Biography
Jackson Conti is the Brazilian jazz endeavor whose title fuses the surnames of its central figures. Better known as Madlib, Otis Jackson, Jr. built a name as an experimental hip-hop hero through partnerships with De La Soul, Ghostface Killah, and Talib Kweli. Ivan “Mamão” Conti co-founded the pop-samba trio Azymuth and earned recognition as a percussionist whose résumé includes work with Milton Nascimento and Gal Costa. A devoted follower of Brazilian music, Madlib began exposing his circle of progressive music champions to Azymuth’s catalog in 2003. The Keepintime crew soon embraced the material and started crafting their own versions of the ’70s and ’80s numbers; one of these, “Entrando Pelo Janela,” even surfaced on Keepintime Remixes. When the chance arose to visit Brazil, Madlib seized it. Armed with those Azymuth remixes, he and his associates tracked down the band’s celebrated drummer. Conti welcomed the prospect of refreshing his group’s earlier songs alongside a team of young American talents and threw himself into the project. After several years and repeated journeys between Rio and L.A., Kindred Spirits Records issued Sujinho in May 2008. The fusion of Brazilian motifs with hip-hop DJ aesthetics swiftly drew notice from imaginative listeners everywhere, producing strong sales and widespread excitement within months.
Albums