Steve 'Flash' JuonI usually prefer to not discuss unofficial, fan created, homemade albums. “The Madlib Remix Collection” is a worthwhile exception. The shocking news of MF DOOM’s passing has caused an explosion in such projects as an outpouring of love for the deceased Daniel Dumile. A few are good, many are terrible, but one thing most have in common is taking the rare DOOM acapella bars that exist and pairing them with new beats. Dumile seemed to avoid including bars sans beats on his singles to keep unofficial projects from cashing in on him, but Madlib isn’t that producer. “Madvillainy” has long been enshrined as a hip-hop classic, a pairing of like-minded artists who truly brought the best out of each other in the lab.
“The Madlib Remix Collection” can and should be considered as an addition to the Madvillain legacy. It’s rather short, clocking in at just under 20 minutes, but everything here is an official Madlib remix of a MF DOOM track. There’s nothing posthumously spliced together on this record. They are authentic Madlib x MF DOOM collaborations agreed upon and done together with Dumile’s blessing, and the album starts with one of my favorite rare DOOM tracks — the “Victory Laps” single with Ghostface Killah that teased the DOOMSTARKS project fans clamored for. We never got that album but the original single and the Madlib B-side are both dope as hell.
There seem to be one or two other Ghostface x DOOM tracks out there, but it may not even be enough material to match the length of this EP. Meanwhile there are more Madlib gems showcasing his musical wizardry and DOOM’s penchant for pop culture like “Space Ho’s,” a track which itself came from a Danger DOOM “Occult Hymn” EP.
A lot of fans may have overlooked DOOM’s alter ego Viktor Vaughn, but Madlib is clearly more than a fan. “Rappers be on some who, who, who/forgot who they’re talking to” quips Dumile on the “Doomilla” remix, paired with a beat that sounds eerily like one of DOOM’s own “Special Herbs.” More than any other song it may illustrate why the two had such a close bond over the years. They both loved digging in the crates and flipping obscure samples and snippets into beats and interludes. When you have that vibe with an artist, you can create some legendary shit together.
As the author of “The Madlib Remix Collection” notes in his description, everything found here is “official Madlib remixes of MF DOOM songs” and despite coming from different projects and records, there’s a coherence to the sound because of that fact. Finishing with the wildly creative “Air” remix is the perfect cap to the Metal Face madness. This is a compilation that should be issued by someone like Rhymesayers for Record Store Day. Madvillain fans would cop it, Dumile fans would cop it, I WOULD COP IT. It’s the perfect way to pay homage to the Super Villain.