Madvillainy

While Madlib's predilection for piecing together cryptic found sounds can get a bit tiresome, Doom's self-deprecating narrative of a man "on a fast track to half-sane" is genius and madness all rolled into one big blunt. Yep, on "America's Most Blunted" he gloats about being "nominated for the best rolled L's." While "Rainbows" proves that Doom shouldn't ever sing--and yeah, his scratchy, drawling flow is an acquired taste--he's still "got more lyrics than the church's got 'Oooh Lords.'" This is rap for frying your brain cells, and we all know they need a good cooking every now and then. --Dalton Higgins, Amazon.com