The Birth Of Madvillain: Madlib Meets MF DOOM
A traditional record label is a company that can manufacture, distribute and promote the recordings of affiliated musicians. Labels have gotten a bad rap due to their exploitative nature but they can play a pivotal role in bringing together the right people, creating moments and music that will live on forever.
It is important to note that not every label is the same, in fact, there are some that have earned a reputation for being artist-first and championing new sounds with less profit based concerns. Stones Throw Records is one of these, an independent record label born in 1996 and driven by making unconventional choices. Stones Throw is responsible for the curation and development of some of music’s most beloved projects. The label enabled the creation of Donuts by J Dilla, Unseen by Madlib and of course, Madvillainy by Madvillain featuring the metal masked MC, MF DOOM.
Madlib and MF DOOM
Make iout
PEANUT BUTTER WOLF, NO JELLY
Christopher George Manak, otherwise known as Peanut Butter Wolf, is a legendary DJ and record producer from San Jose, California. He is also the founder of Stones Throw Records. At an early age, Wolf gravitated towards counterculture and found himself enthralled with a group of like-minded individuals such as Jeff Jank, who later went on to become the Art Director for Stones Throw. As eclectic as Wolf’s taste in music was throughout his youth, it was hip hop that stirred him the most. A part of this spark was due to someone who Wolf would later form a deep friendship with, an artist by the name of Charizma.
Charizma and Peanut Butter Wolf
Charizma and Wolf created a group of their own, called Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf. Through their live shows and demo tapes the duo made a name for themselves in San Jose and throughout the Bay Area. They were just a couple of punks exploring the possibilities of what hip hop music could really be and how much of an impact they could make, especially coming from a relatively unknown area like San Jose. The duo had yet to complete a record, but their list of industry friends was expanding and they eventually went on to make music that would become a part of the Stones Throw blueprint.
Peanut Butter Wolf and Lootpack
THE FOUNDATIONS OF STONES THROW RECORDS
In the early days of building Stones Throw, Wolf heard Lootpack, a group of artists that went to high school together and included the likes of Wildchild, DJ Romes and the legendary, Madlib. He heard their songs come on the air via college radio, and immediately gravitated towards the sound that these young hip hop group of innovators were creating, so much so that Wolf decided to sign them on as part of fledgling Stones Throw. There was an immediate respect that was sparked between Wolf and Madlib due to their shared devotion towards transforming music. Right away, Wolf recognized Madlib’s potential to become one of the most influential artists in the game, and he went all in to support him. As they went on the road together, their bond was solidified. Wolf would go on to support the experimental and relentless work ethic of Madlib and continue to grow Stones Throw. The synergy between the pair would eventually fuel Stones Throw’s move from northern California to the hills of Los Angeles.
Stills from the Stones Throw Records Studio in Mount Washington, LA
Madlib working at Stones Throw Records in Mount Washington, LA
A still of Stones Throw Records Studio in Mount Washington,LA
As the operations over at Stones Throw continued to ramp up and it's affiliated artist roster began to expand, there was a young kid who had graduated from college in 1996, a fellow crate digger and record collector, named Eothen Alapatt, better known as Egon, who was charting a uniquely similar course. When Egon was working at a local college radio station, he came across Peanut Butter Wolf after hearing the third record with Rasco called Run The Line. A fan of the track, Egon decided to call the phone number on the back of the record. On the other line was Peanut Butter Wolf. Egon was keen to interview Wolf and in 1997, the pair sat down for a chat.
Egon
Soon after, Egon was setting up shows in Nashville and consistently bringing out Wolf. Stones Throw had just signed Lootpack, and Wolf tasked Egon with bringing Lootpack out to perform during an upcoming show that Egon had lined up for that year, around 1999. In a matter of a short time, Wolf asked Egon to join the Stones Throw team — Egon didn’t need much convincing. After scraping together some cash and hitting the road to LA, Stones Throw was now a team of three and it felt like a new chapter for the label was born. With Peanut Butter Wolf’s keen eye for new talent and Jeff Jank leading art direction, Egon became the General Manager for the label working on transforming their vision into a viable business. The trio landed at a rented house, located in the hills of Mount Washington, that had an Eisenhower-era bomb shelter with 18-inch concrete walls, this space would go on to become Madlib’s studio.
MF DOOM and Egon
MADLIB MEETS THE MASKED VILLAIN
As people began to recognize that Stones Throw had made the jump to LA, Madlib was perking up the ears of reporters throughout the area and his new sound landed him an interview with the LA Times. Egon accompanied Madlib to the interview, held at the Long Beach aquarium. Nearing the end of the discussion, the reporter asked Madlib who he would like to work with, if he could work with anyone. Madlib said two people: J Dilla and MF DOOM.
Madlib
Madlib and JDilla
A collab with Dilla was going to be a lock given the relationship that he and Peanut Butter Wolf already had, but DOOM was going to be a different story. KMD, the trio that DOOM was a part of in the early days of his career, coming up with his dear friend Subroc or even alongside the likes of Prime Minister Pete Nice from 3rd Bass, and more recent projects like DOOMSDAY, all culminated in a strong desire within Madlib to collaborate with DOOM. When Madlib first heard DOOM on a record, he didn’t even realize that DOOM rapping at first— just that the beats struck him, the lyrics were witty and the samples were recognizable — that’s all that mattered. After hearing this from Madlib, Egon brought the news to Wolf. The pair of them figured that they may as well give DOOM a call and see if he’d want to work with Madlib on a collaboration. DOOM picked up and while he didn’t know of Stones Throw or Madlib, he had an open mind. He asked the Stones Throw team to send over some music, and said that he’d give it a listen to see if there might be anything that would spark his interest — there was. DOOM was blown away by Madlib and gave Stones Throw a call back.
MF DOOM shot by Eric Coleman
Next thing you know, Stones Throw flew DOOM out to LA to meet with the team and to link with Madlib. The connection between DOOM and Madlib was instantaneous. In some ways, they saw the world in a different light, but in others it felt like they had finally found a partner in crime — a couple of good spirited crate diggers, beat makers and rule breakers. This was the beginning of what would result as one of the most important hip hop duos of all time, Madvillain, and a project that would go down in history as revolutionary, called Madvillainy.
The Rest is History/Rest in Peace MF DOOM
Text by : Brendan Smith is a Strategist living in Manhattan and working with brands ranging from Zora to adidas. In parallel, he helps advise artists throughout New York, Atlanta, Chicago, London and Nigeria. With the goal of one day constructing hubs that enable up & coming artists with the resources that they need, he is taking it one day at a time and exploring the present through an optimistic lens.
Edited by: Ora Margolis
