His frequent collaborators include MF DOOM (as Madvillain), J Dilla (as Jaylib), Freddie Gibbs (as MadGibbs), Talib Kweli, and Erykah Badu.

Jackson gained wider recognition for his collaboration with MF DOOM under the name Madvillain, producing the critically acclaimed album Madvillainy (2004).

In the early 1990s, Madlib formed a loose-knit collective composed of rappers who worked with him in his Oxnard-based Crate Diggas Palace (CDP) studio.

Lootpack's 1999 debut album Soundpieces: Da Antidote ushered in a string of releases on Stones Throw centering on Madlib's production work which would continue for a decade.

In addition to the remixes, the album contained newly recorded interpretations of Blue Note originals, many of which were credited to members of Yesterdays New Quintet.

Throughout the rest of the decade Madlib continued to release jazz material simultaneously with his hip hop work: Perseverance with Percee P, Liberation with Talib Kweli, Sujinho with Ivan Conti of Azymuth, his own instrumental hip hop series Beat Konducta, In Search of Stoney Jackson with Strong Arm Steady, O. J. Simpson with Guilty Simpson, and production work for artists such as Erykah Badu and De La Soul.

[13] The series would ultimately take over two years to complete, culminating with 13 album releases and several vinyl-only EPs spanning hip hop, jazz, remixes, and multi-genre DJ mixtapes.

[16] While none of the beats were used, Madlib did take part in the recording sessions for the album, which evolved from Good Ass Job to My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy.

[18] West was interviewed as part of the 2014 Stones Throw documentary film Our Vinyl Weighs A Ton, in which he opens up about working with Madlib and wanting more of his beats for future projects.

[19] "No More Parties in LA" appears on his seventh album, which underwent several name changes: So Help Me God, SWISH, and Waves, before finally being released as The Life of Pablo on February 12, 2016.

[27] On March 28, 2023, Madlib revealed in an interview on Sway in the Morning that he was "finishing up" his collaborative effort with the late Miller, and that the rapper's estate was on board with a release.

[28] In January 2021, in an interview with The Guardian, Madlib revealed he missed the opportunity to join forces with Kendrick Lamar on his 2015 album, To Pimp a Butterfly.

[31] During an interview on Chrome Children, Madlib stated that his most significant musical influences include Miles Davis, Sun Ra, and David Axelrod.

Aside from Davis and Ra who are noted earlier, he named George Benson, Hampton Hawes, Steve Kuhn, George Cables, Cedar Walton, Herbie Hancock, Gene Harris and the Three Sounds, Bobby Hutcherson, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Horace Silver, Bill Evans, Terry Gibbs, Gary Burton, Donald Byrd, George Duke, Lee Morgan, Shirley Scott, Groove Holmes, Jimmy Smith, Gene Russell, the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Michael White, Cal Tjader, Weather Report, Max Roach, Freddie Hubbard, Cannonball Adderley, Eddie Harris, Milt Jackson, Ron Carter, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, William Fisher, John Coltrane, Gary Bartz, Kool & the Gang, Modern Jazz Quartet, Johnny Hammond, Carl Saunders, Paul Bley, Thelonious Monk, Norman Connors, Albert Ayler, McCoy Tyner, & Dizzy Gillespie.

[citation needed] In January 2025, it was reported that Madlib's home in Los Angeles was burned down during the wildfires affecting the area, with the producer losing "decades of music and equipment" in the process; a Donorbox crowdfunding campaign was subsequently started to help him and his family.