Madlib (born Otis Lee Jackson Jr. on October 24, 1973) is an American DJ, record producer, rapper, multi-instrumentalist, and composer from Oxnard, California. Known for his dense sampling, unconventional rhythms, and fascination with jazz, soul, funk, and international music, he has built one of the most varied and influential bodies of work in modern hip-hop. He has also recorded under numerous aliases, including Quasimoto, Beat Konducta, DJ Rels, and Yesterdays New Quintet.
Jackson grew up in a musical family and began experimenting with samples while still young. In the early 1990s, he became part of the Oxnard production and rap community known as Crate Diggas Palace. His first commercially released production work included contributions to recordings by Tha Alkaholiks. He subsequently formed Lootpack with Wildchild and DJ Romes. The group's debut album, Soundpieces: Da Antidote! (1999), released through Stones Throw Records, established Madlib as a distinctive producer whose rough-edged, heavily chopped beats stood apart from more polished mainstream hip-hop.
His first major solo statement came with The Unseen (2000), credited to Quasimoto. The album combined abstract instrumental production with Madlib's high-pitched alter ego, creating a surreal and deliberately unorthodox rap persona. Quasimoto became one of the defining characters in Madlib's expanding musical universe, which allowed him to explore different styles without being restricted to a single artistic identity.
Madlib's interest in jazz became increasingly central during the early 2000s. Under the name Yesterdays New Quintet, he released Angles Without Edges (2001), presenting a fictional jazz ensemble whose members were all played by Madlib. He extended this concept through a series of related projects and aliases, demonstrating his abilities as a keyboardist, percussionist, arranger, and sampler. His 2003 album Shades of Blue: Madlib Invades Blue Note reworked recordings from the Blue Note archive and became one of his most accessible and acclaimed jazz-oriented projects.
Collaboration has remained central to Madlib's career. With J Dilla, he formed Jaylib, releasing Champion Sound in 2003. With MF Doom, he created Madvillain, whose 2004 album Madvillainy is widely regarded as a landmark of alternative hip-hop. The record's compact arrangements, fragmented samples, and Doom's densely written verses made it a defining release for the independent rap scene. Madlib also worked with Talib Kweli on Liberation (2007) and produced much of Erykah Badu's New Amerykah Part One (4th World War) (2008).
Through his Madlib Invazion imprint, he issued the Madlib Medicine Show series, a broad collection of rap albums, jazz recordings, remixes, and DJ-oriented releases. His Beat Konducta series further explored instrumental hip-hop, often using fragments of Indian cinema music and other international sources.
Madlib found another major partner in Freddie Gibbs. Their albums Pinata (2014) and Bandana (2019) paired Gibbs' direct street narratives with Madlib's unpredictable, sample-heavy production. Later projects included Sound Ancestors (2021), arranged with Four Tet, and Champagne for Breakfast (2023), a collaboration with Meyhem Lauren and DJ Muggs. Across his many identities and projects, Madlib is best known for treating hip-hop as an open musical language rather than a fixed style.