In November 2002, long before Madlib and MF DOOM had finished Madvillainy, the first demo sequence of the album leaked online. The tracks contained early vocal cuts from DOOM, recorded and quickly mixed in Los Angeles at Madlib’s Bomb Shelter studio. The leak spread quickly across the internet and into the desktop computers, mp3 libraries, and CD players of fans around the world. The tracks may have been unfinished, but it was clear that this was a hip-hop album unlike any other.
The demos were released on tape in 2008, as part of a Madvillain box set, then individually to mark the first Cassette Store Day in September 2013. Now, to celebrate 20 years since the original release of Madvillainy, the Demos are released on vinyl for the first time. The vinyl is mastered by Dave Cooley – the original Madvillainy mastering engineer – and includes an insert with Eric Coleman’s contact sheets from the Madvillainy cover shoot.
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It’s impossible to imagine a world without Madvillainy – an icon of hip-hop that’s transcended its underground roots to become not only one of the most beloved hip-hop records of the era, but an all-time great in any genre – but it was nearly never finished. After the demos leaked, DOOM and Madlib were reluctant to keep working on Madvillainy, keen to move on to the next thing. Eventually, they were convinced to finish the record. They rerecorded vocals – DOOM alluded to the leak on “Rhinestone Cowboy” with the line “Wasn’t even tweaked and it leaked into cyberspace” – added new beats, and changed up the sequence. Though leaks in the early 2000s could be disastrous, with the power to kill an album’s momentum, in the case of Madvillainy the leak only made the fans hungrier; when the album came out in 2004 it was “one of the most anticipated releases in underground rap history,” according to Pitchfork.
If the Demos are Madvillainy before the album assumed its final form, the new Audiophile edition celebrates the finished record for an unparalleled listening experience: re-cut at 45rpm and pressed to 180g vinyl at Optimal. Lyrics are printed on the inner gatefold of a jacket made from heavy tip-on cardboard. Premium quality rice paper sleeves keep the vinyl sounding perfect for many years to come.
Purchase: Madvillainy – Audiophile Edition
