Madvillainy - Madvillain
Metascore
93 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 20 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 20
  3. Negative: 0 out of 20
  1. All invention and no indulgence. [Jun 2004, p.110]
  2. While every Ivy League dog kennel worker with a paycheck from Blender or Revolver may write dissertations about how Outkast re-invented pop music (and if we follow that logic) then Madvillain simply destroys the boundaries.
  3. Like both artists' most transcendent work, Madvillainy retains its mystery and wonder after dozens of listens.
  4. Madvillainy is inexhaustibly brilliant, with layer-upon-layer of carefully considered yet immediate hip-hop, forward-thinking but always close to its roots.... Good luck finding a better hip-hop album this year, mainstream, undie, or otherwise.
  5. A definite tour de force for indie hip hop.
  6. 90
    The wily creativity on display here is astonishing. [Jun 2004, p.114]
  7. Madvillainy's strength lies in its mix between seemingly obtuse beats, samples, MCing, and some straight-up hip-hop bumping.
  8. One utterly badass album. [Jul 2004, p.116]
  9. A dizzying synergy of heavy brains and chemistry, culminating in blissfully fun, irreverent, and engaging brand of record-making magic.
  10. The problem with Madvillainy, if it can even be termed a problem, is that Doom and Madlib just have too many ideas.
  11. It's easily one of the best pieces of work of both participants' careers and a mark of the incredible talent both possess.
  12. Madvillainy isn't really an inaccessible record. It may take a couple of spins for you to get involved, but once you've passed that initial adaptation, it stays with you.
  13. Not only does it capture the unstructured verse of a masked maniac within a sheer net of plausibility, it parades his inner dementia among instrumental adornments of the highest order.
  14. 88
    Raw, crunchy beats and ugly, monster flows delivered in a punk album format. [#9, p.110]
  15. By trimming excess fat (read: R'n'B choruses), Madvilliany keeps a sense of spontaneity, cutting off unexpectedly and never allowing anything to get stale.
  16. 80
    Boatloads of fresh, clunky beats land ashore with narrative tongue trickery. [Apr 2004, p.86]
  17. Madlib creatively melds electronic and jazzy elements, entertaining voiceovers akin to the kind heard on Batman or Superman cartoons, and snippets of Sun Ra to fashion a wildly diverse yet coherently executed tableaux of brainy, original noise-art.
  18. An outlandishly imaginative collaboration.
  19. 70
    A torrid album that marries old-school rap aesthetics to punk-rock concision. [May 2004, p.127]
User Score

Generally favorable reviews- based on 220 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Negative: 8 out of 111
  1. KevinL
    10
    Wow...this is freaking dope...man this ...is the bomb...I reccomend this to all hip hop and underground rap fans.
  2. JeremyE
    1
    In reality, this album deserves a 7, but the score is way too high right now, so I'm giving it a 1 to drop the score a little. This is one of the most overrated albums ever. The production is good, but DOOM spends most of the album talking about NONSENSE! It bugs me when people rate this so highly, because it means that they will agree with anything that seems abstract or not mainstream. People have to realize that the most important part of a rap album is the lyrics. And the lyrics to this album or completely pointless. Other than Fancy Clown, there isn't a single song on the album that has a coherent message (anyone who disagrees, feel free to prove me wrong). It doesn't matter if DOOM knows how to rhyme. He doesn't put his talent to good use. Do you guys really think that: "More cheese than Doritos Cheetos or Fritos" is a brilliant line? Final Verdict: This album isn't worth the full listen. Just pick up these songs: Raid, Fancy Clown, and Supervillain Theme (instrumental). They're really the only ones worth listening to, the rest is crap. Full Review »
  3. ThisIsAwfulMusicThisMusicSucks
    0
    This was the worst thing I ever listened to.