#30: Madvillainy

This spot is the first of the Lifetime Acheivement Award spots, this time intended for M.F. Doom.

Doom is probably the strangest artist I’ve ever followed, from his highly unusual history to his interesting interview style. Whatever the source, his strangeness is a welcome presence in the world of underground hip-hop.

Doom is a producer of the highest order, issuing five different double-albums (the Special Herbs series, for those not keeping score at home) of beats that he uses for his own Special Blends series or raps over for his solo albums. He is also a rapper with a very particular style. On this record, Madlib (aka Quasimoto), stoner extraordinaire from the Lootpack and Jaylib runs the production, allowing Doom to focus on rhymes like Chase it with more beer, taste it like truth or dare / When he have the mic it’s like the place get like: Ah yeah! and doing whatever he had to do to come up with America’s Most Blunted which is one of the most slamming tracks of all time.

This record, along with the Special Blends series especially lands MF Doom and Madvillainy here in the top 54.