Madlib Medicine Show was a 13-album series by Madlib originally scheduled to be released monthly on his own imprint, Madlib Invazion throughout 2010 and into 2011. Odd months present releases featuring Madlib's production work while even months showcase DJ work and mixing skills.
It was originally planned to be only 12 albums and mixtapes, however a secret Medicine Show titled Medicine Show #13: Black Tape was released in March 2012, to complete the Madlib Medicine Show series.
Madlib Medicine Show #1 contains original tracks as well as "OJ Simpson remixes" of tracks from Guilty Simpson's debut album Ode to the Ghetto. It is considered a prelude to Madlib and Guilty's collaboration album O.J. Simpson released in May 2010. There are two brief guest appearances; one by J Dilla, in a short, previously unreleased interlude dating back to his & Madlib's first collaboration and the other by MED, who is the sole voice on the short "The Exclusive", a theme song that first appeared on Jaylib's Champion Sound album where Percee P did "The Exclusive" interlude.
As of May 2011, this album's vinyl edition is back in print after the initial 1000 copies sold out at release.
"...is your ticket out of this hell hole and onto an 80-minute guided tour through three or four
decades of Brazilian funk, psychedelic, prog-rock and jazz."
37-track instrumental hip-hop album produced by Madlib, inspired by and based on African records of the early 1970s – obscure & independent vinyl gems from afro-beat, funk, psych-rock, garage-rock & soul movements from different parts of Africa are all sampled to create a unique sound. The album also works as an installment in Madlib's Beat Konducta series, a number of albums Madlib put outs featuring his instrumental work with a special theme for each LP.
"All Jamaican sounds. You're tuning to your boss D.J. Madlib. Musical disc from the flick of his wrist to make you jump and twist. Madlib control the fullest. Roots. rock. reggae. Good stuff, as I would say."
The CD's audio has been divided into 9 separate tracks.
Track List
"What Are the Medical Benefits of Smoking Marijuana?"
"What Are the Negative Risks of Smoking It?"
"What Alternatives Are There to Smoking?"
"Are a Lot of Pesticides on Pot?"
"Where Is All This Pot Coming From?"
"So What Does the Law Say About These Dispensaries and Their Various Pot Products?"
"How Much Pot Am I Allowed to Have at One Time?"
"How Do I Get a Prescription?"
"Will My Name End Up on Some DEA List?"
#5: History of The Loop Digga, 1990–2000
Medicine Show #5: History of the Loop Digga, 1990–2000
Madlib Medicine Show #5 is a collection of previously unreleased Madlib production dating back to 1990 and stretches to 2000. Before he called himself The Beat Konducta, there was The Loop Digga, who made beats with his sampler in the basement known as Crate Digga's Palace. Beats were pulled from old beat tapes and floppy discs. The majority of the album is instrumental, but a few selections feature him rapping together with his Oxnard crew C.D.P., which also included his brother Oh No. A limited triple vinyl set was released featuring a bonus disc of 10 additional tracks from the same period.
"...is a 61-minute DJ mixtape of global psychedelic, progressive and hard rock & funk circa 1968–1976, culled from the isolated reaches of Madlib's 4-ton mountain of vinyl."
Track List
"World Leaders Plan Centralized Power & Remote Brain Control"
"Imagine an 80-minute music history course taking place in a dusty, hazy studio with wall-to-wall jazz vinyl - records from the past 40 years – jazz, fusion, funky, obscure. This course will not be graded. There will be no lecture. Madlib’s at the turntable. Class is now in session."
"Madlib Medicine Show No. 10 reminds us of the mastery Madlib has performed throughout his heralded body of work, sourcing inspiration by the likes of Don Blackman, ZZ Hill or the Sylvers and blowing you away with the original work that stems from it. With Black Soul, he's digging deep to give you a mix of 60s and 70s soul, disco and funk unlike you've ever heard."
Track List
"To Promote Illogical Thinking"
"To Increase Efficiency of Mentation and Perception"
"To Promote the Intoxicating Effect of Alcohol"
"The Induction of Hypnosis"
"To Withstand Privation, Torture and Coercion"
"To Promote Amnesia"
"May Result in Shock and Confusion"
"To Produce “Pure” Euphoria"
"To Alter Personality Structure"
All track names are references to the goals of an illegal CIA covert operation codenamed, "MKULTRA"
"A 28-track hip-hop album of exclusive Madlib collabos w/ A.G., Guilty Simpson, MED, Oh No, Strong Arm Steady and others. Karriem Riggins pops in for a Supreme Team session, Madlib & Oh No debut The Professionals, and we hear a Jaylib-era track from their never-realized second album. Low Budget High Fi also contains several Loop Digga instrumentals and of course interludes, outerludes and probably quaaludes."
Track List
Madlib - "Sounds of the Studio (Prelude)"
The Professionals - "Hold Up"
Madlib - "Handmade Hustle (Instrumental)"
The Professionals feat. Roc C - "Start Sumthin' (93033)"
Guilty Simpson - "Thoughts of an Old Flame"
Madlib - "Minze (Come Closer)"
Madlib - "Louder (Blast Your Radio Theme)" (Produced by Jaylib)
Madlib - "The Ride (Nightcoastin' Instrumental)
A.G. - "O.G. (Whirlwind Mix)"
Oh No - "O.G. (Underwater Mix)"
Frank Nitty - "Stageridin' (First Demo Double Image Mix)"
Madlib - "Love/Hate (Instrumental)"
Strong Arm Steady - Loose Girl (Electronic Drunk Demon Version)"
Madlib - "Smoke Break (Whodat?)"
Supreme Team - "Interview #4080"
Madlib - "Embryo Thought (Instrumental)"
Madlib - "The Adventures of Soul Bra and Docta Dick’em (Pts. 1 and 2)"
"Rounding out the 12-part Madlib Medicine Show series, Madlib flips the format with Raw Medicine: Madlib Remixes - part mixtape, part beat tape, featuring a host of un-suspecting collaborators that run the gamut from thugs, street poets, star emcees and underdogs. We ain't naming names. The show runs 60 minute with 30+ tracks."
Track List
The following track list is unofficial and adopted from Rappcats.com
Intro
Capone-n-Noreaga
Inspectah Deck's verse from 7L & Esoteric's “Speaking Real Words” / Rae's verse from Big Pun's “Fire Water”
"The complete Madlib Medicine Show series, #1-13."
"Originally announced in 2010: “Madlib is launching Madlib Medicine Show, a 12-part music series (12 CD's, 6 LP's) on his own imprint, Madlib Invazion. Odd numbers, beginning with #1 in Jan. 2010, will be original hip-hop, remix, beat tape and jazz productions; even numbers will be mixtapes of funk, soul, Brazilian, psych, jazz and other undefined forms of music from the Beat Konducta's 4-ton* stack of vinyl.”
Years before this series was announced Madlib had talked about an idea to release an album a month. For this producer, whose work thrives on a freestyle cut & paste, sometimes blurring the lines between original work and DJ mixing, there was little time or patience for the normal marketing and promotion norms of the music industry. By the start of 2010, it was time to experiment.
All told, the series became 13 releases, plus a few extra cuts of vinyl, and took nearly twice as long as expected. Along the way, some records got complicated, a few other projects took hold, some of the listeners lost track, while many others stayed for the whole trip."
