All Caps (song)

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"All Caps"
All Caps Single.jpg
Single by Madvillain
from the album Madvillainy
A-side"All Caps"
B-side"Curls"
ReleasedFebruary 2004
Recorded2002
GenreAlternative hip hop
Length2:13
LabelStones Throw
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Madlib
Madvillain singles chronology
"Money Folder"
(2003) 		"All Caps"
(2004) 		"One Beer"
(2004)
Radio promo version
Curls & All Caps (Promo).png
Music video
"All Caps" on YouTube

"All Caps" is a single by the hip-hop duo Madvillain released in February 2004 ahead of their debut studio album Madvillainy. Though "All Caps" is the A-side, the official title of the single is "Curls & All Caps".[1]

Background[]

"All Caps" 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 Madvillainy Demo Tape which originally leaked to the internet in early 2003. Around 200 copies of a promotional 12" single were pressed and released to radio stations and DJs including the bonus track "Bonus Beat (Radio Promo Version)". Approximately 40 to 50 of these were hand-painted by Madvillainy cover designer Jeff Jank.[2]

Music video[]

The video for "All Caps", 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 an MF DOOM 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 creature featured in the video was reproduced by Kidrobot as a vinyl figure in a green trenchcoat along with a limited edition featuring a grey trenchcoat.[4]

Track listing[]

A-side
No.TitleLength
1."The Illest Villains" (Remix)1:51
2."All Caps" (Vocal)2:13
3."All Caps" (Instrumental)2:12
B-side
No.TitleLength
1."Scene Three"1:29
2."Curls" (Vocal)1:37
3."Curls" (Instrumental)1:35

Radio Promo Version[]

A-side
No.TitleLength
1."The Illest Villains #2"1:51
2."All Caps" (Vocal)2:12
3."All Caps" (Instrumental)2:12
B-side
No.TitleLength
1."Scene Three" (Instrumental)1:29
2."Curls" (Vocal)1:37
3."Curls" (Instrumental)1:35
4."Bonus Beat" (Radio Promo Exclusive)1:35[a]

Personnel[]

Credits are adapted from the single's liner notes.[6]

Personnel

Additional personnel

Artwork

  • Eric Coleman – photo
  • Jank – cover

In popular culture[]

  • "All Caps" is featured in The Boondocks episode "Let's Nab Oprah" during a fight scene between Huey and Bushido Brown.[citation needed]

Notes[]

  1. ^ Incorrectly listed as 1:15 on the vinyl label.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ "Madvillain - Curls & All Caps". Stones Throw. Archived from the original on 3 April 2004. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  2. ^ "Moet in a flask: Madvillain's Curls radio promo". Stones Throw. 9 January 2010. Retrieved 8 March 2021.
  3. ^ "Interview with the director". Archived from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 11 October 2007.
  4. ^ "Madvillain ST &kidrobot". Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 11 April 2007.
  5. ^ Curls & All Caps (Radio Promo Version) (liner notes). Madvillain. Los Angeles, California: Stones Throw Records. 2004. STH2085-P.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  6. ^ Curls & All Caps (liner notes). Madvillain. Los Angeles, California: Stones Throw Records. 2004. STH2085.CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

External links[]

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