his labels Acid Jazz Records, Talkin' Loud, and latterly Brownswood Recordings, he has been associated with the careers of countless well-known artists of the 1990s such as Erykah Badu and Tony Rich plus Jamiroqu...
's BBC Radio
BBC Radio

BBC Radio is a service of the BBC which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a Royal Charter since 1927. For a history of BBC radio prior to 1927 see British Broadcasting Company, Ltd....
 show in January 2008.

In May 2008, Conti and Madlib released a full album of Jackson Conti material, entitled Sujinho.

In September 2008, Stones Throw released a limited box set called Madvillainy 2: The Box, containing the long awaited Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix. It has remixes of the first Madvillainy
Madvillainy

Madvillainy is the debut album by United States hip hop music duo Madvillain, a group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . It was released on March 24, 2004 on Stones Throw Records to overwhelmingly positive reviews....
 album and the song Monkey Suite, originally on the Chrome Children
Chrome Children

Chrome Children is a co-production between Stones Throw Records and Adult Swim. The CD & DVD set, released on October 3, 2006, includes songs from Oh No , J Dilla, Madlib, and other Stones Throw artists....
 compilation, a One Beer (Drunk Version) 7"-single, the Madvillain
Madvillain

Madvillain is a hip hop group consisting of MF DOOM and Madlib . Their debut album Madvillainy was met with wide critical acclaim for its unique approach?short songs, obscure lyrics, few choruses and a sound which was generally unfriendly to commercial radio....
 demo cassette, a T-shirt and a comic book.

Madlib's BBE "Beat Generation" Album WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip was released in September 2008.

Stones Throw announced in its newsletter that Madlib's fifth Beat Konducta Album will be released in early 2009. Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to...
Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to...

Beat Konducta Vol. 5-6: A Tribute to... is an instrumental produced by Madlib, an United States hip hop music musician signed to Stones Throw Records....
 is a 42-track piece dedicated to the late J Dilla.

Discography


External links