| The Unseen | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 13, 2000 (2000-06-13) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 63:13 | |||
| Label | Stones Throw | |||
| Producer | Madlib | |||
| Quasimoto chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Unseen | ||||
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The Unseen is the debut studio album byQuasimoto, a hip-hop duo composed ofMadlib and his animatedalter ego Lord Quas. It was released underStones Throw Records on June 13, 2000. It was re-released in 2005 as a deluxe edition with a bonus CD containing the instrumental version of the album.
Madlib tookmushrooms for a month while creating the album.[1] It was co-mixed byKut Masta Kurt andPeanut Butter Wolf.[2] The cover was designed by Jeff Jank.[3] The song "Low Class Conspiracy" was on the soundtrack for the video gameTony Hawk's Underground.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |  [4] |
| Mojo |  [5] |
| Muzik | 4/5[6] |
| NME | 8/10[7] |
| Pitchfork | 7.3/10(2000)[8] 8.5/10(2005)[9] |
| RapReviews | 9/10[10] |
| Spin | 7/10[11] |
Nathan Rabin ofThe A.V. Club said, "The Unseen represents a dramatic leap forward for Madlib as a producer, as he integrates left-field, found-sound samples with dexterity and wit that brings to mindPrince Paul's consistently surprising production work."[12] Meanwhile, Michaelangelo Matos ofCity Pages said, "The Unseen bursts with so much found material it's tempting to think Madlib changed his name to escape litigation, pilfering everything fromAugustus Pablo toMelvin Van Peebles to enough jazz artists to fill aWest Village loft".[2]
Steve Huey ofAllMusic called it "one of the most imaginative albums of the newWest Coast underground, a puzzling, psychedelicjazz-rap gem riddled with warped humor and fractured musical genius."[4]
The Unseen ranked at number 17 onSpin's list of the best albums of 2000.[13]Rhapsody ranked it at number seven on its "Hip-Hop's Best Albums of the Decade" list.[14] In 2015, it ranked at number 29 onFact's "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.[15] In that year, it was also listed byHipHopDX as one of the "30 Best Underground Hip Hop Albums Since 2000".[16]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Welcome to Violence" | 0:49 |
| 2. | "Bad Character" | 1:56 |
| 3. | "Microphone Mathematics" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Basic Instinct" | 2:10 |
| 5. | "Goodmorning Sunshine" | 2:57 |
| 6. | "Discipline 99, Pt. 0" (featuring Mr. Herb) | 2:32 |
| 7. | "Low Class Conspiracy" | 2:26 |
| 8. | "Return of the Loop Digga" | 3:46 |
| 9. | "Real Eyes" | 3:22 |
| 10. | "Come on Feet" | 3:35 |
| 11. | "Bluffin" | 2:47 |
| 12. | "Boom Music" | 2:47 |
| 13. | "MHBs" | 2:02 |
| 14. | "Put a Curse on You" | 1:46 |
| 15. | "Astro Black" | 3:17 |
| 16. | "Green Power" | 2:59 |
| 17. | "Jazz Cats, Pt. 1" | 2:43 |
| 18. | "24-7" (featuringMedaphoar) | 2:48 |
| 19. | "The Unseen" | 2:53 |
| 20. | "Phony Game" | 1:56 |
| 21. | "Astro Travellin" | 2:58 |
| 22. | "Blitz" | 1:16 |
| 23. | "Axe Puzzles" | 2:34 |
| 24. | "Discipline 99, Pt. 1" (featuringWildchild) | 3:36 |
