Send "Madlib " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchforkmedia |
 Few independent labels are as effective with brand-extension and identity-building as Stones Throw. There's two simple reasons for that: First, they've mastered the art of the label-spanning sampler/compilation, where you're always guaranteed a mixed bag but are also given a good idea of how far they're willing to stretch their roster's personae-- blunted abstractionists, swaggering street cats, goofballs with Moogs. Second, Stones Throw artists like to hand the ball over to Madlib. It's usually a good idea to hire a producer who can build a cohesive, identifiable sonic thumbprint even while grounding himself in everything from reggae and dub (Blunted in the Bomb Shelter Mix) to Primo-stash soul jazz (Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note) to fusion (five volumes of his Mind Fusion mix series) to Bollywood scores (Beat Konducta in India)-- dude may be a lot of things, but predictable ain't exactly one of them.So it works out pretty well to select him as the man behind the final installment of BBE's Beat Generation series, which was inaugurated (fittingly enough) by Champion Sound collaborator and close associate Jay Dee/J Dilla on 2001's Welcome 2 Detroit. Like Dilla, Madlib has the versatility to pace a solid, multifaceted album-length mix without making it sound monotonous, using his traditional mix of diverse beat styles and judiciously placed comic interludes. His range between weeded-out beats for the basement and Hennessyed-up club anthems runs rampant, often on consecutive tracks that are separated by little else than a brief interstitial comedy skit. The glimmering fusion-oid 1970s slow jam of Stacy Epps' buttery "The Way That I Live" jumps ahead a decade or three to the tinny, stuttering drum-machine electro of Murs' "Ratrace", the woozy piano soul of Georgia Anne Muldrow's "The Plan Pt. 1" segues into a sure-footed slab of disco-funk on Defari's "Gamble on Ya Boy", and the faded Kodachrome strings, dusty beats, and ambient muffled shouts on Talib Kweli feature "What It Do" melt into the inebriated wall of bass on Roc 'C' and Oh No's "Take That Money"-- which subsequently drops right into the super-minimalist lunchroom table thump-clap of Frank N Dank's "Drinks Up!"...full text |
| Avclub |
| On signature masterpieces like The Unseen and Madvillainy, producer, rapper, DJ, and one-man jazz band Madlib doesn't just make beats, he creates sprawling, absurd, trippy sonic universes out of old records and long-forgotten scraps of pop-culture history. Now, with poignant, perfect synchronicity, BBE's essential producer-centered "Beat Generation" series began spectacularly with Jay Dee's Welcome 2 Detroit, and ends with his Jaylib partner's long-promised, endlessly delayed entry, WLIB: King Of The Wigflip. Madlib spends much of the disc producing for artists in the Stones Throw axis, but his restless, abstract personality seeps through pretty much every track. Not content merely to pump out beats, he scribbles playfully in the margins, loading songs with ideas, funky little details, and loopy black comedy. Georgia Ann Muldrow's "The Plan Pt. 1," for example, combines the warm crackle of dusty vinyl, spoken-word poetry, rapping, singing, sampled comedy, and speechifying in just over two and a half rambling, unrushed minutes. WLIB's loose concept is irresistible: a free-form radio station with a direct line to Madlib's warped cerebellum. It's a beautiful, impossible dream, but for 54 mellow, blunted minutes, King Of The Wigflip makes it a glorious reality....full text |
| Allmusic |
| For reasons unknown, Rapster decided to say farewell to their innovative Beat Generation series, but they certainly went out in style -- the last one to leave was none other than the multifarious Madlib, the Beat Konducta. A 24-track strong mix album, WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip turns out the lights with nothing but Madlib productions (most of them previously unheard) and a range of friends and family providing the frequent vocal features. Similar to his Beat Konducta releases, this joint is all AM -- unlicensed, street-corner, low-power, community radio, with all the static and interference listeners have come to expect from the premier soundtracker of an alternate reality of radio programming. (Foes of lo-fi have nothing to fear, though -- as always, the beats are hard and the crackles are crystal clear.) Madlib's productions reach clear across the dial, with snatches of reggae and faux-Chinese music among the '80s urban and '70s soul on display. The beats are excellent as well, loping and stuttering and falling over each other in Madlib's best Drunken Master style. Although there are plenty of instrumentals, at least three-quarters of WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip is given over to vocal features. The rappers are gritty and street-level, with a parade of usual culprits: Guilty Simpson, J-Rocc, Poke, MED, Oh No, and Frank-n-Dank. If there's a sign of weakness on this mix, it's here; the rhymes are by no means revolutionary, and the amount of naked braggadocio on display can get a little wearing (especially compared to the high camp of Madlib's Quasimoto and Lootpack work). Still, WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip is all about the productions, and Madlib's are the best around....full text |
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