Weekend Listening: Madvillain
This seems appropriate for Halloween.
I find the haunting story of
Daniel Dumile to be so compelling, one that could only happen in
America. Born in England to a Trinidian mother and Zimbabwean father, he
moved to Brooklyn, New York and found his calling with hip-hop. Rapping
under the alias Zev Love X, he formed a group called KMD in 1988 with
his younger brother, Subroc. It was cheesy and fun - they even found
success with a single called "Peachfuzz" that received play on YO! MTV
Raps. Tragedy struck when Subroc was killed by a car while crossing the
Long Island expressway before the release of their second album, Black
Bastards. The group was dropped by a major label the same week for its
controversial content and cover art. Dumile retreated from hip-hop,
depressed and homeless, sleeping on park benches in the city. He escaped
from New York to Atlanta but vowed revenge on an industry that had
"deformed" him, as he put it, while recovering from his wounds. When he
returned to New York, he put on a Dr. Doom mask - after the Marvel
Comics super villain who transformed into an evil genius after a family
tragedy - and rocked open mic events, reborn as MF DOOM, creating an
underground buzz. No photographic evidence exists of Dumile's face since
he put on the mask, true to the Dr. Doom persona. He became the most
prolific rapper in a growing non-commerical hip-hop scene and signed to
Stones Throw records - the same label that houses Spokane's funkmaster James Pants-
for his masterpiece, 2004's Madvillainy, a dream team with brilliant producer
Madlib. They recorded it under the alias Madvillain. The tracks are
short, not radio friendly, the production is beautiful and quirky, and
the lyrics read like Barlett's quotations if you listen carefully.
Hip-hop is a true original American art form - but this album completely
subverts the genre. There's not a weak track in the mix, so it was tough to
pick one. I went with "All Caps." Video after the jump.