Double vinyl LP pressing. MF Doom is the man in the iron mask. The most mysterious figure in hip-hop has also become one of the most popular, supplying beats and rhymes for Gorillaz, de la Soul, Madlib, Danger Mouse, and WuTang Clan, and drawing praise from heavyweights like Just Blaze, Nas, and Mos Def. Since 2002, Doom has released numerous volumes of Special Herbs, one of the longest-running instrumental series in hiphop history. With obscure loops and dusty samples galore, Special Herbs Vol. 9 & 0 is a must-have for any Doom fan or hip-hop head.
The villainous one returns with another set of instrumentals and backing tracks used previously on his proper releases. While it's a great way to study the groovy loops and the perfect edits MF Doom creates, newcomers should know that tracks are untouched for the most part, not mind-blowing turntable workouts or grand remixes. That's cool for Doom fans, since his lyric-filled albums require mucho attention to really work their magic. Instead, the Special Herbs series provides those cool Doom grooves as background music, perfect for practicing your pimp walk, your MC skills, or your ability to adhere to the "puff, puff, give" policy. In fact, Special Herbs, Vols. 9 & 0 is less manipulated than usual; arguably the most dryly presented volume in the series. This works just fine for Doom's breezier beats as of late, with the loosest and most languid given extra time to stretch. The first half of the album rolls along nicely till the Laibach-meets-human-beatbox "'Untitled' (Meditation)" mashes things up. The second half ducks and weaves a bit more along with being funkier and firmly '70s. The risky bits come at the end with the frantic "Coca Leaf" hiccupping up a wailing diva, while "Peach Extract" brings the show to a close with a campy, Brazilian tickle. It adds up to the best flow the Special Herbs series has ever displayed and a great way to introduce Doom's unique production style to the groove-friendly. ~ David Jeffries
- Format: Vinyl
- Genre: Hip/Hop, Instrumental
- Note: This version does not include a bonus 7" as some of the more expensive editions did at one point.
- Remember, for our lowest prices, always order directly from our official JocoRecords website!
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Tracks
| Volume Nine | ||
| A1 | Vinca Rosea | |
| A2 | Burdock Root | |
| A3 | Vervain | |
| B1 | Bergamont | |
| B2 | Podina | |
| B3 | “Untitled” (Meditation) | |
| B4 | Coltsfoot Leaf | |
| Volume Zero | ||
| C1 | Orris Root Powder | |
| C2 | Passion Flower | |
| C3 | Yellow Dock | |
| D1 | Datura Stramonium | |
| D2 | Coca Leaf | |
| D3 | Peach Extract |
