The Witzard

Madlib x Meyhem Lauren x DJ Muggs - "Fresh Out The Water" music video still (SOURCE: YouTube) "Long story short, I was working on an album with [DJ] Muggs and I was working on an album with Madlib. When all three of us ended up in the same room, we started playing songs from each project and immediately realized that we should make a collaborative album. The other two projects are completed and still coming out in the very near future, but the first thing on the agenda is MEYHEM x MUGGS x MADLIB's CHAMPAGNE FOR BREAKFAST dropping on April 7, 2023..." Meyhem Lauren posted on his personal Facebook page Thursday morning. And we can fully attest, this pretty much echoes the same sentiment Meyhem told us when we interviewed him for UK-based publication GrownUpRap late last year. When we asked Mey, "What do you have planned for us next?" he replied, "Meyhem/Madlib LP, Meyhem/DJ Muggs LP, Meyhem/Harry Fraud LP, Meyhem/Buckwild LP, and a few comp...

Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "I've been a fan of DOOM's music since his first release, Operation: Doomsday. Incredible beats, rhymes that had their own flow and imagination to them, and the ability to craft it all together with a theme to create a stand-alone piece of classic Hip-Hop was remarkable. He went on to do that with, basically, every project; his albums aren'...

MF DOOM Print - CREDIT: Matt Murphy (@mattmurphyillustration) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "For many, 2020 felt like a dream, a brief interlude from reality where much was taken and little was returned. For me, it's been a year of silence, reflection, and equations. It wasn't until the death of a Daniel Dumile that I found myself trapped in a nightmare that I didn't wa...

CREDIT: Jason Jägel (@jagel) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "I owe a lot to DOOM & Madlib, for that matter, and, especially, to the MADVILLAINY record. MADVILLAINY was the first Hip-Hop record I ever purchased (aside from a [Will Smith] Big Willie Style CD when I was in grade school.) Back in the day when I was still playing in my old Screamo band and we were on tour, I would al...

CREDIT: Shades of Blue Prints (@fcarteron) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "MADVILLAINY is one of our favorite albums and we've been fans of Madlib & MF DOOM for ages. We, normally, don't see musicians covering Madlib & DOOM stuff as much as the [J] Dilla catalogue, so we thought we would try it out [...] His rhythm was super-inspiring and not a lot of other rappers i...

CREDIT: Unknown Artist (SOURCE: r/mfdoom) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "I remember only a few years removed from college graduation, talking to my (very smart) friend Pate after I lamented not reading enough theory to feel I could enter certain conversations (academically or on The Internet.) His response was to read at my own pace and not worry, that it was important to not get t...

CREDIT: Evan Minis (@mullusk_collage) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. OMEGADOOM by OMEGADOOM "I made the album in 24 [hours] right after I heard he passed. All original beats made [in the] same day, minus an old remix ("2 Stings") on my other remix album, A.O.D. (Age of Destruction.) I've been a fan since one of my best friends told me about him late one night on the...

Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "I tell anyone who ever asks that there would be no Mega Ran without the fearlessness of two of my favorite artists: DOOM & Del The Funky Homosapien. I even mention it in my book, [DREAM MASTER: A MEMOIR]. I got to work with Del this past year and I never let go of hope that I'd one day collaborate with DOOM. Unfortunately, his transition pr...

CREDIT: James Reitano (TFU Studios) Honestly, it doesn't even feel like there's a proper way to elegize an eccentric and extremely talented artist such as MF DOOM, who meant so much to so many of us for so many years for so many different reasons as truly unique as DOOM himself. So, what better way to pay tribute to The Man, The Myth, THE MASK himself than by speaking to those closest to him? With a heavy heart, I proudly present Shadows of Tomorrow; a new recurring column in tribute to DOOM in an effort to re-tell the tall tales, strange stories, and lesser-known tidbits of The Metal Face Villain himself. R.I.P. Daniel "MF DOOM" Dumile Thompson. "In summer of 2003, I'd re-discovered the Grantray-Lawrence series of Marvel Comics cartoons. I distinctly remember these as a kid that my brother and I would laugh and make fun of these embarassingly simple animations. Marvel was trying to get into the animation business and using the actual 60's comic art,...

Madlib & Four Tet at Ed Wilson's Brawn - CREDIT: Egon (@nowagain) Just this year alone, extremely prolific DJ, producer, emcee, and multi-instrumentalist Madlib has self-released Bandana Beats (an instrumental version of his 2019 album with Freddie Gibbs,) The Professionals/The Professionals Instrumentals with his brother, Oh No, a special Piñata '64 variant of his 2014 album with Gibbs, and Pardon My French as The Jahari Massamba Unit with Karriem Riggins. But somewhat unsurprisingly, Madlib isn't done just yet... yesterday afternoon, long-time friend, ex-Stones Throw general manager, Now-Again Records founder and president, and parter in Madlib Invazion Eothen "Egon" Alapatt (@nowagain) made a surprise announcement on Instagram. Within a lengthy post, Egon shared Madlib and like-minded beatsmith Four Tet had been working together on a collaborative release. "Sound Ancestors, arranged by Kieran Hebden, coming January 2021 on Madlib Invazion. First s...

Nate Patrin Author Photo (CREDIT: Craig VanDerSchaegen) "So, I put together a [playlist] that comprises my favorite moments of Hip-Hop & Punk intersecting, intentionally or otherwise, from the old school to the current moment. It ranges from Downtown NYC Crossover efforts to sample flips to all-out collabos, and spans a broad range of both genres—so, it's more of a historical overview, than a cohesive snapshot of a particular sound. That said, I f**k with each and every one of these songs, 100%." With The Quickness #7: Nate Patrin's Adidas In The Pit/Punk Meets Hip-Hop Playlist 01. The Clash - "This Is Radio Clash" Samples: J. Bodewalt Lampe - "Mysterioso Pizzicato" 02. ESG - "UFO" Sampled By: The Notorious B.I.G. J Dilla, Big Daddy Kane, MF DOOM, Q-Tip, Public Enemy, Nine Inch Nails, and more 03. Liquid Liquid - "Cavern" Sampled By: Grand Master Melle Mel, Guru, Doug E. Fresh, The Notorious B.I.G. 2 Live Cr...

It's almost a bit hard to believe that in 2020, The Alchemist & MF DOOM haven't released a full-length project together. Although, it appears as though they have a few mutual friends/collaborators in Earl Sweatshirt , WestsideGunn, Madlib 's brother Oh No , and Egon from Now-Again Records. So, it doesn't seem entirely unlikely or 100% out of the question. However, the average fan may not be aware, DOOM & Alchemist have, in fact, worked together on a number of occasions on a couple lesser-known one-off tracks: "DOOMSAYER" was briefly released as part of DOOM 's mysteriously scrapped THE MISSING NOTEBOOK RHYMES series for [adult swim] in 2017 (a Young Guru -producer version was released in 2012) also, in 2017, Alchemist produced "2STRINGS" from WestsideGunn & MF DOOM 's super-limited edition WESTSIDE DOOM Griselda Records/Daupe! 12-inch. Then, without much prior notice, Alchemist jumped on Instagram Live this past Mon...

About two weeks ago, ruby yacht makers guild (AKA ruby yacht ) quietly unveiled their group album/label comp. 37 GEMS . It features the rhyming and beat-making talents of R.A.P. Ferreira FKA milo & scallops hotel , SB The Moor, Pink Navel , safari al, Eldon Somers , Kenny Segal, and E L U C I D . Now, ruby yacht have, seemingly, added yet another extremely talented character to their ever-growing roster: Hemlock Ernst ! Ernst is the rapping alias of Future Islands' frontman and life-long Hip-Hop supporter, Samuel "Sam" T. Herring . " Sam was rapping long before he joined a band and it's all he's really ever wanted to do... it's more than "occasional" for him... it's just that his sh*t blew up on a totaaally different tip and he's been riding that out like one of the best to ever do it," safari al (@s_afari_al) Tweeted Wednesday morning. Herring has been featured on Hip-Hop tracks billed as "Hemlock Ernst" alon...

"Led by saxophonist Rob Mitchell, Abstract Orchestra have been a consistent presence on the UK music scene, touring constantly in promotion of their debut LP, Dilla, and follow-up 45, "New Day" Feat. Illa J, steadily building a loyal and supportive fanbase. Inspired by the legendary live performances of The Roots with JAY-Z and the 40-piece orchestral arrangements by Miguel-Atwood Ferguson of the work of J Dilla, classic arranging techniques underpin modern loop-based structures, breathing new life into familiar material... The band itself is based on the classic Jazz/Big Band instrumentation of saxes, trumpets, and trombones and features the cream of the North of England's Jazz scene, who, collectively, have played with Jamiroquai, Corinne Bailey Rae, Mark Ronson, Martha Reeves, John Legend & The Roots, Roots Manuva, and Amy Winehouse. MADVILLAIN VOL. 2 was recorded live in its entirety at ATA Records' own vintage analogue studio in Leeds. All tracks were...

Madvillain Vol. 2 by Abstract Orchestra Abstract Orchestra (AO) are a Leeds, UK -based Jazz/Big Band that, much like El Michels Affair & Brownout/Brown Sabbath , often plays Jazz renditions of popular Hip-Hop compositions. Their current line-up plays out a little something like this - Conductor/Music Director: Rob Mitchell , Saxes: Rob Mitchell, Jim Corry, James Russell, Dan Brunskill & Simon Kaylor , Trumpets: Malcolm Strachan, Jack Davis & Simon Beddoe , Trombones: Kevin "Kev" Holbrough, Danny Barley, Patrick Martin & Chris Hibard , Bass: Chris "Fatty" Hargreaves , Keys: George Cooper , Drums: Joost Hendrickx , and Vox/Vocals: Anna Uluru & Akin Amusan . AO 's past incarnations—seemingly, always led by The Haggis Horns' Rob Mitchell —have performed live sets with the likes of Slum Village , De La Soul, and Yasiin Bey FKA Mos Def ; with past releases including 2017's critically-acclaimed DILLA and 2018's "New Day...

"The new Wu-Tang EP is kind of boring. So, in response, I made my own "Wu-Tang EP" with all of their collabs/remixes with Madlib, who has surpassed RZA ten-fold: Wu-Tang Clan x Madlib - The Wu Digger ... Madlib is what you get, if RZA just keep sitting in a room full of records from '95 until today. "And Madlib is who RZA would have been, if he could just learn instruments when he felt like it," Small Professor (@smallpro)... On some real sh*t, Madlib's remix of "Black Boy" by [Cappadonna] is better than almost any [Wu-Tang Clan] track this decade by any Wu member. These guys have access to any producer on the planet and act like Madlib or Alchemist don't exist." - Zilla Rocca (@ZillaRocca) Wu-Tang Clan & Madlib - The Wu Digger Playlist/EP (Tracklist) 01. Cappadonna - "Black Boy" (Madlib Remix) from Madlib Medicine Show #12: Raw Medicine [2011] 02. Method Man - "Uh Huh" (Madlib Remix) from MIND FUSION ...

"We've been getting a lot of questions about a collaborative album that Madlib & Mac Miller supposedly created. Here's the real story: What exists is what the two had originally intended—an EP's worth of music that was supposed to be the start of something. The end point wasn't planned out or even discussed. The idea was to create for creation's sake. The two met after Mac recorded the last verse on Freddie Gibbs' Piñata album. By early, 2015 Mac had batches of Madlib's beats and was recording songs. The two ate tacos at Eagle Rock's Cacao Mexicatessen and discussed ideas. Madlib played one of Mac's tracks in July of 2016 at a European festival and Egon texted Mac to tell him; "Whaaat, what song, why isn't there any video evidence!!!" was the reply. Followed by "Let's do an EP." This process continued throughout 2017, as Mac got the latest beat batches, continued recording, and continued his commitment to th...

Flaunt Edwards is a long-standing alias of J.Rocc The Funky President . Jason "J.Rocc" Jackson has, over the years, become one of the most world-renown and sought-after Hip-Hop DJ's, turntablists, and producers. One of the founding members of The Beat Junkies , J.Rocc has spent time either playing with or recording alongside artists such as Axel F. with M.E.D. Bumrush Bros. D-Styles Sextet , DJ Spinna, Dirty Fingered B-Boys , J Dilla, Jurassic 5 , Madlib, and PSK , as well as being the honorary "third member" of Jaylib . The Witzard , actually, has a very special relationship with J.Rocc , as I've been patiently waiting to hear Jay 's long-rumored J Dilla & Michael Jackson mash-up/blend album, SHARE MY BED , for about 10 years now. Although, miraculously, earlier this year, J.Rocc surprise released an 8-track version of SHARE MY BED on his Bandcamp page; along with it, was this quote, seemingly, paraphrased from Dilla himself: " J D...