Now Hear Madlib
OK, so Madlib is all over our store, from his early releases with LOOTPACK, to the JAHARI MASSAMBA UNIT, his work with MADVILLAIN and FREDDIE GIBBS, and, of course, his self-titled stuff. We could add so many collaborations, it would make your head spin faster than your records do.
But, who — or what — exactly is Madlib? The son of a jazz & blues musician father and a guitarist/songwriter mother, Otis Jackson Jr is one of the most recognized, prolific, and eclectic artists in hip hop. Growing up around the recording studio influenced his outlook and his work, and he creates his unique sound and feel mainly using old-school recording and sampling gear.
A notorious crate digger always searching for new beats to sample, this rapper's sound incorporates everything from jazz to funk to psychedelic and everything in between.
Putting together an exhaustive list of his full discography would be, well, exhausting. Basically, if you have ears, you are going to find something to like in what Madlib has done.
All Madlib Albums Here
Now Hear A Classic: Linda Ronstadt
Linda Ronstadt began her career with the folk rock group The Stone Poneys, and shifted gears to a more honky-tonk country sound on her first 2 solo albums. Then she eased into soft country rock mode on her 3rd album, which featured a bunch of session musicians who went on to form The Eagles!
By now she had found her groove, with a commercially-magic formula of country rock mixed with pop cover tunes. Songs like "You're No Good", "When Will I Be Loved", and "It Doesn't Matter Anymore" vaulted her to the top of the charts. Her later, rock-oriented covers of songs like The Rolling Stone's "Tumbling Dice" and Waren Zevon's "Poor Pitiful Me" kept her there.
8 Grammies and more #1 hits than you can shake a stick at is only good news for you. She sold so many albums that good vintage copies are rarely in short supply, so, whether you are finding her for the very first time, or rediscovering this classic, you can find a great selection of her albums.
