Delving into Madlib's world is like Alice heading down the rabbit hole. Although you can guess that it's going to include some dope hip-hop, smooth soul, or neo-historic jazz, you never know what's going to be served up along the way and in what portions. As a producer, the man's a genius. As a crate-digger, a regular Indiana Jones. As a music-mixer, a magician. He's put out so much material under so many names over the last ten years that you could do a college disseration on the sum and make your professors' heads spin.

His latest project: WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip. It's the latest (and last) installment of the monumental BBE Beat Generation series which has featured such luminaries as Marley Marl, Pete Rock, Jazzy Jeff, DJ Spinna, King Britt, and J Dilla (who created the first album in the series back in 2001). Unlike some of his other work (Quasimoto to some extent, or Yesterdays New Quintet, or his Shades of Blue release) which drifted more towards the jazz end of the spectrum, Madlib comes straight at you with some soul and dense, hard hitting hip-hop for this compilation. Mixed in with tracks from artists including Guilty Simpson, Defari, J-Rocc, and others are some instrumental breaks from the Madlib himself, more in tune with his Beat Konducta series of releases (speaking of which, volume 5 is coming in November).

The album hits shelves tomorrow, but here are the first two tracks to get you salivating. I could have picked any two practically at random and you would have gotten some rich tracks that wouldn't really give you an idea of what the only darn mix is like. It's like cutting a square inch out of a Van Gogh and expecting you to appreciate the entire materpiece. Ultimately, I picked these two as the first is one of Madlib's creations, one that feels like a stepping stone from his Beat Konducta Vol. 3-4 work. The second gives you an idea of the hip-hop edge the album lines itself up on. Enjoy, along with some other cuts from his previous works, and then get all twenty-five tracks tomorrow.

Don't have the cash to shell out? Head over here to create your own video for one of the tracks from the album and have a chance to win an iPod touch loaded up with the entire Beat Generation series.







Quasimoto - Return of the Loop Digga : The Unseen

Jaylib - The Official : Champion Sound

Kamala Walker & The Soul Tribe - Street Talkin' : Yesterdays Universe: Prepare For A New Yesterday (Volume One)