it is just not everyday that a dude who makes his name in hip-hop is given unfettered access to the Blue Note masters and then makes an album on that label with them. I think that while he probably wouldn't say it was his greatest work himself, the fact that it even happened in the first place speaks to his impact and notability as an artist.

that being said I don't know if I can call him a 2000s Legend (even if the bulk of the work he has done to earn the "Legend" title was done in that decade). He will probably have a good 20+ years under his belt as an artist.

Madlib is a timeless artist within the hip-hop genre, particularly in its indie/underground strain. He is someone that will be continually written about and remembered long after he decides he's going to call it a day.

I liken him to free/avant-garde jazz artists who may have been given props in the most niche circles in the beginning, but today are revered as much as the "big names" of mainstream jazz.

I don't want to call him the Archie Schlepp of hip-hop because it's too imperfect a collaboration, but I think he holds similar reverence.