A detailed account of a seminal album made by two unknowable artists. The fiction portions of the book didn't land with me, though.

I can understand that after so many entries into the 33 1/3 Series, authors are looking for ways to make their editions unique and not just extended magazine articles. With that said, this A.I. conceit did not work for me. I was still able to glean information about the artist through this book which I enjoyed because Madvilliany was always one of those "classic" albums that was a blindspot for me.

Another gem in the 33-and-1/3 series of books about some of the greatest and most interesting albums of all time. Hagle takes a creative approach to telling the back story about two geniuses who came together to create one of hip-hop's most intriguing, ground-breaking and influential releases. Here, two AI "journalists", a father and son, actually, dig into the story of Madlib's and MF DOOM's landmark collaboration. It's a intriguing concept in itself, and it's easy to get just as lost in that part of the story as it is to get lost in the story of the album itself. This is truly one of the best I have read in the series and sets a high bar for any future entries to live up to.

Will Hagle does an excellent job of creatively explaining the cultural and historical significance of Madvillain’s Madvillainy in this book. It is truly fantastic the way he slips between offering facts about the album and its creator and the captivating fictional story that he created to go along with it. The book is wonderfully written and is entertaining as well as educational. A must read for any fan of music history, this is one you cannot miss!

A good addition to the 33 1/3 catalog of slanted books told from behind a fictional persona. Those elements were perfectly fine - did not add much but also not a distraction as in the Darnielle book - and certainly make sense with the background of the record being discussed. Much more interested were the background details about Doom and Madlib and the early Stones Throw years.

Would still love to see an analysis on the level of the recent Dilla book - but maybe that day will come soon.

Well, after I said the Rio 33 1/3 was very much at the straightforward end of the series, I suppose it makes sense for the next one I read to be considerably more high concept, opening "Greetings. Self's name Timothy A.I. Verselli, sentient computer program and the last remaining employee of The Daily Daily's Music Journalism department." Then flashing back to introduce two more authorial avatars, in passages whose involved worldbuilding is never quite matched by the commitment to the bit once the book – supposedly in the voice of one or other of these personae – starts talking about the album itself and its creators. Still, you can see why the approach might appeal: lots of rappers have a handful of aliases, but this is an album where one of MF DOOM's AKAs does a track about his girlfriend cheating on him...with MF DOOM. And if the album's voice obscured his identity behind various identities, not to mention that mask, then producer Madlib's reluctance to engage with the public took the more straightforward form of reclusiveness, a man for whom "we just make music for ourselves" seems to have been far truer than for any of the indie bands associated with the cliché. Between which, and DOOM having died (or, to use the book's preferred albeit potentially confusing term, transitioned), obviously neither of them was available for interview, so first-hand contributions come largely from assorted associates and hangers-on, all of them now with clashing stories about what happened, who deserved more credit, and so on. Which could easily have become dispiriting – this is what we're reduced to saying about the album? – if it weren't for how much they all agree that it's a brilliant album and, whatever their quibbles about credits and cash and such, they remain proud to have been a part of it in whatever capacity. Also, there does seem to be a general agreement, at least among everyone bar Peanut Butter Wolf, that Peanut Butter Wolf was a bit of a bell-end. Which surprised me, because I remembered a vague sense from around that time of his being a genial sort of presence in the whole movement for which, even at the time, nobody liked the 'backpack rap' term. But then, by that point I wasn't really keeping up with what was left of the music press, and my hip hop connection was largely through one really plugged-in colleague, who perhaps wasn't into DOOM for some reason, or maybe I just didn't pick up on that name, because despite how much of his stuff is right up my street, I was ridiculously late getting into the guy, probably only a few months before it turned out he was dead already. Meaning I was never up on the mythology compared to eg the early days of the Wu, and I can't comment on how this might read to someone better acquainted with it all. But as a primer for those of us to whom it's just a bonkers, brilliant piece of music in itself, a good read, even if the AI et al stuff doesn't altogether come off.

(Netgalley ARC)

This is a great book for all fans of underground hip hop.

I was initially uneasy about the framing of this book as a series of essays by different comic book like characters. But Wagle was able to weave this conceit into the narrative in an engaging way. Each section is written by a different character, and Wagle is able to give each a different voice. This dovetails nicely with the fact that Madlib and DOOM each have myriad alter egos. It was a great idea and well executed.

The description of the album creation process was fascinating. I've liked Madlib's music for a while, but this book exposed me to the true depth of his dedication to his craft. To be in Brazil and still be mostly interested in getting local records to make beats is next level. DOOM on the other hand, remains an enigmatic figure. The more that's described about his spontaneity and process, the more questions arise as to how he was able to create so much. How was he able to keep juggling projects from all his different aliases at the same time? With his passing, we'll never fully know. But Wagle is able to shed some light on both of these artists.

I fully recommend this book to any fans of the 33 1/3 series. This is another winner.

20 years ago Madlib and MF Doom made history - they recorded the legendary album Madvillany. Will Hagle takes us way back to these days. After he paints vivid portraits of both artists at that point of their careers, he describes the whole backstory of making the record: from the complex circumstances of initiating their artistic cooperation, through detailed description of their working process, to the controversies around album “leak” to the internet. For me, as an album fan, it was useful key to understand the it’s construction and some of MF Doom lyrics and word plays. It’s short book that will give a lot of joy to every hip hip head like me. Recommended to all Doom and Madlib fan.

Very enjoyable, I found this Intresreting and very much look forward to reading more things from Will Hagel.