Champion Sound is a collaborative album by the duo Jaylib, consisting of producers J Dilla and Madlib. The album was released in 2003 and is considered a classic in the underground hip-hop scene. The title track, "Champion Sound", features a sample from the 1978 film The Deer Hunter and showcases the duo's signature blend of soulful beats and intricate rhymes. The album also features guest appearances from Talib Kweli and Percee P.
Jaylib began in 2000, when DJ J Rocc of the Beat Junkies gave a CD of unused instrumental tracks by J Dilla to Madlib. Madlib recorded vocals over these beats and labelled them "Jaylib", without the intention of actually releasing them. Stones Throw Records placed one of these recordings as the B-side to a promo 12" Madlib single, under the name Jaylib, which was eventually heard by Dilla. The pair recorded Champion Sound in separate cities, Madlib in Oxnard, California, and Dilla in Detroit, Michigan by sending recordings back and forth. The two met only once before or during this time, while Madlib was recording in Detroit for J Dilla's album The Diary on MCA Records; a record that was not released until 2016. The album was released in 2003 after much delay due to leaks and bootlegs and received positive reviews.
Following Dilla's move from Detroit to Los Angeles in 2004, they appeared together on tour in Spring 2004 in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York City, and Toronto. Madlib debuted a yet-unreleased Jaylib song on a BBC radio show in May 2005 titled "Take It Back aka The Unofficial", produced by J Dilla with vocals by Madlib. The track was released on Adult Swim and Stones Throw's Chrome Children compilation.
The first pressings of the album in the USA contained two bonus tracks: "Raw Addict," and "Ice" (which otherwise are only on a white label 12" issued by Stones Throw); the first pressing of the CD in Europe included those two and a third track, "Pillz," which was later featured as the b-side to the single for "McNasty Filth".
In 2005 Madlib's compilation of unreleased Jaylib tracks got leaked as an early version of Madvillain's Madvillainy did before. These two CDs were compiled by Madlib in late 2002 to listen to on a trip to Brazil.[8] The Jaylib compilation is called The Rough Drafts and the Madvillain compilation is called Madvillainy Preview.
The 2007 re-issue of Champion Sound was abruptly delayed when Stones Throw was issued a cease-and-desist from the camp of artist Cris Williamson. "The Red", one of the more popular songs from the LP, contained an unauthorized sample of her song "Shine On, Straight Arrow". According to J-Rocc of the Beat Junkies, the sample clearance issue came down to Williamson's gripe about a Madlib lyric: "There's a Jaylib track called ‘The Red’ they got sued for. Cris Williamson is the artist and she’s a total feminist, a real woman-power type. In that song Madlib says "mostly shitty women". She said, 'I’m not having that, take it off the album.' But she’s still letting them use the instrumental for licensing and so on. So even there they’ve worked something out".[9] "The Red" appears on the reissue with an alternate beat, though one still arranged by Jay Dee. An alternate beat was also used for the song "No Games" on the re-issue.
Reception
In 2010, Champion Sound was listed by Black Milk as one of the "Top Ten Albums of the Last Decade".[10] In 2015, it ranked at number 41 on Fact's "100 Best Indie Hip-Hop Records of All Time" list.[11] In that year, it was also listed by HipHopDX as one of the "30 Best Underground Hip Hop Albums Since 2000".[12]
