Madvillain

Another Stones Throw venture from its leading light Madlib pairs him with masked MC MF Doom under the Madvillain banner. Already immersed in Operation: Doomsday (1999), Madlib admired the MC’s lyrics and beats enough to reach out and propose a collaboration. Doom, who knew nothing of Madlib until then, listened to the producer’s work and consented on the spot. The pair convened in 2002 at Stones Throw headquarters in Los Angeles, where they connected at once. Madlib unveiled Madvillain to the public later that year during the Red Bull Music Academy in Brazil, and the finished album Madvillainy appeared in 2004, earning widespread critical acclaim among the year’s releases.