Revered producer, musician and DJ Madlib is the latest notable figure in the music world to lose his home and equipment to the Los Angeles wildfires.
The producer's team shared a statement on Instagram yesterday (January 13) announcing that Madlib and his family had lost "their home, decades of music and equipment in the devastating LA fires", alongside a picture of their destroyed residence.
Madlib's team are requesting donations to help the producer and his family with "immediate personal needs, essentials like clothing, temporary housing, transportation costs and the tools Madlib needs to continue creating the music that has touched so many lives". Donations can be made via Donorbox.
One of hip-hop's most storied beatmakers, Madlib began his career as a member of the influential hip-hop collective Lootpack. He's since collaborated with J Dilla, Erykah Badu, Kanye West, De La Soul and the late MF Doom, with whom he recorded the seminal 2004 album Madvillainy.
Regarded as a master of the art of sampling, Madlib is known for sampling obscure jazz, funk, soul and world music, often lifting from his legendarily diverse record collection, which the producer once estimated weighs a total of four tons - and that was over a decade ago.
"Madlib told me once he had thousands and thousands of vinyl in that house. Stuff he brought back from every corner of the world," music journalist Thomas Hobbs said on Twitter/X. The loss of Madlib's vinyl collection has been described by several observers as "the hip-hop version of the burning of the library of Alexandria".
Several artists have shown their support for Madlib on social media, including DJ Premier and Flying Lotus.
The Los Angeles wildfires have affected a vast number of musicians and producers across the city, including Iron Maiden guitarist Adrian Smith and legendary mix engineer Bob Clearmountain.
In partnership with the Recording Academy, charitable organization MusiCares is asking for donations to support music professionals impacted by the crisis, and has made an initial pledge of $1 million to kick off its fundraising effort. Visit MusiCares' website to donate.
