I made an electronic record in the vein of Cluster. I was programming synthesizers and drum machines and that sort of thing.
— Madlib
My whole thing is that I make music regardless. Regardless of everything around me, I'll always make music.
I'm a jokester, man.
As long as I'm living decent, then I'm cool.
I love zebras.
People only know me for what they've heard, but that only represents about 10 percent of what I've done.
I'm usually bored with both gangsta rappers and underground ones, too.
My family brainwashed me, like I'm brainwashing my children. They brainwashed me with good taste.
I'm a laid back dude, I don't really get excited.
I search for records that I've found on YouTube. If I can't get the record it doesn't matter to me, I'll bump the YouTube rip.
I get bored with music so I try to listen to things in different types of genre to see what's possible.
My pops had me at the studio since I was born. That's why I got into music. He would let me go up on the controls and mess with stuff.
If I sample a song, I usually make samples out of the whole album. Then I move on after that. Doesn't mean I'm going to release that whole album, but I do that.
I grew up on Public Enemy, which had a message with great music behind it.
Not anyone can rap to my beats.
I listen to a lot of different things. I'll be listening to prog rock, then the next couple of hours - Indian.
I'm a hermit, people rarely see me.
Embryo is one of my favorite groups ever.
I'm a positive dude.
There were a certain amount of people that were down with me, and we would just sit in the room and make music.
I used to drink straight Hennessy, but I started drinking wine and champagne. It's easier to tour like that.
I'll always work with Stones Throw, but I'm trying to start my own label to release my old material and sign new artists. I want to do everything from rock, to jazz, to electronic, to noise records and movie sound tracks. Both sampled and original music.
I do it for myself and for like-minded people. Half the time I don't know why I make what I do. I'd do this if no one was listening. I'm stuck. I've got the curse.
You have to work how you work.
I'm constantly buying records.
If I'm really hyped to do something, I can do most of an album in a day.
I'll take two months off just to listen to records and not do any music so I can absorb all that and then when I go do my music. It's all in me. I'll listen to a different genre every two days or something, study it, 24 hours straight.
I don't talk in front of people.
I've always done music with so-called thug- or gangster-type lyricists. I've always been associated with that because I'm from the West Coast.
As far as hip hop, I ain't even gonna front, it was 'Rapper's Delight.' That was the first thing I heard where I was like, 'Whoa.' You take that beat and do something over it. I started collecting records after that, old records.
I guess I only work with versatile rappers, chameleons like Guilty Simpson, J Dilla, and Doom.
I don't worry about collaborating. Whatever happens, happens.
As a kid, I was trying to copy what I heard. Namely, I was just listening to producers I looked up to, like 45 King and Marley Marl, and trying to do what they were doing.
I'm quiet, so people might think I'm a mute.
At one point, I took a year off just to listen to music and really digest it. I listened to everything you could imagine.
I don't have beef with anybody.
I didn't want to put out 'The Unseen' because I thought I would be criticized. I thought everyone would think the sped-up vocals were a gimmick. I had to be convinced to put it out.
I like white wine, Riesling.
I don't like drama in my life, but I like reading about it.
Interviews are my least favorite thing to do.
Dudes I work with have to be like-minded to where I just hand them a beat that has a chorus and they can do with them what they gotta do. If they can't do that, I usually don't work with 'em.
I think a lot of guys are influenced by 'Pinata.' I fathered a lot of styles off that album.
I've got about three or four rooms of records, and two rooms of instruments.
Basically my whole life is music, that's all I do 24-7.
The iPad is the greatest thing as far as kids.
Prince Paul's one of my teachers. He's always been one of my main inspirations as far as interludes go and getting a little quirky at times.
I like my space.
Sometimes I will slow down the beat for one bar on purpose, just to see if the rapper can adapt his flow and stay on beat.
I try to challenge my ears. I get bored easily.
I don't do selfies.
