Appearing for a rare interview with Complex, Madlib discussed his 2019 critically acclaimed album with Freddie Gibbs Bandana and what other collaborations he has in the works.
When asked if he had intended his and Gibbs’ Bandana LP to be a game-changer, the prolific producer replied, “We don’t really even think about it like that. We just try to create good music.”
“I don’t try to do music to be the best. I just try to make good music that I would sit and listen to,” he continued. “And if I like it, it comes out. We don’t overthink things. We just record.”
Madlib also discussed the ways in which his and Gibbs’ signature styles meshed on the record.
“He kind of does trap music. I also do trap music, but I’m known for whatever you all know me for,” he explained. “It’s a mesh of my weird underground world and his gangster hood stuff, you know what I mean? So I treated it like Compton’s Most Wanted. They used raw loops and crazy story-telling and stuff.”
Looking ahead at upcoming releases, Madlib revealed he still has a collaborated project with Pusha T in the works. He’s also cooking up beats for Buffalo’s rising rap trio, Griselda.
“I’m trying to do that album with Pusha T,” he told the outlet. “I’m also working with the Griselda crew. All three of them are real dope. They’re bringing back that real New York sh*t.”
Furthermore, Madlib expressed interest in working with André 3000.
“Hell yeah,” he responded to the thought of collaborating with 3 Stacks. Madlib reflected on the fan-made Otis Benjamin EP that surfaced on YouTube a few months ago. The project featured mashups of André’s best verses over Madlib’s beats.
“We’ll make that sh*t way better than that,” he said of a prospective album. “[Otis Benjamin] was like… Eh. We’ll do it right, you know what I mean?”
However, during a recent interview with Rick Rubin, André revealed he’d been feeling creatively boxed-in, preventing him from making any new music. Nonetheless, Madlib is interested in working with the legendary MC in any capacity—he doesn’t even have to rap.
“I mean, he can do a flute album with me if he wants,” he laughed. “Pied Piper and the Beat Conductor.”
Earlier this year, Madlib produced The Professionals’ self-titled debut album and recently released an instrumental version of his and Gibbs’ record, called Bandana Beats.
Revisit Bandana below.