For Ear Sake

Madlib - Nittyville Extras (MMS #9) (2011)

Genres: Hip Hop, Instrumental, Rap

Madlib has been busy with his Madlib Medicine Show series that began in the later months of 2009. Just when the fans thought each volume of the series would release in numerical order, #9 decided to be the first volume of the series to take a detour. Both #10 and #11 managed to release prior to #9, pushing the antsy Madlib fans at the edge of their seats. However, Stones Throw announced in April that Nittyville was back from its hiatus, and was ready to be released. Here's what Stones Throw had to say about MMS #9:

"Nittyville is perhaps the most traditional of the series, and we make no bones about it: one MC, one producer, and a rap record all about stunts, blunts and hip-hop. As for “Channel 85,” it is far off most dials. This album’s concept TV station runs one show only: the comic-drama, reality-musical called Nittyville, featuring Frank, MED, Oh No, Madlib, and a supporting cast of extras."

This post is not about the Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents Nittyville. This post is solely about the Nittyville Extras. The extras are featured within the bonus disc released with the limited 3-LP version of MMS #9. The 3-LP releases are a tad bit more expensive than the average released LP versions, but getting additional limited goodies is always fun. The extra bonus disc features 12 non-album rap tracks, instrumentals and remixes, and the duration is 4 minutes shy of an half an hour.

Stones Throw didn't lie when they said #9 was the most traditional of the Madlib Medicine Show series. The Nittyville Extras are jam-packed with a West Coast Hip Hop feel, and traditional Madlib instrumentals seasoned with humorous samples. A track stood out amongst the other 11 tracks though. It wasn't a sound that I normally hear coming from Madlib. It was Electronic/Hip Hop goodness layered with a sample of two women talking about falling victim to becoming a male's sex object. The 53 second track left me yearning for more Electronic material from Madlib. That would be a sound to hear!

Madlib Medicine Show #9: Channel 85 Presents Nittyville not only consists of traditional Hip Hop, but the concept behind the project enforces that every volume of the series is well thought out, and #9 stands true to the other volumes of the series (concept wise). MMS #9 is highly recommended to individuals that enjoy Madlib's Hip Hop instrumentals and Hip Hop artists such as Frank Nitt (of course) and MED. The Nittyville Extras can be purchased through Stones Throw in two ways: The first option is purchasing the 3-LP version (here), or purchasing the MP3 version of just the extras (here). I'm sure most Madlib fans already purchased their copy, but for everyone that didn't, please do so if you're interested in the material!

I've also included two tracks from the Nittyville Extras below. The first track is the short-and-sweet Electronic instrumental that left me wanting more Electronic material from Madlib, and the second track is a traditional Madlib instrumental with a very humorous sample at the end. Enjoy!

Madlib - Nightrider (Instrumental)

Madlib - Monkey Hustle (Instrumental)