Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, i… Read Full Bio ↴Otis Jackson Jr. (born October 24, 1973), known professionally as Madlib, is an American DJ, music producer, multi-instrumentalist, and rapper. One of the most prolific and critically acclaimed hip-hop producers of the 2000s, he is widely known for his collaborations with MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), and Freddie Gibbs (as MadGibbs). Madlib has described himself as a "DJ first, producer second, and MC last."

Madlib was born in Oxnard, California to musician parents Otis Jackson, Sr. and Dora Sinesca Jackson. He sampled his first song at 11 years old, sourced from his father's collection. His younger brother is the producer and rapper Michael "Oh No" Jackson. His uncle is the jazz trumpeter Jon Faddis. He was raised in Oxnard, where he began his music career.

During an interview on Chrome Children, Madlib stated that his most significant musical influences include Miles Davis, Sun Ra, and David Axelrod. Some of his hip-hop influences are Large Professor, Marley Marl, Paul C, DJ Pooh, and Dr. Dre.

- Guns of Navarone
Madlib Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In the winter of nineteen sixty and four came this movie to jamaica
The skatalites took the music from the movie and put it into ska
And came up with this song, it's called:

Bam guns of navarone

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Madlib's "Guns of Navarone" allude to the popular Jamaican ska tune of the same name which was inspired by the 1961 classic film "The Guns of Navarone". The song infused elements of jazz and rhythm and blues, with horns and drums, and inspired the development of the ska genre of music. The opening lines, "In the winter of nineteen sixty and four came this movie to Jamaica," speaks to the influence that the film had on the development of the ska music scene in Jamaica.

The Skatalites, who are referenced in the lyrics, were the group responsible for translating the movie's score into ska music, and they incorporated elements of the film's instrumental themes into the up-tempo beat of the genre. Madlib's lyrics are a nod to this history as he acknowledges how the Skatalites took music from the movie and turned it into ska. The line "Bam guns of navarone" is a direct reference to the song and a call-out to the ska era in Jamaica that was marked by its incorporation of influences from popular culture.

Overall, the lyrics to "Guns of Navarone" speak to the rich history of musical innovation in Jamaica, where the meeting of different cultural influences has led to the development of a unique style of music.

Line by Line Meaning

In the winter of nineteen sixty and four came this movie to jamaica
During winter of 1964, a movie arrived in Jamaica

The skatalites took the music from the movie and put it into ska
The skatalites band incorporated the movie's music into ska genre

And came up with this song, it's called: Bam guns of navarone
As a result, they created the song named 'Bam guns of Navarone'

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DIMITRI TIOMKINE, PAUL FRANCIS WEBSTER

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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