A Live Rendition Of Madlib's Shades Of Blue

A rapper, instrumentalist and a hip-hop producer Otis Jackson Jr, who performs under the pseudonym of Madlib, has worked with some of the greats of the genre, including MF Doom and the late J Dilla. In 2000 Madlib moved away from hip-hop and formed the Yesterdays New Quintet, a Jazz based group whose parts were all played under alter egos but in reality were Madlib himself.

His innovative style was picked up by the legendary Blue Note, who invited him to remix tracks from their archive which formed the album Shades of Blue, released in 2003. His innate ability to absorb his influences and reinterpret them is clearly displayed on this record, where he has combined his loves for hip-hop and jazz in perfect unison. Like he says “Just trying to connect with the old heads and the young heads at once” This album does just that.