Madlib

When left to create instrumental sounds without the thought of an MC gracing the track, Madlib can get complicated but tends to deliver the straight goods. In India is no exception, as the producer pieces together over 30 quick beats that challenge the listener but succeeds in creating a hip-hop Bollywood soundtrack that comes correct. How much you will enjoy this continuation of the Beat Konducta series might depend on how much you enjoy instruments such as tablas and sitars. But if you’re down with the sound you can’t help but appreciate how Madlib pieces it all together, throws in some Redman samples and bridges the gap. There are jams, like the crushing drums on "Freeze” and the nasty funk of "Get It Right,” that are extremely solid cuts, but Madlib also throws in many interludes of random sound and dialogue, which are less engaging, though it strikes the right balance to give this series an overall feel for the sounds of the genre that inspired him. Madlib has proven numerous times that he can deliver a polished jam, but it’s always his somewhat sloppy rawness that ropes you in.