illustration
Madlib
Otis Jackson Jr., aka Madlib, has been one of the most important producers of the underground hip hop scene since the beginning of the 21st century.
Together with MC Wildchild and DJ Romes he was part of the group Lootpack who were signed to
Stones Throw Records
by label boss Peanut Butter Wolf in 1998.
Lootpack's 1999 debut album Soundpieces: Da Antidote ushered in a string of releases on Stones Throw centering on Madlib's production work which would continue for a decade.
His first solo work, The Unseen, under the guise of Quasimoto, came in 2000.
He is widely known for his collaborations with MF Doom (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), and Freddie Gibbs (as MadGibbs). Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last." His stage name is an acronym for "Mind Altering Demented Lessons In Beats".
This illustration depicts Madlib with a couple of his beat machines; the Boss SP-303 Dr Sample, Akai MPC-2000XL, E-mu SP-1200, Fisher Price Recordplayer 3841 amongst other tools.