In 2001, after Fondle 'Em closed, Doom disappeared. Soon after release of the album, in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Madlib stated that he wanted to collaborate with two artists: J Dilla and Doom. Club, the album 'has attained mythic status its legend has grown in proportion to its relative unavailability'. In 1999, he released his debut solo album Operation: Doomsday on Fondle 'Em Records. In 1997, after the death of his brother DJ Subroc and the rejection of KMD's album Black Bastards by Elektra Records four years previously, rapper Zev Love X returned to music as the masked rapper MF Doom. It has ranked in various publications' lists of all-time greatest albums, including at 411 on NME's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and at 365 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. Madvillainy received widespread critical acclaim for Madlib's production and MF Doom's lyricism, and is regarded as Doom's magnum opus.

It peaked at number 179 on the US Billboard 200, and attracted attention from media outlets not usually covering hip hop music, including The New Yorker. While Madvillainy achieved only moderate commercial success, it became one of the best-selling Stones Throw albums. Frustrated, the duo stopped working on the album and returned to it only after they had released other solo projects. Fourteen months before the album was released, an unfinished demo version was stolen and leaked onto the internet. Madlib created most of the instrumentals during a trip to Brazil in his hotel room using minimal amounts of equipment: a Boss SP-303 sampler, a turntable, and a tape deck. It was released on March 23, 2004, on Stones Throw Records.

Madvillainy is the only studio album by American hip hop duo Madvillain, consisting of rapper MF Doom and producer Madlib.

Madvillainy album tracklist