Operation Lifesaver a.K.A. Mint Test - Madvillain, Madlib & MF Doom

Madvillain is a hip-hop duo that consists of emcee MF DOOM and producer Madlib.

In the summer of 2002 it was announced that MF DOOM and Madlib were working together on a project which, at that time, had no title or projected release date. The two first met up at the Stones Throw house in Los Angeles where Madlib's studio The Bomb Shelter existed in a former 1950s-era bomb shelter. Doom immediately immersed himself in Madlib's music and began writing lyrics and recording demos. He would continue revising lyrics and re-recording vocals for over a year.

Madlib took off to Brazil in late 2002 for the Red Bull Music Academy, where early cuts of Madvillain were premiered for the first time. (These demos were also copied and subsequently bootlegged - and the demos were later released on Madvillainy 2: The Box).

Back in Los Angeles, in mid-2003, DOOM & Madlib took over a bedroom to record vocals. First released was the Money Folder b/w America's Most Blunted 12-inch single in the Fall of 2003. Their debut album, Madvillainy, was released in March 2004.

The music on Madvillainy went against the grain of all popular conventions in contemporary hip-hop: short songs, dirty sound, no choruses, and with lyrical themes which were not always clear to everyone on first listen. The album received the highest critical praise of a hip-hop album released in 2004, and years later has continued to generate interest and controversy.

In 2005, two remix EPs from Madvillainy were released on Stones Throw, including Four Tet Remixes and Koushik Remixes.

MF DOOM went on to work with DANGERDOOM (with Danger Mouse), Gorillaz and Ghostface Killah. Madlib has continued developing his diverse production style for the likes of Erykah Badu, Talib Kweli, Ghostface Killah, as well as releasing several solo products under his own name and self-made creations Quasimoto, Yesterday's New Quintet, and Beat Konducta.

In 2008, prolific as usual, Madlib remixed Madvillainy in its entirety, titled Madvillainy 2: The Madlib Remix. It was released in a limited edition box set in 2008.

DOOM and Madlib have worked on a second Madvillain album on and off for several years. If you're waiting for it, wait in line behind us. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.