Figaro by Madvillain Song Info
”Figaro” is the fourteenth song from Madvillainy, the collab album between Madlib & MF DOOM. This song samples Dr. Lonnie Smith’s "In the Beginning" and "Jeannine". (Sample appears at 2:20) The title of the track, DOOM might pay homage to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s 1786 composition, “the marriage of Figaro”, which tells the tale of two servants' verboten love affair. He’s spitting it just like the child prodigy— he’ll win the girl against all odds and flip it into a classic track. More likely though, it refers to the song “Largo al Factotum” from The Barber of Seville. An aria written for a baritone is an incredibly difficult and wordy piece to perform. The repeating of the name “Figaro” over and over, is one of the most iconic and well-known sections in operatic singing. More than a throwback, ‘Figaro’ references a type of neck chain that DOOM criticizes rappers for flossing. He always insists it’s about the music, not the fashion. The RZA spits a similar line for his horror-core side project, The Gravediggaz Pass the Shovel: "Now should I say “figaro, figaro' The next thing you know I got a pocket full of dough" DOOM transcends the peacocking posers are so prone to, as he’d rather prove his prowess through musicking than bowing down to an assumption of swagger.