All Caps (song)
| "All CAPS" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single by Madvillain | |
| from the album Madvillainy | |
| Recorded | 2004 |
| Genre | Hip hop |
| Length | 2:10 |
| Label | Stones Throw Records |
| Writer(s) | Daniel Dumile Thompson, Otis Lee Jackson |
| Producer(s) | Madlib |
"All Caps" is a single by the hip-hop duo Madvillain from their debut album Madvillainy.
Background
The title is a reference to MF DOOM's preference that his stage name be written in all capital letters. An early version of this song appeared on the unofficially released album Are MadVillain titled "Horny".[1] The track contains three samples: the main sample and the outro (the only one in the album credits) are taken from the TV show Ironside (episodes "Price Tag: Death" and "Up, Down and Even"); the intro is taken from the TV show The Streets of San Francisco (episode "For Good or Evil").[2]
Music video
The video, directed and animated by James Reitano for TFU Studios,[3] is in the form of an animated Silver Age comic book. It begins with two scientists in a lab experimenting with chemicals. Their work goes awry when a mixture fills the lab with gas, and the scientists, locked in by a supposed security guard, begin to mutate. One grows into a huge man-monster called "Madvillain" and dons DOOM signature mask while the other shrinks into a purple alien-like creature with telepathic powers. He is encased in a golden casket-like case, and they both manage to escape the lab. The "title page" then appears, along with a seal bearing Stan Lee's and Jack Kirby's names, and Madvillain, now wearing a suit with a green trenchcoat and brown hat, carries the golden case until he is confronted by a gang of men in suits called "The Minions of Death." They seem to be after the golden case, but the man-monster doesn't surrender it without a fight. Using a laser rifle, the Minions manage to capture the golden case and subdue Madvillain. Back at their hideout, the Minions demand Madvillain to open the case by force. The alien scientist awakens, and the man-monster hears his thoughts, giving him a boost of energy to let them both escape the hideout. The video ends with a high-speed chase in the mountains with the Minions pursuing the mutated scientists. After they fire a few shots, the alien tells the man-monster to speed up. In a cliffhanger ending, the last "page" reads, "Will Madvillain Survive the Minions of Death? Check Back Next Time, Pilgrims!" Between each scene, there are parodies of typical ads found in comic books, such as sea monkeys for sale and faux job offers. There is also a mail-in section of the comic called "Mail (to the) Villain," where Madlib and MF DOOM make a cameo appearance. The video can be found in QuickTime format when the Madvillainy disc is placed in a computer.
The man-monster
"Madvillain" has become an unofficial mascot of the hip-hop duo. He is featured on the cover of the Stones Throw collaboration Chrome Children (Madvillain's contribution to the album is the single "Monkey Suite"). Kidrobot created a vinyl figure of the man-monster for its sequel along with a limited edition featuring a grey trenchcoat.[4]
In pop culture
- This song is featured in a fight scene between Huey and Bushido Brown in The Boondocks episode, "Let's Nab Oprah".