It's safe to say that L.A.-based Madlib is officially hip-hop's reigning schizophrenic genius. In addition to his acclaimed collabs with various hip-hop luminaries, he has also dropped several albums by members of a fictional jazz group called Yesterday's New Quintet. Since all the talented musicians in his head apparently couldn't get along, the story is that they split. Prepare for A New Yesterday functions as a collection of the different ex-members' subgroups, while Madlib shows why he is one of the most versatile producer/musicians in contemporary music.

Even under the guise of a jazz outfit, Madlib intersperses sitars, mangled trumpets, and Latin rhythms in unusual places, achieving powerful results. But is this really jazz? Funky fusion songs with a decided hip-hop energy, like Free Son and She's Gonna Stay, remind us that this man rolled thick with legendary beatsmith J. Dilla.

Each and every Madlib album is an absolute adventure, and there's not too many performers in or out of hip-hop for whom that can be said nowadays. As with anyone who is so restless, there are a few moments of unnecessary self-indulgence. (The 12-minute Vibes from the Tribes Suite comes to mind.) But Madlib keeps on making it and true music lovers will keep on taking it.